Ann Willing Nichols

[KiwiChris]

You would think with a name like that this would be easy, but are there two of them living parallel lives?
There is a birth Reg for Ann Willing Nichols Sept q 1851 Plympton St Mary.
There is a marriage of Ann Willing Nichols December 1876 Clifton and I think the groom was Hugh Nichols because in 1881 and thereafter, there is a Hugh Nichols with a wife called Annie who was b c1851 Holbeton Devon. The other bride on the page was also Annie, but I have found Stephen Meachin the other groom with a wife called Annie who was born in Wilts in 1856.
I can follow Annie and Hugh through the census until their deaths, and Annie Nichols died 3 May 1916 in Bristol. Probate for her and Hugh both give the same address so I am sure this is the correct Annie. I can find no other use of the name Willing in the UK aside from the birth and the marriage.
However, on 15 April 1879 Ann Willing Nichols married John Thompson in New Zealand. Ann Willing Thompson died in New Zealand 7 January 1916, she was 64, so born c 1852.
Can anyone find a second Ann Willing Nichols, or did the first one run off and Hugh rapidly found himself a second Annie born the same year and place as the first??
It is so odd how their birth and deaths are so close, and you would not think Ann Willing Nichols was a common combination of names.

edit: I have just found the baptism of a child father Hugh Nichols and mother Ann Willing Nichols, so I have the correct marriage.

[Olde Crone]

A wild thought - was Hugh in the army?

FWIW, and I'm sure you already knew this, there is only one Willing/Nichols marriage and that is in 1854, so Ann Willing Nichols was illegitimate. I've been playing with variations of the name Ann Nichols or Willing but there are quite a few options, difficult to pin any down.

OC

[kiterunner]

The marriage to Hugh Nichols is on FamilySearch - 20 Dec 1876 at St Andrew Montpelier, Bristol, bride Ann Willing Nichols age 26, bride's father Robert Nichols, groom Hugh Nichols age 28, groom's father Thomas Nichols.

Also Ann Willing Nichols' baptism is on there 1851 Devon, but the image is only available at a FamilySearch Center or if you are a member of the LDS Church. (Don't even get me started on GRRRing about that!) Her parents' names aren't transcribed.

[Olde Crone]

Ah, that's interesting because the Willing/Nichols marriage I found in 1854 was William Willing to Elizabeth Nichols, so Robert Nichols is someone else!

OC

[KiwiChris]

There is an Ann Nichols of the correct age b Holbeton with father Robert and mother Amey on a couple of census, so I am imagining that she is the one who married Hugh. Given the ages of the older children I assume that Robert and Amey married before 1837 and I cannot find that on family search.

But where on earth did mine come from?! :confused:

[kiterunner]

Managed to find the baptism image on FMP eventually - Jun 26 1851 at Holbeton, born Jun 3d Ann Willing, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Nicholls, yeoman, of Leeson(?) in Holbeton.

[Olde Crone]

Amey Willing to Richard Hill, Dec 1837, Kingsbridge 9 451

OC

[kiterunner]

And the other one is just Ann Nichols on her baptism - Jan 29 1851, born 6 Sep 1850, daughter of Robert and Amy Harvey Nichols, yeoman of Brownswell(?) in Holbeton.

[KiwiChris]

That one must be mine then, seeing as the father of the one who married Hugh was called Robert.

[KiwiChris]

Opps, missed some replies while I was typing, I will follow up on the Richard one.

[KiwiChris]

The names Willing and Nichols seem to be Holbeton names, so there is probably a bit of intermarriage between the two families, so maybe not surprising that there are a couple of children with the Willing second name.

[KiwiChris]

Looking good! I have found a marriage of Richard Willing NICKOLLS to Elizabeth Tanton 1845 Plympton, so the names are beginning to tie together, but with the misspelling it took a bit of finding!

Thanks for the help everyone!

[dairymaid]

A Annie Willing Nichols b 1 Sept 1899 died 1973 New Zealand, daughter of John Taunton Nichols b 1854 Holbeton Devon and Mary Elizabeth Brook. who both died in NZ. John Taunton Nichols was the brother of Ann Willing Nichols who married John Thompson (my gr grandparents )son & daughter of Richard willing Nichols b 1815. The other Ann Willing Nichols b 1851 married Hugh Nichols. The two Elizabeth's were cousins.