Sarah Higgins nee Ware of Bucks

[tenterfieldjulie]

My great grandmother's aunt, Sarah Ware born 1827 at Chesham to George and Elizabeth (Thompson). She was married in 1850 at Chesham Bois to James Higgins, his father John.
A tree on Ancestry has taken James and Sarah Higgins living at Cublington as this couple. I have a couple of reservations about them being the right couple. Children Thomas 1846 and Joseph 1848 born Stewkley and Mary Ann 1850 Cublington, all born prior to marriage (This is a strict Baptist family). Then another 6 born Cublington. Sarah's death at Cublington in 1870.
Why I am really querying that this is my Sarah, is that on the Census they have her born Stewkley and Chesham/Chesham Bois is not in the neighbourhood.
I cannot find another marriage for James Higgins and Sarah in the area and I cannot find another couple in the Census born Bucks.
I did find a Non Com birth reg for James son of John and Ann in 1829 (?) on the IGI, but no place, it is quite possibly this James as the Wares were all Baptist.
Help please:confused:. Julie

[kiterunner]

Have you actually got a copy of the marriage certicate, Julie, and if so, what other info is there?

[Merry]

You need this one in 1861:


Name: Sarah Higgins
Age: 33
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1828
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: James Higgins
Gender: Female
Where born: Chesham, Bedfordshire, England

It says Chesham Bucks on the census page!

I can type out the rest if you need it....

[Mary from Italy]

Ancestry has Sarah's Baptist birth record in case you don't have it, but I can't see anything for James.

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=2972

[Merry]

I wouldn't be surprised if the James Higgins at Cublington was the son of Robert who is living next door to him in 1851. There's this, below, which makes it even more likely this James and Sarah don't belong to 'your' marriage.

Name: James Higgins
Gender: Male
Christening Date: 21 Nov 1824
Christening Place: Cublington, Buckingham, England
Father's Name: Robert Higgins
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age:
Mother's Name: Mary

[Merry]

I've just found your couple in 1851 in Luton on ancestry, indexed as Kiggins. Mind you, the census page is pretty illegible.

[tenterfieldjulie]

Kate - The only information I have is from Famsearch – Marriage of James Higgins to Sarah Ware on 3 July 1850 at Chesham-Bois, Buckinghamshire, his father John Higgins and her father George Ware. There were so many Sarah Ware’s around, I would have not been sure even with the location, except for that fact that it names her father as George.
Mary - thank you I have the Baptist record of birth for Sarah.
Merry - thank you very much for the finding the right couple in the Census.
Where they were living in the 1861 and were children with them please?
Kiggings in 1851 no wonder they couldn't be found..
Many thanks everyone.
Now to sort out Ephraim!!

[Merry]

1861 possibly Bute (?) St

James Higgins head m 32 straw bonnet manufacturer b Luton, Beds
Sarah Higgins wife m 33 b Chesham Bucks
Emily Higgins 7
Jane Higgins 5
Arthur J Higgins 3
Frederick Higgins 1
Infant Higgins Under 1 Months

There's also a monthly nurse, a couple of servants and a couple of visitors who may actually be neighbours!

All the children are born at Luton. There were no children in 1851.

1871

James Higgins 42
Sarah Higgins 43
Emily Higgins 17
Bernard R Higgins 7
Agnes Higgins 5
Amy A Higgins 3

Children all b Luton, other details the same. Can't read address because the left side of the page won't come into focus!

[Merry]

1871 may be Upper George St?

[tenterfieldjulie]

Many thanks Merry. I found her death at Luton in 1877. I am so pleased to have her with the right family. I didn't think I would find her until I found that she married in her home parish.

[tenterfieldjulie]

The children of George Ware and Elizabeth Thompson were a very diverse family. There were 10 children, three dying at birth or shortly after. This is a brief summary with a few queries.
1. The oldest, Elizabeth Thompson Ware, married Samuel Johnson, a cheesemonger and they lived in London around Pimlico, St Pancras and Hackney and had at least 6 children. She died 1876 Hackney.
2. George married Charlotte Spooner, he was a carpenter and they lived in London and he died Hanover Square, Westminster 1874. They married in 1842 at Midhurst Sussex. The only child (Charlotte) I have only found, was born that year in Pimlico. I am wondering if there may be others?
3 . Ephraim is a bit of a mystery. In the 1841 Census, Ephraim, Alfred, Isaac & Sarah are living with their father George and stepmother Catherine Ware at Bois Farm, Chesham, Bucks. In 1851 he is an unmarried lodger at Watford in Herts working as an ag lab. In 1861 he is down as son in law to his stepmother working as a shepherd, he is 43. ( There is another Ephraim Ware the same age married to an Elizabeth, but he is also in the 1861 & 1871 Census, born Bovingdon.) I found the death of an Ephraim Ware at Dudley, Staffordshire in Mar Q 1863. Dudley was where Isaac married in 1858 and a son was born at Handsworth, Staffordshire in 1863. So possibly he went there because of his brother and family. Unfortunately there is no age on the death reg, but not many Ephraim’s around. Can anyone prove or disprove that this Ephraim is the son of George and Elizabeth?
4. David, my ancestor, married Sarah Climpson, they had five children in Bucks, where he worked as an ag lab. They came to NSW in the mid 1840s, possibly influenced by Sarah’s brother, James Climpson, who came out with his Regiment and stayed on. Another four children born in NSW. David worked for others managing their farms (one story is that he was manager of a property of a couple who went to India and never returned). He eventually bought his own farm outside Grafton at Moleville, where he had a very successful Durham dairy farm, according to his obit in Trove. He died 1896 at Moleville.
5. Alfred, however, had a sad life. He lived all his working life at Hemel Hempstead in Herts, he did not marry and worked as an ag lab and road labourer. He ended up in the Workhouse there in 1891 and died in 1896 at Hemel. Two brothers dying in the same year at opposite ends of the world with such very different lives.
6. Isaac married Mabel Baker at Dudley in Worcestershire. He was a grocer. They had six children, the first three born Staffordshire where Mabel was from, next three born Aston Manor, Warwickshire. Isaac died at Stoke on Trent in Staffordshire in 1892.
7. Sarah married James Higgins and thanks to Merry, we know they had at least 8 children, who were all born at Luton, which was where Sarah died in 1877.
Thanks:). Julie

[Merry]

2. George and Charlotte don't seem to have had other children according to the census but as no baptism records showing (more Baptists?) they might have had others who died or were away at school or with relatives for census night.

[Merry]

3. That death seems likely as the other Ephraim seems to have vanished off the face of the earth after his marriage in 1840. Maybe that one emigrated?

Edit - No that's not right because you said he was on the 1861 and 1871 census. Well I've found him now. Clearly he didn't die in 1863 though!

[Janet]

Did you see this, Julie? It's earlier than your Ephraim. Just wonder if this is your family or the other one? Not sure it adds anything.
Ephraim Ware TNA (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=046-denm&cid=-1#-1)

[Uncle John]

Re posts 8 and 9, Bute Street and Upper George Street are both in Luton town centre, where many of the hat factories were located.