Allen Family History

Sources of Information: 1. Bredon, Worcester, England Parish Registers (FHL #352012)

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 in 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

[meadows081604 / 0346] 20 September 2004

The objective of this research project was to find another generation on each of five lines: Meadows, Overbury, Williams, Farmer, and Davies. We had successful results on two of the lines and have plans for follow-up on all five lines. Meadows Research began in Bredon, Worcestershire, to find John Meadows and christenings for Thomas Farmer and Ann Davies. It quickly became apparent John Meadows was not born at Bredon, even though he married there. His wife's mother, Ann Davies, was found to be the daughter of William and Sarah Davies, and was christened 16 January 1729 at Bredon [document #1]. Her siblings were also found at Bredon B Mary, Francis, Ann, Elizabeth, Richard, Joseph, and Hannah, all between 1725 and 1736. There was a marriage between William Davies and Sarah Harvey at Cherington, Gloucester in September 1725, but confirming it is ancestral was not within the scope of this assignment. The existing John and Sarah Meadows family seemed remarkably small. A browse through the International Genealogical Index revealed an additional four children born to John and Sarah Meadows at Twining, Gloucester. Because of the vagaries of the boundary between Worcester and Gloucester, these two parishes are adjacent. The additional children, William, James, Mary, and Joseph, have been added to the existing family group record. A search of both the International Genealogical Index and the British Vital Records Index just for the surname Meadows had an interesting result. In Worcestershire, almost all Meadows individuals in this time period were in the city of Worcester, which has thirteen parishes. Of these thirteen, only six have been extracted for the appropriate time period. It is recommended the remainder be searched for John Meadows in a future project, as well as any which lie geographically between Worcester and Bredon, and have not been extracted. Farmer. A probable christening was found at Bredon for Thomas Farmer, but this is not quite solid. On 27 December 1731 a child Thomas was christened, son of Anthony and Hannah Farmer [document #2]. The date and place are excellent, as are the names of the siblings, Thomas, John, William, Hannah, William, Ann, and Anthony between 1731 and 1743, but there is no continuation of the name Anthony among their descendants, other than their son Anthony. However, this entry is the only suitable Thomas Farmer christening in the International Genealogical Index, and is very close to Pershore, where the couple were married. The only other christening for a Thomas Farmer is at Astley, just south of Kidderminster, a distance of over twenty miles. The researcher's experience has shown the name Farmer carries over from Hereford into northeastern Worcester, but is really too far away to be considered. This christening has been entered as proposed only, and follow-up will be required before it is accepted as ancestral. Again from the International Genealogical Index, a marriage between Anthony Farmer and Hannah Hill was found at Birlingham in 1729. This is about four miles from Bredon. If the christening is accepted as ancestral, this is the correct marriage for the parents. Williams In the International Genealogical Index three Williams children were christened between 1768 and 1773 at Defford parish, about four miles from Wick, Worcestershire. They were Mary, William, and John Williams. Since Defford is so close to Wick, and 1768 is an excellent birth date for the Mary Williams who married William Overbury in 1791, it is suggested this Mary could be ancestral. Mention must also be made, however, of the many other Mary Williams who were born in Worcestershire in the appropriate time frame, but none are quite as close as Defford. There are no suitable marriages for William Williams and Betty his wife in or close to Defford, either geographically or near the time of the birth of the first known child, Mary, but there are several in a number of the Worcester City parishes. There is a christening at Wyre Piddle, a parish adjacent to Wick, for a William Williams, son of Benjamin and Mary, in 1743, who is old enough to be well placed for a 1768 marriage. He was followed by two more children in 1746 and 1751 at Great Comberton. A case can therefore be made for acceptance of the above Mary Williams entry. It can be easily seen, though, more research must be done before a final decision can be made. Overbury The ancestral William Overbury was married at Little Comberton on 29 November 1791, and had all but one of his children at Wick. He was described in his daughter Ann's marriage licence as being of Wick. While that may have been true when Ann Overbury married in 1814, it has also been confirmed he was definitely not born at Wick. A search of the International Genealogical Index for Worcester as well as the British Vital Records Index for the same county reveals no Overbury christenings at all. Little Comberton, William's marriage place, is adjacent to Wick and has been extracted and included in the International Genealogical Index, as have many other parishes in the area. There are six parishes nearby, in particular, which have not been extracted: Cropthorne, Norton, Church Lench, Abberton, Pinvin and Bredons Norton. There is an excellent possibility for William Overbury in the parish of Charlton Kings in Gloucester, but it is about fourteen miles from Wick. It is strongly recommended these parishes be searched first when this family is worked on again, as there was insufficient time remaining in the present project to do that. This has been a good project, and the prospects for continuing extensions on all lines are excellent. 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