Allen Family History

Sources of Information: 1. Wick, Worcester, England Parish Registers (FHL #886617) 2. Little Comberton, Worcester, England Parish Registers (FHL #435243) 3. International Genealogical Index

Notes:

ROBERT ALLEN RESEARCH REPORT

[meadows012904 / 0346] 9 February 2004

This was a challenging project. Sources for all the information supplied at the outset of this project were the same as the Ancestral File. During the course of the active life of the Ancestral File, a great deal of data was corrupted because after a file had been submitted it was possible for someone else to submit changes. These were match-merged into the original, sometime leading to some ludicrous anachronisms. For this reason, any data marked with Ancestral File as the source is subject to scrutiny. As such, research initially sought to confirm the information about Thomas Meadows and Ann Overbury in the supposed original sources. Problems presented themselves, and it was decided these must be addressed so future extension of all lines was based on true and provable data. Thomas Meadows In a search of Bredon Parish Registers to confirm the parentage of Thomas Meadows, a major discrepancy was noticed almost immediately. These entries were found exactly as given below: 10 Nov 1794: John Meadows of Twyning, Gloucester, and Sarah Farmer otp were married by banns 21 Feb 1796: Thomas son of William and Sarah Meadows baptized 28 Jan 1798: Ann Medos daughter of John and Sarah Medos baptized 5 Oct 1800: John son of William and Sarah Meadows baptized

The entry for the christening of Thomas as the son of William Meadows is included [document #1], as is the marriage of John Meadows to Sarah Farmer [document #2]. Either a mistake had been made in the christening entry itself, or in the birthplace of the ancestral Thomas Meadows. To clarify Thomas birthplace the 1851 British Census of Strensham was sought. This is where Thomas reportedly married and died. The entire film was examined but Thomas and his wife Ann were not there. Next we tried the 1861 British Census and here had more success [document #3]. The birthplaces for both Thomas and Ann were given, confirming Bredon was indeed the birthplace of Thomas Meadows. Moreover, his age matched a baptism in 1796. The original marriage entry for Thomas Meadows and Ann Overbury was found in Strensham [document #4], and the most interesting part was that the marriage took place by licence. A search of the Archdeaconry of Worcester Marriage Licences for November 1814 produced the Allegation and Bond for the marriage licence [document #5]. In the Allegation some very useful information was found. Portions are here quoted verbatim: 19 November 1814 - Thomas Meadows of the parish of Strensham bachelor - age 20 and upwards - intends to marry Ann Overbury of the parish of Strensham spinster by and with the consent of John Meadows the lawful father and William Overbury the lawful father of the said Thomas Meadows and Ann Overbury, they being minors ............................................ On the same day appeared personally John Meadows of the parish of Twining in the county of Gloucester and William Overbury of the parish of Wick in the county and diocese of Worcester and being sworn on the Holy Evangelist made oath as follows that they are the lawful father of the said Thomas Meadows and Ann Overbury and that they are consenting to the marriage@

Since the father of Thomas Meadows was definitely John Meadows, it must be therefore assumed the two entries in the Bredon registers were made in error. As no marriage between a William Meadows and a Sarah can be found, it seems likely this was an honest error made on the part of the parish clerk and all of the children belong to John and Sarah Meadows. Accordingly, it is recommended the ancestry of John Meadows be sought in Twining or one of the parishes in close proximity. Ann Overbury This marriage licence was also helpful as far as Ann Overbury was concerned. When the parish registers of Wick were consulted the following information was found: 17 Aug 1794: Ann daughter of William and Mary Overbury baptized 5 Feb 1797: Hannah daughter of William and Mary Overbury baptized 30 Jun 1799: Mary daughter of William and Mary Overbury baptized 6 Feb 1803: Susannah daughter of William and Mary Overbury baptized 2 Apr 1805: Sarah daughter of William and Mary Overbury baptized 10 Oct 1807: Ann daughter of William and Mary Overbury baptized 29 Apr 1810: William son of William and Mary Overbury baptized 4 Apr 1813: Eliza daughter of William and Mary Overbury baptized

Notice that a second Ann was born to William and Mary Overbury, who were the only Overbury family in the parish, and there were no significant gaps which might indicate a second marriage to a second Mary. Also no other marriage could be found for William Overbury except the following in Little Comberton [document #6]: 20 Nov 1791: William Overbury otp ba., and Mary Williams otp sp., married by banns Witnesses: Joseph George, Mary Stephens

The 1807 christening has been double checked to make sure it is correct, which it is. Back in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries naming more than one living child by the same name was not uncommon. Indeed there is a will which mentions >my sons John the elder, John the middle, and John the younger! However this practice died out by the mid-seventeenth century. People still reused a name more than once in their families, but only when the first child with the name had died. This practice continued well into the nineteenth century. To see it in the William Overbury family automatically makes the presumption the Ann who was born in 1794 died before 1807, when the second one was christened. Unfortunately, there are no burials for Wick parish between 1767 and 1845 available at the Family History Library which can be used to clarify the matter.
In the 1861 British Census, Ann (Overbury) Meadows, of Strensham, says she was born at Strensham although a search of the Strensham Parish Registers came up empty. It is well within the realms of possibility there could be a William Overbury who had a daughter Ann in or about 1794/1795 in a nearby parish, and this possibility needs to be pursued.
However, other factors support the correct William Overbury was the one found in the Wick registers. In the marriage licence, Ann's father William Overbury was specifically of Wick. Ann was pregnant as the marriage in November 1814 and the child born in April 1815 makes that clear. It was very common for a young wife to return to her mother's house to have her first baby, which in this case would be Wick. Indeed, Ann's first child John was born in Wick, and then all subsequent children in Strensham. This makes a very strong case that the correct Ann Overbury has been found, having been christened in 1794 at Wick. If this is accepted, then it seems far more likely the 1807 child born to William and Mary Overbury was not named Ann at all, but was mistakenly entered that way. Two avenues of research recommend themselves: Determine if the burials for Wick parish are available in England, and have them checked for the burial of the first Ann Overbury.

Seek a will for William Overbury as he should list the names of his children.

If neither of these suggested courses of action produce clarification, then an area search for an alternative Ann must be made to make sure the right line is being followed. It is obligatory upon us to make every effort so any genealogy we produce is correct and solid for the temple work to be done. Sarah Farmer From the International Genealogical Index, only one family in Bredon has been found for Sarah Farmer. It appears she was the daughter of Thomas Farmer and Ann Davies, who married at Pershore in 1755. The family consisted of Mary, Elizabeth, Thomas, Ann, Sarah, John, Sarah, and William [document #7]. It is recommended the Bredon registers be searched in the future to confirm this family and also the burials of the first John and Sarah. Mary Williams Mary Williams married at Little Comberton in 1791. Working only in the International Genealogical Index, two good possibilities have been found for her [document #7]: 12 Apr 1768: Mary Williams d. of William and Betty Williams of Defford 8 Jul 1770: Mary Williams d. of William and Sarah Williams of Ripple

Both places are within five miles of Little Comberton. It is recommended these leads be followed up on in a future session.
All in all this has been a productive project and it it seems as if a strong, solid foundation is being laid for extension of lines. It has been a pleasure to assist you in researching and documenting your family history. We look forward to continuing research according to your instructions. _2004 Price & Associates Incorporated ACP/mh

ROBERT ALLEN RESEARCH REPORT

[meadowsoverbury102504 / 0346] 14 November 2004

It is proving to be a real, and so far unsuccessful, challenge to find christenings of John Meadows, William Overbury, and the last name of William William's wife Elizabeth.
As recommended in the last project all the un-extracted parishes of the city of Worcester were examined for John Meadows without finding him. As William Overbury was born at approximately the same time, he was automatically included in the unproductive search.
Next, the parishes within five miles of Bredon and Wick were listed and a careful search made for all those which had been fully extracted to the either the International Genealogical Index or the British Vital Records Index [document #1-2] and delineated on maps of Worcester and Gloucester [document #3]. Any which had been extracted only from Bishop's Transcripts and for which there were parish registers now available covering the appropriate time period were selected for searching. It was noticed, with dismay, that within the two lists were seven parishes for which there are no records at all available at the Family History Library covering the requisite time of 1750 - 1800, the extreme outside parameters. Altogether there were sixteen parishes examined in this project, all but one without even a mention of the names in question. Most of these registers were in poor condition and were written in very difficult to read handwriting, which made the searching very drawn out. In the parish of Elmley Castle near Bredon the following entry was found: 18 Mar 1776: John Meadows of Croome Abitot of Worcester, ba. and Mary Smith of Elmley Castle sp. were married by Licence.

It was considered possible that if this were a first marriage in 1776 for John Meadows, as indicated by the description bachelor, then possibly the marriage to Sarah Farmer was a second marriage in 1794. An examination of the marriage in Bredon, however, showed the John Meadows there was also a bachelor, which demolished the theory. It is regrettable the parish of Croome Abitot has no records between 1700 and 1813. Proof of this is offered in printouts of the Family History Library Catalog showing the contents, dates and most importantly the film numbers of the parish registers [document #3]. An additional search of the International Genealogical Index for a John Meadows between 1740 and 1760, the likely period for the birth of the John Meadows married in 1776, was negative. The Society of Genealogists does not list the parish amongst their holdings either. Correspondence will be sent to the Worcester Record Office to see what is available there. It seems likely at this point that the only access to the Meadows of Croome d'Abitot may be through probate records. It is strongly recommended however the search be continued in the remaining parishes on the list for both Worcester and Gloucester, which have not as yet been checked, to find the names in question. Possible areas of interest to Bredon, Wick and Defford, where Meadows, Overbury and Williams were last found, cover parishes in both counties. In the unlikely event all lived in those parishes for which there are no records, persistence should win in the end. A possible marriage for William Williams to an Elizabeth was found at Worcester All Saints: 31 January 1764: William Williams of this parish and Elizabeth Wood of the chapelry of Hallen married by licence. Witnesses: Samuel Betterly and Thomas Worrall

Although the chronology is about right, the marriage took place over ten miles from Defford, where the family lived. Further research will be needed to verify this. It has been a pleasure to assist you in researching and documenting your family history. We look forward to continuing research according to your instructions. _2004 Price & Associates Incorporated ACP/mh

ROBERT ALLEN RESEARCH REPORT

[meadowsoverbury011405 / 0346] 2 February 2005

The objectives of this research project were to identify the wives of Thomas Meadows and William Williams, and to find the parents of William Overbury. We feel this research project has been successful in meeting the majority of these objectives. William Williams As all three known children of William Williams were christened at Defford, Worcester, England, we first turned to this parish in our search for his marriage and found the following [document #1]: Banns of Marriage between William Williams a Batchelor & Betty Jones a Spinster both of this parish were published in this Chapel on June 28, July the 12 & ye 26th . . . William Williams of this Parish a Batchelor and Betty Jones of the same Parish a Spinster were Married in this Chapel by Banns this twenty seventh Day of July [1767]

The date of this marriage fits very well with the christening of William's first child in April 1768. Since Betty was a nickname for Elizabeth, we were not concerned the name of William William's wife in family group records was Elizabeth. In fact, we looked at the christening records of his children, Mary (1768), William (1769/1770), and John (1773), and found all were actually christened as children of William and Betty. For these reasons, we feel confident this marriage is correct. As both were of the parish at the time of their marriage, it is likely the pedigree will be relatively easy to extend further in Defford or in the vicinity.

William Overbury Our last research project ended with two possibilities for William Overbury's christening and parentage B one at Minsterworth, Gloucester in 1771, and one at Charlton Kings in 1769 [research report dated 7 January 2005, page 3]. We found the christening at Charlton Kings is more likely, due to a process of elimination, but further proof may be necessary before extending the line.
We searched the will of William Overbury of Minsterworth, 1824 [research report dated 7 January 2005, page 4]. His will mentioned a wife Hannah and the fact he had children, although none were named. The will was written 24 April 1824 and proved 2 November 1824. A search of Minsterworth burials revealed this entry: William Overbury; abode: Minsterworth; date: 6 May 1824; age: 52 William's age at burial means he was born 1771/1772, which is when the possibly ancestral William was christened at Minsterworth (14 July 1771). The fact this William stayed at Minsterworth means he was very likely not the one who migrated north to Wick, Worcester. Using the International Genealogical Index, we also found the following marriage which probably pertained to this William Overbury [document #2]: William Overbury; spouse: Hannah Hawkes; marriage: 27 May 1798 St. Mary de Lode's, Gloucester, Gloucester, England

The city of Gloucester is located just a few miles east of Minsterworth [document #3]. William's probable marriage in Gloucester, as well as his death and burial at Minsterworth, show he could not be the ancestral William. We next turned to our other possibility the William Overbury christened 17 September 1769 at Charlton Kings, Gloucester, son of William and Mary. First of all, this William was not the first son, was the previous William, and was thus less likely to continue on the same plot of land as his father. It is more likely a younger son would migrate.
We searched burials of Charlton Kings, 1769-1812, to determine whether William died young or remained in the parish. We did not find any burial for him as a child, but did find the following burials relating to the family [document #4]: 19 January 1772 Mary wife of Wm Overbury (mother) 28 September 1789 Elizabeth Overbury, spinster (possible sister) 14 May 1797 David Ellis Overbury (brother and will) 20 March 1803 Sarah Overbury, spinster (will) 11 February 1806 William Overbury (father)

Since William's mother, Mary, died in 1772 and there was no other burial for her husband, we believe the 1806 burial of William Overbury was for William's father, and not for himself. This is even more likely when we consider we have found no marriage for William, Jr., in the area of Charlton Kings, so it is possible he did not remain in the area. As the will of David Ellis Overbury (1798) was located through an online index in our last research project, we sought to find this original will at the Family History Library. Although reference to this will was found in a library index, it was not found in the original film. It is very important this will be obtained from the Gloucester Record Office, because since David died fairly young, he may mention siblings in his will, which would give us some idea if his brother, William, could have migrated north to Worcester (the ancestral William was in Worcester by 1791). We sought David Ellis Overbury's probate record in the estate duty registers, since these began in 1796, but his was not listed. This is because his will was probably worth under ,30, and not taxed. We also searched the will of Sarah Overbury of Charlton Kings (1803). Sarah named her sister, Hannah Gainer, and Hannah=s daughters, Sarah, Hannah, and Elizabeth. Hester Peacy and Hester's daughter, Susannah Peacy, were mentioned, and John Peacey of Charlton Kings was named executor. The will was written 23 November 1802 and proved 26 March 1803. We currently do not know Sarah's relation to the William Overbury family, if any. Finding William Overbury's age at burial would aid us in determining whether the 1769 christening is ancetral. We searched the National Burial Index for any Overbury burials, but found none in Gloucester or Worcester, 1761-1860 (the index is not complete). A Gloucester burial index, post-1812, will be available at the Family History Library in the near future. This should be searched for Overbury burials, especially for William (although he was more likely buried in Worcestershire). We will discuss more about the search for William's burial later in this report.
We sought to discover whether any of William's siblings also migrated north, as this would further prove him to be ancestral. We only found the marriage of one sibling, however, and it occurred in Gloucester. William's brother, Guy, married Ketharine/Cathrine Davis on 4 October 1789 at Cheltenham, just northwest of Charlton Kings, indicating he likely stayed in the area. Through an online index, we found a William Overbury of Cheltenham left a will in 1843 [document #5a-b]. We do not have these original wills at the Family History Library, but should send for this will, in case this William was the one christened at Charlton Kings. It is possible he was the son of Guy and Catherine, as they had a son William in 1801 [document #6]. Assuming the Charlton Kings christening is ancestral (it has not yet been proved otherwise), we sought marriage information for William Overbury's parents. Since his oldest brother was named David Ellis, we thought it likely the maiden name of their mother was Ellis. Sure enough, we found the following in the International Genealogical Index [document #7-8]: Mary Ellis; spouse: Wm. Overbury; marriage: 10 Dec 1759 Charlton Kings, Gloucester, England [married by license]

We also learned Mary was the daughter of David Ellis and Anne, christened 19 August 1730 at Charlton Kings [document #9], and William was the son of Richard Overberry and Anne, christened 30 November 1730 at Charlton Kings [document #10-11]. Burials in this parish should be searched, 1730-1750, to ensure neither individual died as a child. As some of the temple ordinances for the Ellis/Overbury family have been submitted in the early 1900s, we searched temple records for any indication of this earlier generation linking the Overbury family of Charlton Kings with William who married at Worcester. We found, however, the submitter was a descendant of the Ellis line and had no additional information on William Overbury.
Believing it possible William lived long enough to be found in census records (1841 and later), we turned to Worcester records to seek reference to William's age, and thus a year of birth. We found his wife at Strensham in 1841, which is the parish in which their daughter, Ann (wife of Thomas Meadows) settled [document #12]: Place Name Age Profession Born in County Lower Strensham Richard Stephens 20 Ag Lab Y
George do [ditto] 10 Y
Samuel do 6 Y
Thomas [?] do 3 Y
(new family) Charles Meadows 17 Ag Lab Y
Mary Overbury 70[?] Ag Lab Y

Charles Meadows was the son of Thomas and Ann (Overbury) Meadows and Mary's grandson. The fact she was with him indicates she was probably a widow and William died before the census was taken. Although we were unable to find additional information on William through the 1841 British Census, we did discover more about Mary. Ages of persons over fifteen were rounded down in the 1841 British Census, so Mary's age is not exact (age 70-75). We also searched the 1851 British Census and again found Mary, who by this time was definitely a widow. She was living next to the family of Thomas and Ann Meadows, at Lower Strensham [document #13]: No. Name Relationship Status Age Occupation Birth
35 Thomas Meadows Head Mar 54 Ag Lab Worc Bredon
Ann do Wife Mar 55 Charwoman do Wick
Charles do Son Mar 26 Ag Lab do Strensham
Esther do Daur in law Mar 20 do do do
36 James Bendal Head Widower 50 do do do
Mary Overbury Lodger Widow 84 do do do

A charwoman is a female who does housework. We do not currently know how James Bendal relates to the family. Mary's age in 1851 fits well with her christening in 1768. As Defford (the parish of her christening) is located just north of Strensham [document #14], we are not concerned with the census taker's report she was born at Strensham (in fact, both could be correct). Still hoping to find William's age at death or burial information, we searched the civil registration index online, 1837-1865, but found no good possibilities for him. We found a Mary Overbury in the December quarter of 1851, Pershore registration district, and another Mary Overbury in the March quarter of 1855 in the same district. Checking Strensham burials, we found our Mary's burial entry [document #15]: Mary Overbury; abode: Strensham; date: 11 October 1851; age: 84 This means the registration in December quarter 1851 refers to the ancestral Mary. Her death certificate is located in volume 18, page 11, and can be ordered from the record office.
We searched additional burials at Strensham, 1820-1841, but did not find William. We also searched the microfiche version of England's civil registration indexes (more complete), September quarter 1837 (when registration began) to December quarter 1841, but found nothing. This means William probably died before 1837, and was buried in a parish other than Strensham, although there is a possibility he died between 1841 and 1851 and can be found later in the civil registration index. Burials for Wick (the parish in which William's children were christened) are not available at the Family History Library. These should be searched, as it is the most likely burial place for William. In summary, much progress has been made on the Overbury line during this project, but in order to be certain William actually came from Charlton Kings, it is imperative we locate the will of David Ellis Overbury of Charlton Kings (1798). It would also be helpful to find William's death reference or burial entry, so we may learn his age at burial, and check that against his christening of 1769.

John Meadows Our last research project identified John's parents as Thomas and Hannah Meadows of Barnwood, Gloucester. Time in this project was spent searching for their marriage. Before discussing the marriage search, we feel it important to note the Twyning registers available at the Family History Library are missing years 1770-1772 for christenings. These years are of paramount importance to verifying John Meadows birth and parental information, as he was born about 1769 (according to census and burial records) and could have easily been christened 1770-1772. As he raised a family and was buried at Twyning, ensuring he was or was not also christened there is very important. These records will have to be searched in England. We searched 1767-1769, 1773-1774 for Meadows but found no entries for the surname. This makes it less probable John was christened in the parish (since there were no other Meadows in the register), but it should still be checked.
Concerning the marriage of John=s supposed parents, Thomas Meadows and Hannah, we searched a Gloucester marriage index, 1751-1775, but did not find them. We began an area search for this marriage, first by determining which nearby parishes have been extracted and included in the International Genealogical Index. Marriage entries covering Thomas and Hannah=s possible year of marriage (about 1755-1762) are in the International Genealogical Index for the following parishes: Longney Barnwood St. Catherine, Gloucester St. Nicholas, Gloucester Churchdown Upton St. Leonard Bishop's Cleeve We searched marriage records, 1755-1762, for the following parishes (but found no male Meadow names): St. Michael, Gloucester St. John the Baptist, Gloucester St. Mary de Crypt, Gloucester St. Mary de Lode, Gloucester (1762 missing) St. Aldate's, Glouceser Matson

We found records at the Family History Library for some nearby parishes did not include marriages from 1755 to 1762. These may need to be searched elsewhere. These are: Holy Trinity, Gloucester St. Peter/St. Peter's Abbey

The search for Thomas and Hannah's marriage will have to be extended to include even more parishes in the future. Searching the International Genealogical Index, we found a Thomas Meadows was christened at St. Mary de Lode's, Gloucester, Gloucester in 1734 [document #16]. This is a good time period for John's father's christening, and may indicate he was indeed married nearby. Burials of St. Mary de Lode=s should be searched to ensure this Thomas was not buried as a child. We found one other possibility for Thomas at St. Leonards Upton, Gloucester, christened 1744 [document #17]. This christening is a bit late but still possible. We found it interesting a Thomas Meadows was married in 1730 at Tewkesbury, Gloucester, since John Meadows lived in that parish for a time [document #18]. We do not yet know the relation of this Thomas. Searching the International Genealogical Index, we found most Meadows families in the 1730s were from northeast Gloucester, in parishes such as: Stow on the Wold, Quinton, Moreton in Marsh, etc. It is possible John's parents came from that area. In summary, we have not yet found the marriage of Thomas Meadows and Hannah, and an area search will have to be continued for their marriage. Also, christening records of Twyning, Gloucester should be searched for any Meadows christenings, 1770-1772, just in case John was actually christened in that parish rather than in Barnwood. It is a pleasure to assist you in researching and documenting your family history. We look forward to continuing research according to your instructions. _2005 Price & Associates Incorporated JMT/mh