Tuesday's Tip: Mapire

Mapire (http://mapire.eu/en/) provides access to historical maps of the Habsburg Empire. It contains maps of the First Military Survey (1763-1787), the Second Military Survey (1806-1869), the Third Military Survey (1869-1887), the Military Survey of Hungary (1941), the Austrian Netherlands (1764-1771), and the Hungarian Kingdom (1869-1887). There are cadastral maps from the nineteenth century, and maps of Europe in the eighteenth century, around 1850, and 1850-1890. The site also includes maps from other countries: Italy (nineteenth century), France (eighteenth century), Belgium (eighteenth century), Lower and Upper Alsace (1731), Scotland (nineteenth century), Ordnance Survey of England and Wales (about 1890), Southwest Germany (1797), Germany (nineteenth century), Finland (1918), and Norway (nineteenth century). There are maps of European cities: Vienna (eighteenth century), Budapest (eighteenth-twentieth century), Budapest (1944), London (eighteenth century), Moscow, Paris (1739), and Rome (1829). The Austrian Historic Town Atlas provides information about the history and urban development of sixty-four Austrian towns. It is possible to view the maps synchronized with each other or with today's maps. The maps can also be viewed in 3D. Copies of the maps (reproductions or digital copies) can be purchased. If you have ancestors from these areas, Mapire may be very helpful to you.

Surname Saturday: Walker

 According to the Internet Surname Database, the surname Walker is of Anglo-Scottish origins and is either a locational name that comes from Walker, Northumberland, or an occupational name for a fuller, from the pre-7th-century word wealcere (which describes a fuller's work of scouring and thickening cloth by placing it in a vessel containing a water mixture and trampling on it).

According to Irish Ancestors, the surname Walker is common in all areas of Ireland, particularly in Ulster.

My 3rd-great-grandmother Anna "Ann" Walker was born on 28 February 1842 in Ireland. I do not yet know the identity of her father.

Mappy Monday: Plan of a Mediaeval Manor

Shepherd, William R. Plan of a Mediaeval Manor. Historical Atlas. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1923. Public domain. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

I have been attempting to transcribe the 1644 will of my 10th-great-grandfather John Woodley from Widdington, Essex, England. I thought it might be helpful to look at the terminology used for English manors. I came across this plan of a mediaeval manor.

Tombstone Tuesday: Peter Montague

Photo by Ray - Find A Grave Contributor

My 10th-great-grandfather Peter Montague was born in England about 1603. He arrived in Virginia in 1621, aboard the ship Charles. He represented Nansemond County in the House of Burgesses from November 1652-1653, and represented Lancaster County in the House of Burgesses in 1657-1658. He died in Lancaster County, Virginia in 1659.

Surname Saturday: Graham

According to the Internet Surname Database, the surname Graham comes from the town of Grantham in Lincolnshire, England. It was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. When Sir William de Graham traveled to Scotland with King David I, he founded Clan Graham.

My known Graham ancestors are:

Great-grandmother: Kathleen Graham
born 31 October 1879, probably in Quebec, Canada, but possibly in Chicago, Illinois
married John Boe
died 17 November 1967, Brentwood, St. Louis County, Missouri

2nd-great-grandfather: James Graham
born about 1854 in the United States
married Catherine Elizabeth Winters

Surname Saturday: Gatlin

According to the Internet Surname Database, my surname, Gatlin, is of Anglo-Saxon origin. The site states that the surname is "a nickname for a fellow, companion or for a wandering man, from the Olde English gaedeling, Old High German gateling, a cousin, companion." The first record of the surname is from the 13th century: Geoffrey Gatelin and Johanna Gatelyn were recorded on the Hundred Rolls of Wiltshire in 1273.

My known Gatlin ancestors are:

My father

Grandfather: Henry Cornelius Gatlin
born 14 April 1910, Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois
married Helen Martha Marie Anderson 20 June 1939, Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois
died 29 December 2001, Ridgewood, Bergen Co., New Jersey

Great-grandfather: Henry Brown Gatlin
born 28 June 1884, Nashville, Davidson Co., Tennessee
married Rose Kuenninger 5 December 1905, Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois
married Anna Gertrude Tarkington (my great-grandmother) 19 November 1909, Nashville, Davidson Co., Tennessee
married Louise Elliott
died 28 February 1954, Elgin, Kane Co., Illinois

2nd-great-grandfather: John William Morton Gatlin
born 23 October 1859, Nashville, Davidson Co., Tennessee
married Sarah Claire Dyer 26 June 1881, Nashville, Davidson Co., Tennessee
died 3 April 1933, Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois

3rd-great-grandfather: William Dow Gatlin
born 19 April 1827, Davidson Co., Tennessee
married Mary Nevins 3 January 1855, Davidson Co., Tennessee
died 4 March 1911, Nashville, Davidson Co., Tennessee

4th-great-grandfather: John McNairy Gatlin
born 22 December 1803, Davidson Co., Tennessee
married Margaret Gower 22 February 1826, Davidson County, Tennessee
died 3 September 1852, Davidson Co., Tennessee

5th-great-grandfather: Nathan Gatlin
born 30 January 1782, Dobbs Co., North Carolina
married Obedience Lucas  16 February 1803, Davidson Co., Tennessee
died 8 March 1855, Davidson Do., Tennessee

6th-great-grandfather: Lazarus Gatlin
born about 1740, Craven Co., North Carolina
married Elizabeth (probably my 6th-great-grandmother)
married Alice, widow of John Vendrick 18 April 1793, Craven Co., North Carolina
married Sarah
died July 1808, Davidson Co., Tennessee

Follow Friday: GreatFireOfLondon.net

Dave Fowler has created GreatFireOfLondon.net, which is part of the History in Numbers collection. The site is informative and well-done, and it is definitely worth checking out. It contains a detailed overview of the Great Fire of London (1666). Key facts and a  day by day chronology are provided. Background information is provided on some of the people who were involved, such as Thomas Farriner, Samuel Pepys, John Evelyn, Robert Hooke. Christoper Wren, King Charles II, Thomas Bludworth, and Robert Hubert (the innocent man who was executed after making a false confession). The fall and rebuilding of St. Paul's Cathedral is covered. There is an image and a transcription of the September 3 to September 10, 1666 issue of the London Gazette, which reported on the fire. A helpful site map can be used to easily locate information.

Yorkshire Day

White Rose of York. Image by Sodacan (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]. 18 January 2011. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

August 1 is Yorkshire Day. The celebration was created in 1975 to promote Yorkshire County, England. It was first celebrated by the Yorkshire Ridings Society. August 1 was chosen as the date because the Battle of Minden was fought on 1 August 1759, and soldiers from Yorkshire regiments picked roses from the Minden fields to pay tribute to the fallen men.

On Yorkshire Day, the Yorkshire Declaration of Integrity is read at the four bars (gates) of York: Micklegate Bar, Bootham Bar, Monk Bar, and Walmgate Bar.

Yorkshire Declaration of Integrity
"I, [Name], being a resident of the [West/North/East] Riding of Yorkshire [or City of York] declare:
That Yorkshire is three Ridings and the City of York, with these Boundaries of [Current Year minus 875] years standing;
That the address of all places in these Ridings is Yorkshire;
That all persons born therein or resident therein and loyal to the Ridings are Yorkshiremen and women; 
That any person or corporate body which deliberately ignores or denies the aforementioned shall forfeit all claim to Yorkshire status.
These declarations made this Yorkshire Day [Year]. God Save the Queen!"

Events are organized in nearly every Yorkshire town; they include gatherings of civic heads such as mayors and Lord Mayors, musical performances, theatrical productions, and festivals. People may get together with family and friends, or visit local attractions. Many people wear a Yorkshire rose.

The Mapplebeck family was from Yorkshire.

References
Yorkshire Day (Wikipedia)
Yorkshire Day (Yorkshire.com)
Yorkshire Day (Yorkshire Ridings Society)
Yorkshire Day - 1st August
Yorkshire Day Fact File

Maritime Monday: Captain William Mapplebeck's Last Voyage

William Mapplebeck, the uncle of my great-grandmother Kathleen Graham's stepfather/adoptive father James Mapplebeck, was the captain of the ship Friends of Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. In early November 1875, he delivered Apollinaris mineral water to Scotland.

Falkirk Herald, 6 November 1875, page 3. Available from British Newspaper Archive. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The Friends was lost at sea later that month. Wreckage from the ship, including the nameboard, was washed ashore at Saltfleet, Lincolnshire, England. Everyone aboard was believed to have been lost at sea.

Bradford Observer, 22 November 1875, page 4. Available from British Newspaper Archive. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

London Standard, 22 November 1875, page 6. Available from British Newspaper Archive. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Leeds Mercury, 27 November 1875, page 16. Available from British Newspaper Archive. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

European Maritime Day

May 20 is European Maritime Day. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the importance of the oceans and the role that they play in the lives of Europeans.

On 20 May 2008, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission signed a Joint Tripartite Declaration Establishing a "European Maritime Day".  This was done as part of the Integrated Maritime Policy, which was proposed by the European Commission in October 2007 and endorsed at the European Council on 14 December 2007.

Each year, a European Maritime Conference is held. This year's conference is in Piraeus, Greece.

The sea has played a role in the lives of Europeans in my family. My great-great-grandfather's brother Ola Peter Troedson was a sjöman (seaman) in Grevie, Skåne, Sweden. My great-great-grandmother's brother Andreas Eriksen was a skipperborger (skipper/ship master, social layer above the working class) in Haugesund, Rogaland, Norway. My 4th-great-grandfather Hugh Winters lived in the port city of Leith, Scotland and worked as a fireman, probably on ships. James Mapplebeck's father's family was from Rawcliffe, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, which is about 3 miles from the port city of Goole. His father's brother Robert Mapplebeck was a mate of a home trade passenger ship, and his father's brother William Mapplebeck was a captain who drowned when his ship was lost at sea.

References
European Commission: European Maritime Day
European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - 20 May: European Maritime Day set up by European institutions
European Maritime Day

Mappy Monday: Rawcliffe, East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Map of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, with Rawcliffe parish highlighted. Map by Keith D, containing Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right. [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

This map shows the location of Rawcliffe, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. James Mapplebeck's father George Mapplebeck was from Rawcliffe.

52 Ancestors: Week 15 "How Do You Spell That?": James Mapplebeck

James Mapplebeck, the second husband of my great-great-grandmother Catherine Elizabeth Winters and the adoptive father of his stepchildren (my great-grandmother Kathleen Graham and her brother Garfield), had an uncommon surname. At times that has been advantageous. For example, it would have been much more difficult to find the newspaper articles about my great-grandmother and the father of her oldest child (whose name had been previously been unknown to me) if she had been using her birth surname instead of her adoptive surname. However, sometimes finding members of this family can be challenging, because the surname has been spelled many different ways in records. The first part of the name is pronounced "Maple." (I learned this from my family, and it explains why I have often found the name spelled with only one p in records.)

The Mapplebeck family came from Rawcliffe, Yorkshire, England. The name is usually spelled Mapplebeck in British records. Some examples from FamilySearch include the indexed baptismal record of James' father George Mapplebeck, the indexed marriage record of George Mapplebeck and his first wife Mary Stephenson, and the indexed baptismal record of George and Mary's son William Mapplebeck (James' half-brother). But in Canada and the United States, I have found many different spellings. In the 1851 Census of Canada, George, Mary, and William were enumerated in York County, Canada West (Ontario) with the surname Maplebeck. In the 1861 agricultural census of Canada, George was enumerated in Minto Township, Wellington, Canada West with the surname Mappelbeck. James may have been born in Minto Township. According to his death certificate, he was born on 29 December 1858. George purchased land in Minto Township in the mid-1850s.

In 1871, the Mapplebeck family lived in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada. The 1871 Census of Canada enumeration is the first one that I have located for James. The family surname is spelled Mapplebeck in the census record. When James' father George died on 15 May 1878, his surname was spelled Maplebeck.

In the early 1880s, James, his brother George, and his mother Jane moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. James and his brother worked as glassblowers. In the 1883 Lovell's Montreal Directory, all three family members appear in the alphabetical directory with the surname Mappleback, and in the street directory with the surname Mapplebeck. James married my great-great-grandmother Catherine Elizabeth Winters on 20 November 1885. His surname was spelled Mapplebeck in the record from St. Mary's Church in Hochelaga. He became a father to Elizabeth's two children Kathleen and Garfield, from her marriage to James Graham. They used his surname until they were adults. (Kathleen took the surname Walker after the birth of her first child, and used her married name, Boe, after her marriage to John Boe. Garfield returned to his birth surname, Graham, when he was in his mid-20s.)

In the 1891 Census of Canada, James' surname was written as MapleBack. In FamilySearch's and Ancestry.com's index to the 1891 Census of Canada, his name appears as Back James Mapleback. The Mapplebeck family moved to Alton, Madison County, Illinois, where James worked as a glassblower for the Illinois Glass Company. His mother Jane, sister Sarah, and brother George moved to Camden, New Jersey. His half-brother William Mapplebeck lived with his wife and children in Hamilton, Ontario.

By 1898, James had moved to San Francisco, California, where he worked as a glassblower for San Francisco & Pacific Glass Works. His surname was spelled Mappelbach in the 1898 and 1899 San Francisco city directories. His wife and her children remained in Alton, Illinois.

By 1900, James had moved to Martinez, Contra Costa County, California. His surname was spelled Mapplebeck in the 1900 United States Census. He lived in a household headed by a man named N. P. Ohaver. He and J. J. Barfield, age 15, were both listed as "Partner." He was listed as a glassblower.

In 1910, James lived in Alabama, Sacramento County, California. He worked as a teamster in a vineyard. In the 1910 United States Census, his surname was spelled Mapplibeck.

In 1914, James Mapplebeck was listed in the Index to Precinct Register, Yuba County, California. He was listed in the Far West District, He lived in Wheatland, was a farmer, and was a Republican.

I have not been able to locate James in the 1920 or 1930 United States censuses. His death certificate suggests (based on length of residence in California, 47 years) that he continuously lived in California after he arrived in the late 1890s. Perhaps his surname is badly misspelled in the census records.

In 1934, James Mapplebeck was on the list of registered voters in Sacramento County, California. He was a laborer in Sacramento, and was a Republican.

In 1936, James Mapplebeck was listed in the Sacramento city directory as a resident of Home for Aged. In the 1940 United States census, James was listed as a resident of Home for the Aged in San Joaquin, Sacramento County, California. He was enumerated with the surname Maplepeck.

James died of bronchial pneumonia in Sacramento County Hospital on 7 September 1946. He was buried in Sacramento County Cemetery.

So many spellings! 

Lovell's Montreal Directory, For 1883-1884, Containing an Alphabetical Directory of the Citizens, Street Directory, an Advertisers Classified Business Directory, and a Miscellaneous Directory, to which is added Directories of Coteau St. Louis, Coteau St. Pierre, Cote des Neiges, Cote St. Antoine, Cote St. Luc, Cote St. Paul, Cote Visitation, Hochelaga, Lachine, Laprairie, Long Point, Longueuil, Mount Royal Avenue, Mount Royal Vale, Notre Dame de Grace, Outremont, St. Jean Baptiste Village, St. Lambert, St. Louis of Mile End, Town of St, Cunegonde, Town of St. Henry, Verdun, and Village of St. Gabriel. Corrected to June 16th, 1883. Montreal: John Lovell & Son. Available from  Ancestry.com. Canada, City and Area Directories, 1819-1906 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

St. Mary's Church, Hochelaga, Quebec, Canada. Marriage of James Mapplebeck and Elizabeth Winters, 20 November 1885. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin. Available from Ancestry.com. Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

1891 Census of Canada, Ste Marie Ward, Montréal Centre, Quebec, district 172, page 1, family 5. Available from Ancestry.com. 1891 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

J. P. Hodge and Sons' Directory of the City of Alton, North Alton and Upper Alton, 1895-1896. Alton, IL: J. P. Hodge & Sons. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Crocker-Langley San Francisco Directory for Year Commencing May 1898. San Francisco: H. S. Crocker Company, 1898. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

1910 United States census, Alabama, Sacramento County, California, population schedule, enumeration district 87, supervisor's district 2, sheet no. 5A. Available from Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. 

Index to Precinct Register, Yuba County [California], 1914. General Election November 3. Page 16. Available from Ancestry.com. California, Voter Registrations, 1900-1968 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

1940 United States census, San Joaquin, Sacramento County, California, population schedule, Home for the Aged, sheet no. 2B. Available from Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

52 Ancestors: Week 9 "Close to Home": Bridget Scott

I was born and raised in New Jersey, but most of my ancestors were from elsewhere. My parents and grandparents moved to New Jersey in the 1950s. I do have an ancestor who grew up in New Jersey, though: my 8th-great-grandmother Bridget Scott.

Bridget's parents, Benjamin Scott and Margaret Woodley, were from Widdington, Essex, England. They were Quakers, and Bridget's birth on the 16th day of the 4th month (16 June) 1679 was recorded in the records of the Monthly Meeting of Thaxted.

Monthly Meeting of Thaxted, 1679. General Register Office: Society of Friends' Registers, Notes and Certificates of Births, Marriages and Burials. Records of the General Register Office, Government Social Survey Department, and Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, RG 6. The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, England. Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Quaker Birth, Marriage, and Death Registers, 1578-1837 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

In 1681, the Scott family sailed from England to West Jersey on the Henry and Ann. Bridget's younger sister Elizabeth was born on the ship. Within a few years, Bridget lost both her parents. her mother Margaret died on the 26th of the 10th month (26 December) 1682. Her father Benjamin married Hannah (Chaffon) Kemball on the 12th of the 12th month (12 February) 1683. In April 1685, Hannah was granted letters of administration on Benjamin's estate.

Bridget's widowed aunt Bridget (Woodley) Bingham and her family had come to West Jersey with the Scotts. She married William Watson in 1687. Perhaps Bridget and William Watson raised Bridget Scott and her siblings.

Bridget married Edward Lucas at the house of Thomas Lambert in Burlington, New Jersey. Thomas was the husband of Bridget's sister Margaret. Elizabeth Lucas, Giles Lucas, Robert Lucas, John Scott, and 49 others were witnesses.

Marriage of Edward Lucas and Bridget Scott. 3rd day of 7th month 1700. Chesterfield Monthly Meeting, Burlington Co., New Jersey. Minutes, 1682-1847. Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1994 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Swarthmore, Quaker Meeting Records. Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

After their marriage, Bridget and Edward lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, which is very close to Burlington, New Jersey. Their children were Mercy, born 4th of the 1st month (4 March) 1702; John, born 21st of the 11th month (21 January) 1703; Mary, born 1st of the 1st month (1 March) 1705; Margaret, born 16th of the 4th month (16 June) 1708; Edward (my 7th-great-grandfather), born 24 December 1710; Ann, born 3rd of the 3rd month (3 May) 1713; Elizabeth, born 23rd of the 7th month (23 September) 1716; Robert, born 22nd of the 12th month (22 February) 1718; and Benjamin, born 19th of the 8th month (19 October) 1724.

Bridget's husband Edward died in 1740. He appointed Bridget and their son John executors of his will.

Bridget died in Bucks County, Pennsylvania on the 21st of the 6th month (21 August) 1748. Her son John and John's wife Isabel had died earlier that month. It would be interesting to know what the causes of death were; since all three deaths occurred within less than two weeks, they may be related.

Falls Monthly Meeting, 1748.Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

Religious Freedom Day

January 16 is Religious Freedom Day. It commemorates the passage of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, which was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and passed on 16 January 1786. A presidential proclamation has been issued annually since 1993. The First Freedom Center holds a commemorative event each year.

The Establishment Clause in the First Amendment (Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion) was based on the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom.

My 9th-great-grandparents Benjamin and Margaret (Woodley) Scott  left Widdington, Essex,England because they wanted to be free to practice their religion. They were Quakers. In England, they could be fined for not attending the Church of England. In 1672, Margaret was fined for not going to church. Benjamin Scott was one of the London Commissioners that was sent to West Jersey in 1677 to purchase land from the Lenape.

References
First Freedom Center: About Us
National Religious Freedom Day
ReligiousFreedomDay.com
Religious Freedom Day Guidebook

Great Fire of London

Cropped version of the painting Great Fire of 1666. Available from Wikimedia Commons. Full version available from the Museum of London.

During the early morning hours of Sunday, 2 September 1666, a fire started in Thomas Farriner's bakery shop on Pudding Lane, and spread to his house. Farriner and his family escaped out a window, but a maid became the first casualty of the fire. Sir Thomas Bloodworth, Lord Mayor of London, was summoned, but he would not allow buildings to be demolished to prevent the fire from spreading. The fire spread to the Star Inn stables across the street, down Fish Hill and toward the Thames, and then to riverfront warehouses and London Bridge. The Church of St. Magnus the Martyr was destroyed. The fire spread north and west on Monday, September 3. On Tuesday, September 4, St. Paul's Cathedral was destroyed. Houses were blown up to create breaks to help stop the spread of the fire. The Great Fire of London ended on Wednesday, 5 September 1666, but smaller fires continued to burn until Thursday, 6 September 1666.
The Great Fire of London destroyed 13,200 houses (the homes of 70,000 of the city's 80,000 inhabitants), 87 parish churches and St. Paul's Cathedral, and the majority of the buildings of the city authorities. Only a few people are known to have died during the fire, but the death toll is probably much higher because the deaths of many poor and middle-class people may not have been recorded, and people may have been cremated in the fire, leaving no identifiable remains.

I do not know if I had ancestors in London at the time of the fire, but I had ancestors in Widdington, Essex County, England. Surely they would have heard about such a major event.

London Gazette, Monday, 3 September 1666 to Monday, 10 September 1666. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

References
Great Fire Full Story
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London of 1666
The Great Fire of London 1666
The Great Fire of London: Myths and Realities
London's Burning: The Great Fire
This Day in History: Great Fire of London Begins
Timeline of the Great Fire

Those Places Thursday: Widdington, Essex, England

Widdington Village sign.© Copyright Bikeboy and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. 

Widdington is a small village in Essex County, England. It is about five miles south of Saffron Walden and two miles southeast of Newport.

My 9th-great-grandparents Benjamin Scott and Margaret Woodley were from Widdington, Essex, England. They settled in Burlington, West Jersey, Province of New Jersey in 1681. Margaret's father, my 10th-great-grandfather John Woodley, was a yeoman from Widdington who died in 1644.

St. Mary the Virgin, Widdington. © Copyright Peter Stack and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Benjamin and Margaret (Woodley) Scott baptized two children at St. Mary the Virgin. Their son Benjamin was baptized there in 1666, and their son John was baptized there in 1668. They became Quakers, so the rest of their children were not baptized at the church. In 1872, the church was completely restored. Windows from the 12th and 15th centuries remain in the chancel. Splays and arches from the 15th century are in the nave.

Another view of St. Mary the Virgin, Widdington. © Copyright Robert Edwards and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Prior's Hall Barn, Widdington, Essex. © Copyright Robert Edwards and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. 

Prior's Hall Barn dates back to the 15th century and is one of the finest surviving medieval barns in eastern England.

Prior's Hall Barn, Widdington. Back view of barn, with pond next to it. © Copyright Lorraine and Keith Bowdler and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. 

References 
Widdington Village 
Widdington History 
Widdington (British History Online) 
Widdington (Open Domesday) 
Listed Buildings in Widdington, Essex, England 
History and Research: Prior's Hall Barn, Widdington 
Priors Hall Barn 
Prior's Hall Barn - Widdington, Essex 
Widdington Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Proposals, Approved October 2013 
Wildlife Walk 1 - Widdington (Uttlesford Wildlife) 

Maritime Monday: Robert Mapplebeck, Mate of a Home Trade Passenger Ship

Robert Mapplebeck, the uncle of my great-grandmother Kathleen Graham's stepfather/adoptive father James Mapplebeck, received his Certificate of Competency as mate of a home trade passenger ship in 1868. He passed his examination in Hull, England on 28 May 1868, and the certificate was issued at the port of Goole on 4 June 1868.

 

Ancestry.com. UK and Ireland, Masters and Mates Certificates, 1850-1927 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Master's Certificates. Greenwich, London, UK: National Maritime Museum.

Mappy Monday: English Civil War Map, 1642-1645

English Civil War map, 1642 to 1645. From Wikimedia Commons.

This map shows the areas of England controlled by Royalists and Parliamentarians in December 1642, December 1643, December 1644, and December 1645, and shows the dates and locations of battles.

My 10th-great-grandfather John Woodley, a yeoman from Widdington, Essex, England, died in 1644. When he wrote his will in 1644, he had one child, my 9th-great-grandmother Margaret Woodley, and his wife Bridget was pregnant. He was probably a fairly young man when he died. I wonder whether he participated in the Civil War.

Talented Tuesday: Juliet Dahlquist

My great-grandmother's sister Juliet Dahlquist was a member of the Swedish Choral Club of Chicago, Illinois. In 1920, she traveled to Norway, Sweden, and Denmark with the club for a concert tour. She left from New York on 15 May 1920 on the Drottingholm. She sailed home on 18 August 1920 from Liverpool, England on the Baltic, and arrived in New York on 27 August 1920.

Juliet Dahlquist passport application. Passport issued 29 April 1920. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925; Collection Number: ARC Identifier 583830 / MLR Number A1 534; NARA Series: M1490; Roll #: 1183. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.

Juliet Dahlquist passport application. Passport issued 29 April 1920. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925; Collection Number: ARC Identifier 583830 / MLR Number A1 534; NARA Series: M1490; Roll #: 1183. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.

52 Ancestors: #12 Margaret Woodley

My 9th-great-grandmother Margaret Woodley was a Quaker from Widdington, Essex County, England. She is mentioned in several documents which are described on the Seax - Essex Archives Online Web site. Constables' presentment for Widdington, created on 27 March 1671 (part of Calendar of Essex Assize File [ASS 35/112/3], Assizes held at Brentwood 26 July 1671), states that Margaret, wife of Benjamin Scott junior, was absent from church. (Because she was a Quaker, she did not attend the Church of England.) Deed to declare the uses of a fine, created on 19 June 1671, mentions Benjamin Scott junior of Widdington and his wife Margaret and Bridget Bingham of Newport, widow, and states that they were both daughters of John Woodley, late of Widdington, yeoman, deceased. Another document, included in Calendar of Essex Assize File [ASS 35/113/3], Assizes held at Chelmsford 15 July 1672, mentions Margaret, w. of Benjamin Scott, and many other people who did not go to church.

The England & Wales, Quaker Birth, Marriage, and Death Registers, 1578-1837 database on Ancestry.com includes records from the Monthly Meeting of Thaxted. These records contain information about children of Benjamin and Margaret:

John, born on the 27th day of the 7th month 1668
William, born on the 22nd day of the 8th month 1671, buried on the 1st day of the 8th month 1676
Margret, born on the 17th day of the 7th month 1673
Martonn, born on the 4th day of the 7th month 1676
Bridget (my 8th-great-grandmother), born on the 16th day of the 4th month 1679

In 1681, Benjamin and Margaret, their children, and Margaret's sister Bridget left England and settled in Burlington, West Jersey, Province of New Jersey. Birth records from the Burlington Monthly Meeting, found in Early Church Records of Burlington County, New Jersey, Vol. 1 by Charlotte D. Meldrum (Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, 2007), contain information about one more child of Benjamin and Margaret: daughter Elizabeth, born on the 7th day of the 5th month 1681, on board the ship Henry and Ann at Gravesend.

Sadly, Margaret did not live long after coming to New Jersey. Early Church Records of Burlington County, New Jersey, Vol. 1 also includes death records from the Burlington Monthly Meeting. Margaret died on the 26th day of the 10th month 1682.