View Full Version : Help! Can't see the wood for the straws I'm clutching!
I'm sure some of you will remember my gt x 3 grandmother Kezia Seals and the problem I have with not finding her baptism.
Kezia was buried in Cantley, Norfolk in 1824 aged 50, so born around 1774. No baptism in Limpenhoe, where she married, or in Cantley, where she lived after 1809. Nor in Halvergate, where she lived around 1800-09.
There are very few Seal/Seales events in Cantley or Limpenhoe and those in Limpenhoe are badly damaged so not much use. I do know there was a Sales family in Limpenhoe which could be related but haven't made any links.
Yesterday I had a day shopping in Norwich and dropped into the Heritage Centre in the Millennium Library. I had a look through the transcribed settlement certificate indexes. Of course those of Cantley, Limpenhoe and Halvergate haven't survived.:(
But there were two possibles -
William Sales, a cordwainer, and Hannah his wife, who have Cert Acle and Res Blofield (presume cert in Acle but living in Blofield?) settlement dated 25 Mar 1773
and
John Seely, husbandman & wife Mary
cert Surlingham Res Blofield 4 mar 1760
I have just been online and found various baptisms in Blofield for William & Hannah Seales, though not of course Kezia.
Am I showing signs of desperation? To confuse matters further I looked for Seely on familysearch and got another variation in spelling, Siely. I suppose there's also Ciely!
Do you think I've lost the plot?
I'm out shopping now so you can speak freely!
Oh 'eck!
I looked at Beighton registers - can't think why I think there's a connection, though Beighton is nearer Cantley & Limpenhoe than Blofield.
I found these baptisms:
Kezia [name has some additional letters crossed out] the daughter of Thomas Soul [cd be Saul, another Norfolk surname] and Sarah his wife was born Febary [rua is added above] 29 and baptised the 28 [I think of April] 1773
and
Nudd [sic ??] the sun [sic] of Thomas Salls & Sary his wife was borne [sic] Febury [sic] the 2 and baptised the 9 [cd be 5?] 1775
Is it too much to hope that Kezia is mine? The person recording the event is clearly a bit literacy-challenged. Could Soul and Sall really be Seals/Sale?? And who is Nudd??
Quick look on Ancestry shows a few Nudds - it appears to be a surname - mainly in Norfolk. Perhaps Sarah's maiden name?
Do you think I've lost the plot?
Talking to yourself is the first sign............:D
kiterunner
06-08-11, 13:39
Another baptism at Beighton (from the PR images on FamilySearch) - image number 39 of the "Baptisms, Marriages & Burials", page number 48, entry number 605: Arthur, son of Thomas Seales & Sarah his wife was born September 12th and baptised October 1st 1769.
I think Kezia's date of birth is February 27 rather then 29.
Then entry no 646 (image 41) is Mary th daughter of Thomas Sals, corrected to Saul, and Sariah his wif was born April ye 21 and baptized ye 27 (1777).
I'll have a look at the BT's / AT's to see how the surname is spelt in there. But anyway, given that it's Seales on Arthur's baptism, it looks good.
Thanks KR. I was so excited after looking all this time, I didn't want to think I was seeing what I wanted to see rather than what was there.
Merry - as my Mum would say, talking to yourself is one way to guarantee a good audience!
kiterunner
06-08-11, 13:48
In the AT's for Beighton, image no 65, Kezia's surname is Sales, and dob is definitely the 27th. But Nudd's surname is Hales!
kiterunner
06-08-11, 13:50
The marriage is also at Beighton - Thomas Seals married Sarah Marston, 10 Jul 1769. That one is indexed; I haven't looked at the image yet.
kiterunner
06-08-11, 13:58
Ah, yes, in the Beighton PR's it is image no 18, entry no 25: Thomas Seals of this parish singleman and Sarah Marston of the same parish singlewoman were married in this church by Banns this tenth day of July 1769 ... his signature says Sales. Witnesses Robert Nudd and Edmund Harvey. Both of these are witnesses on a few other marriages.
Hi and thanks!
So Robert Nudd is presumably the chap their son was named after? Now this is interesting as I had some notes from the damaged Limpenhoe registers about a burial for a daughter of Thomas Seals & someone nee Manton (Marston?), as well as a baptism for Charlotte Seales, daur of Thomas Seales & Sarah late Maston. I wasn't sure if this was Kezia's parents as the events happened in the 1790s when Kezia was having her own children, but of course big families meant older siblings were often married and having babies when their parents were still having children themselves.
I think I can at least pencil Thomas and Sarah in - though it would have been nice if Kezia had had a son called Thomas or a daughter called Sarah!
Hmm
So now I have Thomas Salls/Saul/Sales/Seales & Sarah nee Marston with children
Arthur 1769
Kezia 1773
Nudd 1775
Mary 1777
John 1786
Ann 1791 buried 1792
Charlotte 1799??
The Limpenhoe registers are damaged and difficult to read. But I would have thought there would be more children between 1777-86?
Limpenhoe baptism registers have various children of Thomas Sales labourer & Susan from 1815-, so I'm guessing Thomas here is Beighton Thomas's son?
Was going through the Beighton baptism registers looking for Thomas or Sarah, hoping one of them will have a mother called Kezia !!!! - found a poor child on image 35, it just says
Sarah base born daughter of [an then there's a big space] born November 23 and baptised November 26. So the poor baby didn't even have a mother to call her own!
Found a baptism for a Sarah MERTON, parents Thomas & Elizabeth. The previous page of the register has an Elizabeth MARSTON, parents Thomas & ELizabeth AND
Arthur SEALES son of Thomas and Elizabeth!!!
kiterunner
06-08-11, 16:37
Was going through the Beighton baptism registers looking for Thomas or Sarah, hoping one of them will have a mother called Kezia !!!! - found a poor child on image 35, it just says
Sarah base born daughter of [an then there's a big space] born November 23 and baptised November 26. So the poor baby didn't even have a mother to call her own!
Yes, I noticed her while I was looking through the register too.
KiteRunner
Thanks again for your help, I've made enough progress to have 4 more 4 x great grandparents to add to our new thread!!!!
I've now found likely burials for Thomas & Sarah Sales in Limpenhoe, and also in Limpenhoe, a burial for Robert Nudd, the witness at their wedding, so I feel there must be strong ties there.
Hi Helen, hope you're still having fun in Norwich. I was up there a couple of weeks ago and can recommend the library of the Norwich Family History Society in St Giles Street, they have loads of parish transcriptions and the volunteers are very helpful.
I have a feeling our genealogical paths might be about to cross again (remember our possible Massingham connection and also my husband's Barnes family) because I have a Sarah Saul (also known as Seal/Sole) born Acle 1746, her parents were Edmund Saul born 1722 Blofield and Sarah Nudd born 1724 Moulton St Mary. Edmund's parents were Thomas Nudd b. 1700 Moulton and Mary Jillett, and Thomas' parents were Robert Nudd born c. 1660 not known where but he married Elizabeth Smith 1699 at St Michael at Plea, Norwich (he'd previously been married to Sarah Edgar). Robert died in Moulton in 1722 (think we have his will) and although he is too old to be the witness at your marriage, the names and places do seem to be a very similar. I do have a lot more info on the Sauls and Nudds, if you want me to look up anyone in particular.
Carolyn
Always happy to claim another cousin! It looks like you've found the Saul/Seal & Nudd connection too. Once I've sorted this out I will probably be badgering you, so thanks for the offer. I am fine going forwards but was stuck for years without Kezia's baptism. She seems to have been plagued with spelling, as she's also recorded in her marriage and children's baptisms as Chezia!
How curious that we should be related with two different strands of the tree.
Hang on, how can Edmund Nudd become Edmund Saul??? Don't you mean Sarah Nudd's parents were Thomas Nudd & Mary Jillett?
Who did Sarah Saul b Acle 1746 marry?
Hm. Have been looking for Arthur Seales senior's baptism and there's one in Cantley which looks promising
Arthur, son of John Seals and [unfortunately no name is visible at all!] his wife 14 Jun 1713.
But there isn't a likely John Seals marriage in Cantley around that time.
Still I'm hopeful now that the Seals/Sales/Saul/Salls/Soul/Soles are now becoming more visible.
Sorry Nell, yes I did mean Sarah Nudd's parents were Thomas Nudd and Mary Jillett, good job you're on the ball ! My sister has all the Saul/Nudd info, as I have a habit of 'mislaying' things, so I'll get her to bring the file over next time she comes.
Sarah Saul married Robert Daniels (Daniell) at Acle in 1770, and finding their gravestone in Acle churchyard was one of our earliest successes, which got us hooked on this lifelong addiction!!
Carolyn
It was taking a photo of my gt grandparents' memorial stone in Limpenhoe churchyard when I was 11 that got me hooked!
But if only I'd known then what I know now...
I wish I'd found all this out before I went to Norwich!
Oh well, there's always another trip to plan...
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