Help with Will

[Terri]

I understand concentration and motivation is thin on the ground at the moment and this isn't an easy problem, but if anyone fancies a go - I really need to find the people in this will:

Edward Gale (Edward Geale (X)) late of Abinger now of Esher, husbandman, weak 3 Jun 1725
to nephew William May's eldest daughter Elizabeth of Esher £300 at marriage or 21; to Ann second daughter of William £200 at marriage or 21; to William eldest son of William May £350 at marriage or 21; if Elizabeth dies £100 to Ann and £200 to William; to my sister Jane Franks £100 exclusive of her husband and to her children £10 each; to nephew William May £20, exec.; if William widower residue to him but if still married half to sister Jane's children and half to Elizabeth, Ann and William May, jnr. Overseers: friends John Cobbet; Thomas Cooper
Witnesses: John Briggs; Thomas Cooper; Margaret Cooper
Proved: 1 Feb 1725/6 to exec. [DW/PA/7/20; DW/PA/5/1726/62]

The name Geale evolved into Gale, it is also regularly written as Jeal/Jeale.

[Terri]

What I have so far (nothing really!)

The only Edward Geale in Abinger married there in 1641 - unless he lived to around 100, it isn't him in the above will. But, he appears to have had no children in Abinger, but 4 were born to an Edward Geale between 1641 abd 1651 in Great Bookham, including a Joanne. The reason I think there is a connection is because Robert Geale also had a number of children around the same years in Great Bookham and also died in Esher. I have long held the (completely unproven) feeling that Edward and Robert were brothers.

A Jane Gale married a Thomas Cobbett in 1669 in Great Bookham.

A William May married Mercy Dally in Esher in 1709 (the Dally family having had loose business connections with the Geale/Gale family). But I don't think they had daughters called Elizabeth or Ann.

This has been driving me bonkers forever.

[kiterunner]

The sister, nephews and nieces could be sister, nephews and nieces of Edward's wife. I will have a look and see if I can find anything.

[kiterunner]

There is a John May / Elizabeth Gale marriage 1 May 1660 but it is at Chittlehampton, Devon.

[Terri]

Indeed ...... as far as I am aware, the family were Surrey dwellers in their entirety, and forever, bar the odd foray into London. But obviously, nothing can be discounted.

[Phoenix]

Now is not the time for this sort of research, but the manorial records for Surrey are well documented. Have you looked at the Surrey History centre 's catalogue? There's at least one Edward Geale of Abinger there.

[Phoenix]

No, four references.

[Terri]

Oooh, no I haven't looked there. Thanks Phoenix.

Err....... why isn't it the time for this sort of research?

[Merry]

I assume Phoenix meant because you can't go and look at the manorial records or get copies of documents from archive offices etc because they are not open, not that we don't want to do research! (again, someone correct me if I'm wrong!!)

[Phoenix]

:o:o:o


Merry is quite right. The Surrey History Centre has wonderful original documents. I have photos of manorial documents which proved what I had suspected in one of my Surrey families. But they are quite inaccessible at the moment.


I certainly wouldn't dream of suggesting we shouldn't be doing what research we can at the moment, and compiling to do lists for the future.


I get the feeling that we are like pirhana fish at the moment, just waiting to attack the next research question. I could be wrong :D:D:D

[Merry]

I'm not deleting this thread yet, because you might want to come back to it another time. We might find something to help :D

[Terri]

Sorry Phoenix, I assumed you were talking about the Surrey online catalogue which tends to give out a fair bit of information. I use it all the time - only visited the actual Surrey Archives once in 15 years! :)

[Merry]

I'm not deleting this thread yet

Unless you absolutely insist that is :o

[Terri]

That's fine, thank you Merry x

[kiterunner]

There are a couple of entries that come up in TNA's catalogue when searching for Geale AND Abinger, both at the Surrey History Centre. One 1694 and one 1700, both include Edward Geale of Abinger, yeoman. I would think more likely to be your Edward than the one who married in 1641.

[Merry]

William May's eldest daughter Elizabeth of Esher £300 at marriage or 21

There's an Elizabeth May marrying in Esher in 1726 to John Hitcher or Hitches (there's an image but I've not looked as need to look at lunch...)

[ElizabethHerts]

I'm dreaming of the day when I can visit the Surrey History Centre again.

They have some large boxes donated to them by my grandmother's first cousin when W.E. White & Sons of Guildford closed in the 1960s. He didn't know what to do with all the records so he donated them to the Record Office.

When we went last we went through two large boxes and there were two items which particularly delighted me. One was a photo of my great-grandparents when they were quite young, when they first ran the shop. The second was a real gem. It was the staff book my great-great-grandfather kept and features my great-grandmother who came to them as a Milliner. He is very complimentary about her, and writes "Good girl" beside her name. Then later "Left to marry". In fact, she left to marry his younger son Herbert. They ran a branch in Chertsey for a short while, but Herbert's health failed and he died aged 37 when my grandmother was only 9.

[ElizabethHerts]

Sorry, I went horribly off topic there.

[kiterunner]

There's an Elizabeth May marrying in Esher in 1726 to John Hitcher or Hitches (there's an image but I've not looked as need to look at lunch...)

John Hitches of Walton on Th[ame]s.

[kiterunner]

A William May married Mercy Dally in Esher in 1709 (the Dally family having had loose business connections with the Geale/Gale family). But I don't think they had daughters called Elizabeth or Ann.


Ann May baptised 6 Sep 1710 at Esher, daughter of Will and Mercy:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/4790/40761_311958-00049?pid=111844&treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=dNx50474&_phstart=successSource

The above is a link to the image - Ancestry don't seem to have indexed that part of the page for some reason but it is there.

They also had a son William baptised 5 Aug 1714 at Esher.

I don't see a baptism for Elizabeth at Esher in 1709 so I guess either she was born somewhere else (perhaps where her mother came from - oops, just realised Mercy came from Esher) or her mother was a previous wife of William's. Or I suppose possibly this is the wrong family but that seems highly unlikely!

[Terri]

Thanks All. Gut feeling was that it had to be THAT May family, especially judging by the expected age of the children as named in the will. But I do have concerns as to why none of the other children born before the will was written are mentioned. I have the orignal will; the trsncript is accurate.

I am extremely familiar with those Esher PRs. I know some years off by heart! I also know that they are not the originals; they are copies and there are errors in them. Occasionally, an Ancestry search does bring up the originals at random. Elizabeth could simply have been left off of the copy. PS Just checked notes - An Elizabeth May, daughter of William died in 1709. Presumably another daughter named for her.

[kiterunner]

Here is the will of William May of Esher, butcher, signed on the 20 May 1728 and proved at the PCC 1 Aug 1728:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/5111/40611_310287-00405?pid=790325&treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true#?_phcmd=u('https:%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.co .uk%2Fsearch%2F%3Fname%3Dwil*_may*%26keyword%3De%3 Fher%26keyword_x%3D1%26name_x%3D1_1%26priority%3Du nited-kingdom%26successSource%3DSearch%26queryId%3Ddb020 76b829a54ac28c9332e661c1013','successSource')&imageId=40611_310287-00405

He mentions his children Henry, Mercy, Sarah and Rebecca, and his wife Mercy, and friends Thomas Cooper and John Biddle. Witnesses George Moore, John King, Benjamin Cobbett.

[kiterunner]

May v May 1739: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10414886

Plaintiff William May, butcher of Esher; defendant Mercy May, widow. So the plaintiff could possibly be William son of William and Mercy?

[Terri]

Here is the will of William May of Esher, butcher, signed on the 20 May 1728 and proved at the PCC 1 Aug 1728:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/5111/40611_310287-00405?pid=790325&treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true#?_phcmd=u('https:%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.co .uk%2Fsearch%2F%3Fname%3Dwil*_may*%26keyword%3De%3 Fher%26keyword_x%3D1%26name_x%3D1_1%26priority%3Du nited-kingdom%26successSource%3DSearch%26queryId%3Ddb020 76b829a54ac28c9332e661c1013','successSource')&imageId=40611_310287-00405

He mentions his children Henry, Mercy, Sarah and Rebecca, and his wife Mercy, and friends Thomas Cooper and John Biddle. Witnesses George Moore, John King, Benjamin Cobbett.

Thomas Cooper and another Cobbett as in the first will. I might have to poke around them also.

[Terri]

May v May 1739: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10414886

Plaintiff William May, butcher of Esher; defendant Mercy May, widow. So the plaintiff could possibly be William son of William and Mercy?

I believe so. I have something on this in my copious notes.