Genealogy Chat

Hi Lyndsey Keep at it,you are doing well. I have lost track of what you have so; marriage John Brookes 1843 Jul-Aug-Sep Royston Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire View Record Jane Collison 1843 Jul-Aug-Sep Royston Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire

Thanks Jim. You have no idea how many Australian Brooks there are as a result of these two! Millions of 'em! I've made some very good contacts over there. Lyndsey

Do you have this? Do the children ring a bell? 1851 England Census Record about Jane Brooks Name: Jane Brooks Age: 25 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1826 Relation: Wife Spouses's Name: John Gender: Female Where born: Meesden, Hertfordshire, England Civil parish: Meesden County/Island: Hertfordshire Country: England Registration district: Royston Sub-registration district: Buntingford Edmond Brooks 6 Eli Brooks 3 Mo Emma Brooks 4 George Brooks 2 Jane Brooks 25 John Brooks 25 Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 1707; Folio: 43; Page: 34; GSU roll: 193615.

Hi Lyndsay Glad to hear you are making progress. This is just an off the wall idea but next door to John and Jane Brooks in 1851 is a Mary Challis, widow 50 and her son James 28. I've forgotton when James Collison was born and I know the name is wrong but I wondered if they are worth considering? Lyla PS I dont have any credits on familyhistory online but this burial looks promising 1. Richard COLLISON found in National Burial Index (Hertfordshire FHS) 1 entry in Hertfordshire during 1828 details £0.06

Hi Lyla How about this? 1841 Jane Challes abt 1826 Hertfordshire, England Meesden Hertfordshire View Record Mary Challes abt 1781 Meesden Hertfordshire I think Mary is 40 not 60 so abt 1801 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz RICHARD COLLINSON Marriages: Spouse: MARY MATHEWS Family Marriage: 11 MAY 1822 Meesden, Hertford, England zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz I am leaning towards the theory that they used two surnames sometimes Chappel sometimes Strange or Collison

Hi Jim and Lyla Sorry about the delay in replying - been away for a few days! You two really are fabulous! I know about John and Jane Brooks. They and their little kiddiewinks emigrated to Australia in 1854 and I am in touch with some of their descendants over there! Thanks for the info about Richard Brooks, Mary Matthews (another name I familiar to me from the Meesden census records). I am of the opinion that they are all tied in together but I cannot get my head around why they were using such a variety of names! It all sounds very suspicious to me! Do you think the name Challis might have been a combination of Chapel and Collison? Now that I have the papers I was waiting for from Australia I'm ready to go to Hertford Archives and will look into all this further! I was originally only going for the Saturday morning or late weekday evening but I've got so much to look for I think it would be worth my while taking a days annual leave! Thanks again Lyndsey

Some weeks ago I was lent a booklet about the history of Meesden and every time I look in it I find something new. Under the heading 'Items from Hertfordshire Session Rolls Referring to Meesden' was an entry concerning the indictment of a William Chappell, a labourer in Meesden, who in 1764 was found guilty of the theft of two turkeys to the value of 7s, one drake (6d) and one duck (6d) and ordered to be transported for seven years! I don't know the revelence of this yet, but I'd say the William Chappell mentioned above would be an ancestor of Henry Chappell and if he was transported then it would have probably been to Australia. Maybe this has something to do with the way different surnames were used at different times! Lyndsey