View Full Version : Annie Leek, OH's FFFMM
This is one of the few mysteries in OH's family
Name - "official" name and what they were known as
Annie Leek(e) or Leak(e)
Date and place of birth
not known, between 1781 and 1810, possibly in Monmouthshire
Names of parents
not known
Date and place of baptism - if applicable
not known
Details of each of his or her marriages - if any
Married a man named Smith sometime after 1824 (when her daughter Emma Lewis Leak was born), but before 1838 when her daughter wrote in her Bible "Emma Lewis Smith"
Occupation(s) - if any
not known
Addresses where they lived (including county if in UK) - and please list which censuses you have or haven't found him/her on (if s/he lived in census times!).
Monmouthshire, and maybe Bristol
not found in census, with Mr Smith presumably
Date, place and cause of death
not known, but after 1838
kiterunner
10-06-11, 14:59
That's weird - your thread about Emma says father unknown, http://genealogistsforum.co.uk/Forum/showthread.php?t=5947
but FamilySearch says her father was David Lewis! It's the same baptism date and place that you have mentioned, 30 Mar 1840 at St James, Bristol. Then they have another entry for that place and date but just giving mother's name, Anne Leek. Then some more versions of that with variations on surname and date of birth (some give date of birth as 18 Aug 1827).
Batch number for the entry giving father's name as David Lewis is I04808-3. Batch numbers for the others are C01965-6 and C02179-9. Wonder if we can figure out what the I one is; usually I batches come from some kind of index or transcription.
kiterunner
10-06-11, 15:17
And another strange thing on FamilySearch - Enoma Leek baptised 28 Feb 1824 Abergavenny, Monmouth, mother Anne Leek. Batch I05570-4.
"Enoma" must surely be "Emma" on the original document! And given the date, it looks likely to be your Emma, don't you think?
kiterunner
10-06-11, 15:26
Possible for the marriage to Mr Smith - 19 Jul 1830 Daniel Smith / Ann Leek at St Paul, Bristol. I was hoping my Bristol CD would give the names of the witnesses but I'm afraid not.
Oh, Kite thank you
Sorry I had gone to bed !!
I have not searched the new familysearch site for Emma or her family, but will follow it up. None of her children were named David, but the Lewis was carried through the generations.
Enoma does seem likely to be Emma, there could not be more than one person named Lewis Leek (or variation) born on the same day, it would be too much co-incidence.
I wrote to the Bristol(?) Records Office sometime ago and they very nicely sent me details of the 1840 Baptism which says "illegitimate" and gives occupation as "servant" but I don't know if that referred to Annie or Emma. In the 1841 census in tHere is an Emma Leake living with Alice Leake in Clifton and I wonder if this is our Emma. They also said the 1827 date is not correct, probably a mistranscription somewhere along the way.
I will see if I can find Daniel and Annie Smith. The family stories intimate that Emma might have been sent to boarding school, and had a brother or stepbrother possibly, so if I can find them it would a great step forward.
So now, I suppose I had better go through my database and look for everyone I have not found in the IGI, and look in the new familysearch. I have done some but not all of them.
Di
I can't get any of those familysearch results to come up !!
Damn, and I have to go to soccer with my son and won't be able to try again for hours !!
Di
kiterunner
10-06-11, 22:48
I'm just off to bed, sorry, but if you haven't managed to find them by tomorrow I'll try to give you some instructions.
It's okay Kite, with a bit more time I found them all.
I checked the film numbers -
Batch I104808 is film no 1565589, which the LDS catalog says is the parish registers of St James Bristol, which is what I thought the BRO looked at.
The other entries for Emma Lewis Leek/Leck baptisms are on film no 1595556 (listed at Bishops Transcripts for St James) and 1596535 (also Parish registers of St James).
The Abergavenny Baptism of Enoma Leek is on film 104840, Bishops Transcripts of St Mary Abergavenny. I found an image on-line which says
"Emma Leek, natural daughter of Anne Leek, Mill St, single woman"
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~monfamilies/abergavenny/baps11/aberbaps252.jpg
None except the first one mention David Lewis, I might have to get the LDS film and look at it myself.
At least these records seem a good match for the facts and family stories. Now if I could find out something about Daniel and Ann Smith - they would surely be in the 1841 census.
So I am off to search some more. and Oh, I was thinking about going to the NSW State Library tomorrow anyway, who knows what I might find there !!
Di
kiterunner
11-06-11, 10:26
I had a quick look for Daniel and Ann yesterday with no success. Is it possible that they emigrated to Aus too? Were there any Smiths on the ship with Emma?
No, Emma came to Australia alone, as nursemaid to a family called BLANCH.
The family story goes she ran away from boarding school, and a there was some kind of organisation or network who organised for girls "got into trouble, or looked likely to get into trouble" to go to the colonies with "a good family". (Apparently she did not get on with her stepfather). Also there is a story that her family felt she was "marrying beneath her" when she married George Cole, so they must have stayed in contact, and that her brother came out to check up on her - but he died in a shipwreck (SS London ? I will have to go and look up the paperwork). I do remember that when I checked for the shipwreck it was on an outbound voyage of the ship in 1866 (in the Bay of Biscay) and I remember thinking if he left if that long after her marriage (1847), then it was a bit late, but he would have not arrived in Melbourne until after Emma died. Surely he must have come out earlier and returned home and maybe was on his way out again.
So, no I don't think her mother and step father came to Aus, but I suppose I should investigate and rule the idea out.
The date of Ann's marriage fits into the other bits of the story, but how do I find the right David Lewis, and Ann and Daniel Smith ?
THere is a baptism for Ann Leek, natural daughter of Mary Leek in 1803 in Bryngwyn, which is nearby to Abergavenny, but no David Lewis's who seem near enough to sure.
Same with Daniel Smith, without knowing an occupation its hard to say which of the several in 1841 might be him. I think though, he might have been a bit higher on the scale than an ag lab or shopkeeper.
Di
kiterunner
11-06-11, 10:51
If you can get a copy of the marriage register entry for Daniel and Ann's marriage it might give you some more clues. Also I keep meaning to look at my Bristol CD's to see if there are any possible children from the marriage but for some reason I keep putting off looking through all the Smiths... will do it now!
kiterunner
11-06-11, 11:02
No, can't see any on there.
If you can find the details of the brother's death it should help, such as his name, and his age at death if it's stated.
Also if you can get someone to look at whichever record it is that gives David Lewis's name as Emma's father - maybe the actual document states his occupation and / or parish.
Thanks for looking Kite.
Being SMITH is the reason I have had no luck in finding the rest of the family, I think. If Annie had married a man with an uncommon name, we might have got somewhere.
At first I did not even know if Emma just called herself SMITH to be more anonymous.
Gradually, different family members have told me different parts of the story.
A report of the sinking of the London shows the passenger list includes one G.M.Smith who was among the 220 lost, and also a T.Lewis, I think that is just a red herring. She sank on 10 Jan 1866, in the Bay of Biscay bound for Melbourne.
If G.M.Smith was Emma's brother, then it was a double tragedy, as Emma died on 10 Mar, just before the London would have reached Melbourne. G.M.Smith possbily joined the ship in Plymouth, its final port of call.
My daughter is in England, at the moment, not the least interested in her ancestors, but maybe if she's ever in Bristol, she will do a favour for her old mum, and go to the Record Office !!
Off to search for more on the "London" disaster. Would the deaths be recorded somewhere ? Overseas Index, perhaps ?
Di
Spent a couple of hours at the State Library. They have fmp and ancestry you can use for free for an hour !!
So far, a dead end with G.M Smith - thats what he listed as in the death indexes (overseas deaths) and I am not sure if a death cert would give any more information. Even an age might help !
Found a death for Alice Leek, in 1842 in Abergavenny, but not listed in the Abergavenny burials. I wonder if her death certificate would tell me anything useful.
Nothing solid on Daniel and Ann Smith, but they may not have stayed in Bristol.
Di
kiterunner
12-06-11, 11:09
This must be him in the National Probate Calendar, don't you think?
1866
SMITH George Maslin. Effects under £200.
12 March. Letters of Administration of the Personal Estate of George Maslin Smith late of Carrington in the County of Nottingham Brewer deceased who died 11 January 1866 at Sea were granted at Nottingham to Sarah Jane Smith of Chatsworth in the County of Derby Widow the Relict of the said Deceased she having been first sworn.
We should be able to work out whether he is Emma's brother, since he has such an unusual middle name.
kiterunner
12-06-11, 11:10
Okay, his marriage on FamilySearch gives his father's name as Joseph Smith, so it's not looking likely!
Oh, thanks Kite, I wasn't thinking of him leaving a will - so few of mine did that I rarely consider it. However if he was from Nottingham, it seems unlikely that he would be Emma's brother, but with a name to work with, I might be able to work out how old he was etc.
Sarah Jane was only 20, but his age is not given, but cannot find anything else on them - I think the marriage is in freebmd, but the groom is missing.
kiterunner
12-06-11, 13:01
No, I don't think he was Emma's brother, because his father's name was Joseph.
Oh, Well back to the drawing board. I will be trying to follow up the David Lewis angle, and borrow the films from the LDS to see the differences and why only one has the fathers name listed, and why the BRO did not tell me about it.
I found a baptism for Ann Leek natural daughter of Mary in Bryngwyn near Abergavenny in 1803, but no other Leek baptisms there. Can't see any Leek marriages for Mary, and no baptisms that seem logical for David Lewis (one in 1780s but I think he's too old).
At least I have a place to start now.
Di
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