Are these sigs the same?

[Phoenix]

John Hanham, witness at the marriage of William Bryant in Hamworthy, Dorset in 1838:

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=2241&iid=32914_1831101454_0228-00007&fn=William&ln=Welsted&st=d&ssrc=&pid=20559804

and John Hanham junior, marrying in Shaftesbury in 1836:

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=2241&iid=32435_239676-00082&fn=John&ln=Hanham&st=d&ssrc=&pid=4949778

[Phoenix]

Logically, that first signature should be the same as this one:

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1623&iid=31281_A101836-00064&fn=Sarah&ln=Bryant&st=r&ssrc=pt_t46502872_p6589326688_kpidz0q3d6589326688z 0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid&pid=1495325

since that appears to be William's sister, but it doesn't look right.

[Merry]

The first two are a lot more similar than the last, but that's quite a gap in time to maintain a sig if he didn't write much! Did JJH forget his middle name for the rest of his life?

I can't see John and Sarah after their marriage,

[kiterunner]

The first two look very similar and the third one very different.

[Lindsay]

Did you notice James Hanham is a witness on the previous marriage in 1836?

[Phoenix]

Thanks, guys, that's exactly what I thought.

I had always assumed (dangerous territory!) that John Hanham was a parish clerk/employer because of his signature being so good.

Shaftesbury is the opposite side of the county to Hamworthy, near Poole. The John Hanhams there, father and son, were masons (and the younger one a cordwainer, possibly taking over his father's business. But they appear, on censuses at least, to be staying put.

JJ Hanham has several Ancestry trees and in 1851 he (down as plain John) is shown as born in Morden, with Sarah born in Hamworthy. They have an eleven year old Sarah Hanham, daughter with them.

Sarah Bryant, daughter of Sarah Bryant was baptised in Hamworthy (I think in 1838). Needless to say, I cannot find Sarah senior, her daughter nor John Hanham in 1841. They could well be in the East End of London, or Stratford, Essex by then. The trees I looked at hadn't found any of them in 1841 either.

It is quite possible that the witness is a relation (uncle etc) of JJ Hanham, but I can't find any other sigs to compare as yet.

[Phoenix]

Did you notice James Hanham is a witness on the previous marriage in 1836?

Yes, Lindsay. And William Bryant and Susanna Moors are cousins, which suggests he was a family friend.

[Merry]

JJ Hanham has several Ancestry trees and in 1851 he (down as plain John) is shown as born in Morden, with Sarah born in Hamworthy. They have an eleven year old Sarah Hanham, daughter with them.



I did see them, but excluded them because of all those children when they had only been married a year (by 1851) and neither of them apparently previously married and no obvious connection with where they married. I accidentally read the marriage occ as coachman rather than coachmaker - if I'd realised I'd got that wrong then perhaps I might have worked it out!!