Swarms of Sworns

[Phoenix]

The Sworn family seem to appear in Salisbury about 1740.

There are various branches, with that irritating knack of appearing to be unconnected.

One branch ventured up to Liverpool and came back down.

Now I find James Sworn, a weaver born 1769 in Salisbury and
Ambrose Sworn, labourer born 1783 Salisbury a labourer, both in the army.

Ambrose was bp 25 Dec 1784, son of Ambrose and Sarah. He had a brother Samuel.

Meanwhile, up in Chester, Samuel Sworn, weaver has a son Ambrose.

Any bright ideas how I can join the dots between these two families?

[kiterunner]

Presumably you've already looked for wills?

[Mary from Italy]

Settlement orders?

[Phoenix]

Both Wiltshire and Cheshire have good online wills databases.

I have seen that of Robert Sworn, beer seller d 1840 Salisbury. I can't find any other wills.

Poor law records would be ideal. I have ransacked every Wiltshire database I can think of. The Wilts FHS have heaps of useful records.

Given that the name seems to have changed pronunciation in recent times, I do wonder whether it suffered changed earlier on. Or perhaps they were simply country folk homing in on Salisbury.

Once you are in the army, the world is your oyster. James lost a leg in Holland, married Unis Ann in London and died in Chelsea Poor House aged 90!

[Shona]

James Sworn enlisted with the Coldstream Guards. He was wounded in Holland and subsequently lost a leg [EDIT - just seen your posting about him losing his leg]. Discharged in 1801 at the age of 32. A weaver. Salisbury.

Looking at Sworns named Ambrose:

Ambrose Sworn born 1784 in Salisbury - son of Ambrose Sworn and Sarah Lee.

There is a public tree on Ancestry (all unsourced, so comes with the appropriate health warning) which has Ambrose, father of Ambrose, as the son of William Sworn and Ann Silby.

The tree has the following list of children for that couple born in Salisbury:

Nanny - 1739
William - 1741 (confirmed on FS)
John - 1743
Thomas - 1744
Mary - 1749 (confirmed on FS)
Ambrose - 1750
Jane - 1753 (confirmed on FS)
Samuel - 1755

There is a Samuel who marries Elizabeth Whitworth in Chester in 1782. They had the following children in Cheshire:

John - 1783
William - 1786
Samuel - 1788
Mary - 1790
Ambrose - 1792 (died 1794)
Ambrose - 1803

There is a Thomas and Mary Sworn who had children in Cheshire, but also buried a child in Salisbury in 1793.

FMP has transcripts of Salisbury Infirmary Admissions and Outpatients - lots of Sworns. I noted that there was an Ambrose Sworn admitted in 8 May 1785 and discharged on 22 May. on 21 May 1785 is noted as being cured.

To further add to the number of Ambrose Sworns around, there is an Ambrose Sworn who enlists with the 2/5th Regiment of Foot on 26 April 1805.

A Samuel Sworn, a private with the 2nd Batt 35th Regiment of Foot, was awarded the Waterloo Medal, 1815.

[Shona]

Ambrose Sworn, labourer born 1783 Salisbury a labourer, both in the army.

Enlisted in Tavistock, Devon, on 22 April 1805 for unlimited service, at the age of 22. He was 5ft 7in tall, had sandy hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. Discharged because of reduction in establishment.

[kiterunner]

There is a burial at St John the Baptist, Chester, 5 Jun 1827, Elizabeth, wife of Samuel Soorn, labourer, age 67. There are quite a few PR entries in Chester with the name spelt Soorn and it looks likely to be the same family as the Sworns. I suppose we are trying to prove (or disprove!) that the Samuel who married Elizabeth in Chester was the one born in 1755 in Salisbury. The witnesses at Samuel and Elizabeth's wedding were John Hawkins and Willm Jones, and the marriage was by banns, so not much to help there.

[kiterunner]

Cheshire Archives list two Soorn wills - James, gentleman, 1849 and Samuel, draper, 1854. Both of Chester.

[kiterunner]

On the 1851 census at Hamilton Place, Chester, is a Samuel Soorn, master draper, widower, age 63, born Chester, so he is the right age to be the son of Samuel and Elizabeth as they had a son Samuel born 1788. I know this doesn't help to connect them with the Salisbury family but at least helps to tie the Soorns to the Sworns.

[kiterunner]

Looking at the transcriptions on the Cheshire Parish Register Project, they have a burial at St John the Baptist, Chester, for a Samuel Soorne, labourer, 20 Oct 1828, age 75, abode Watergate Street. They also have Watergate Street as the abode for Elizabeth Soorn buried 5 Jun 1827, wife of Samuel.

Age 75 in 1828 would make Samuel's year of birth approx. 1753 so pretty close to the Salisbury one.

[Shona]

There is a public tree on Ancestry (all unsourced, so comes with the appropriate health warning) which has Ambrose, father of Ambrose, as the son of William Sworn and Ann Silby.

The tree has the following list of children for that couple born in Salisbury:

Nanny - 1739
William - 1741 (confirmed on FS)
John - 1743
Thomas - 1744
Mary - 1749 (confirmed on FS)
Ambrose - 1750
Jane - 1753 (confirmed on FS)
Samuel - 1755


Thomas, Ambrose and Samuel are on Family Search - surname variant Soarne - all baptised in Salisbury.

Thomas - 1744
Ambros - 1750
Samuel - 1755

[Phoenix]

Thank you both so much. You've set it out beautifully Shona. I have heaps of handwritten notes somewhere, but they didn't all get onto my fh program and goodness knows where they are now.
And Kite's discovery neatly links the Chester folk as my distant cousins!