Allen Family History

Sources of Information: 1. Parish Registers of Barnwood, Gloucester, England (FHL #991298) 2. Bishop's Transcripts of St Mary de Lode, Gloucester, Gloucester, England (FHL #427798)

Notes: Thomas married as Meadways, but both he and his younger children christened as Meadows.

Notes:

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 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 the property in his will was probably worth under L30 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

ROBERT ALLEN RESEARCH REPORT

[Meadows092005 / 0346] 6 October 2005

The objective of this research project was to extend the pedigree of John Meadows, christened 5 February 1769 at Barnwood, Gloucester, England. Since our last project, we have received the results of several searches by correspondence. First, through a search of Twining, Gloucester parish registers, we discovered an additional child of John and Sarah (Farmer) Meadows, and have also made additions and corrections to birth and christening information for their other children [document #1]. We have also verified John was not born at Twining, as no Meadows individuals were in the parish registers from 1760 to 1808 [document #2]. We have verified John's year of birth through his death certificate: he died in January 1841 at the age of 71 [document #3]. His wife, Sarah, died in February 1855 at the age of 84 [document #4]. It appears their grandchildren were present at their deaths and gave the death information. Perhaps they were living with the family of their daughter, Mary (Meadows) Green. Our main goal during this project was to find the marriage record of John's parents, Thomas and Hannah Meadows, and find their parental information. At the outset, we knew Thomas and Hannah had children christened 1762B1780 at Barnwood, Gloucester. As described in our previous report, we searched the marriage records of many nearby parishes whose records were not found in the International Genealogical Index [see meadowsoverbury011405, page 9]. This effort was continued, and we searched marriage records from 1755 to 1762 in the parishes of: St. Catharine, Gloucester; St. Nicholas, Gloucester; Upton St. Leonard; Churchdown; Down Hatherly; Brockworth; and Whaddon, but no Meadows marriages were found. Even though the marriages at Barnwood are found in the International Genealogical Index, these were also searched, and we found the following [document #5]: 30 July 1758: Thomas Meadways Batchelor & Hannah Reeve Spinster both of the Parish of Barnwood were married by Banns in the Church of Barnwood

Searching Barnwood christenings, we found Thomas and Hannah had two additional children [document #5-6]: 3 December 1758: Mary daughter of Thomas Meadwars and Hannah his Wife 12 October 1760: Thomas son of Thomas Meadways and Hannah his Wife

After the christenings of his first two children, Thomas surname was consistently written as Meadows in the christening records of all his other children [document #7-8]. It is important to note Meadows and Meadways are indexed as different surnames in the International Genealogical Index and must be searched separately. This is why Thomas marriage was not found in this index under Meadows. The search for the christening of Thomas Meadways/Meadows began. We learned the surnames were apparently interchangeable because Meadways was found in several Meadows families. One possibility for Thomas christening was found as Meadway at St. Leonard's Upton, just south of Barnwood [document #9-10]: 8 March 1719: Thomas, son of George Medway and Elizabeth This Thomas was not buried as a child at St. Leonard's Upton. However, this christening is unlikely to be ancestral because Thomas named none of his children George, and he would have been 29 when he married Hannah and over 60 when his last child was christened. What makes this christening possible is the fact George and Elizabeth christened their last four known children at Barnwood, from 1725B1731 [document #11]. As discussed in our previous report, two other possible christenings for Thomas were found in parishes very near Barnwood [document #12-13]: 8 December 1734, St. Mary de Lode, Gloucester: Thomas son of Thomas & Mary Medows 1 January 1744/1745, St. Leonard's Upton: Thomas son of Thomas and Hesther Meadows

Thomas and Mary Meadows had the following children christened [document #14-15b]: 11 February 1732, St. Mary de Lode: Elizabeth Meadows 8 December 1734, St. Mary de Lode: Thomas Medows 13 February 1736, Barnwood: John Medway 20 March 1738, Barnwood: James Weight Medway

In 1741, two Medways were buried in Barnwood [document #16]: 8 June 1741: Thomas Medway 26 June 1741: James Wait Medway

There is no mistaking the second burial was the child of Thomas and Mary Meadows, christened in 1738, but was the first burial the Thomas christened in 1734? If so, we can eliminate the 1734 christening as ancestral. This may have been the case, because two other Thomas Meadows were buried later in Barnwood [document #16]: 13 April 1789: Thomas Meadows 17 February 1805: Thomas Meadows

It is most likely the Thomas buried in 1789 was the husband of Mary, and the Thomas buried in 1805 was the ancestral Thomas, husband of Hannah, although the later burial could have pertained to the ancestral Thomas son, born in 1760, or the Thomas born in 1719, son of George and Elizabeth Medway. Evidence the Thomas christened 1734 may be ancestral is the family was in Barnwood (the place of Thomas marriage), his year of christening fits very well with his 1758 marriage, and at their marriage, a Thomas Wait signed as a witness [document #5]. It is likely Mary, wife of Thomas Sr., had the maiden name Wait/Weight since they gave a child that name as a middle name, and Thomas could have been an uncle. The Meadows family of St. Leonard's Upton had the following children christened [document #14]:

20 September 1743, St. Leonard's Upton: Hesther Medows 1 January 1744/1745, St. Leonard's Upton: Thomas Medows 29 March 1747, Quedeley: George Meadows 20 February 1748, Quedeley: Willm Meadow

The couple was married 3 May 1740 at St. Leonard's Upton [document #17-18]. The only way this Thomas christening could be ancestral is if he was actually born before Hester was christened in 1743, since he was married in July 1758. It is unlikely Thomas would not have been christened when his sister was christened had he already been born, although it is interesting the ancestral Thomas named two daughters Hester. Since Meadows is a rather uncommon name, we thought it possible Thomas Sr. was a widower when he married Hester, and Mary had been his first wife. Burial records in several parishes were searched, however, and this was not found to be the case, especially as the Thomas and Mary family had children buried at Barnwood in 1741, and Thomas married Hester 1740 at St. Leonard's Upton. In summary, it appears most likely the ancestral Thomas was christened in 1734, the son of Thomas and Mary. This is due to the fact the christening date fits very well with the ancestral Thomas marriage, the family later resided at Barnwood, and a Thomas Wait witnessed Thomas marriage (Mary's maiden name was likely Wait/Weight). Although a Thomas Medway was buried at Barnwood in 1741, this could have been Thomas Sr. rather than the Thomas christened in 1734, and this christening fits better than any other possibilities. Some time was spent searching for the parentage of Hannah Reeve, who married Thomas Meadways/Meadows 1758 at Barnwood. A Stephen Reeve had children christened in 1744-1755 at Barnwood [document #27]. Although this is too late for Hannah's birth, he may have been a relative. We learned he was christened in 1718 at St. Leonard's Upton [document #28]. This family had an Anne christened there in 1720, but this too early for our Hannah [document #29]. We found several possibilities for the ancestral Hannah's christening in the International Genealogical Index, but additional research is required before one may be proven as ancestral [document #30]. 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/dr