View Full Version : 20 years of searching, one minute of success and now another brick wall!
So, I think I many have just found a marriage for one of the siblings of my 2xg-grandfather, George Clark.
His sister was Elizabeth Clark, baptised 15 Sept 1816 at St Swithin's, Walcot, Bath, Somerset. Her parents were William Clark, chairman, and Charlotte Eliza nee Cook (I don't know when William or Charlotte Eliza died).
The marriage I have found took place at St James, Bath, Somerset on 30 Dec 1837 (image on Ancestry):
Frederick Cheater, full age, bachelor, labourer, 19 Richmond Terrace, father James Cheater, cellar man
Elizabeth Clark, full age, spinster, 19 Richmond Terrace, father William Clark, chairman
Frederick signed, Elizabeth made her mark.
Witnesses: John Alfred Bushell and Hannah Bushell, both signed.
Then they all vanish!
Any ideas....??
(I'm hoping the minute I click submit I will get a breakthrough!! :D)
ElizabethHerts
23-11-21, 21:31
I can't find them on a census or any children.
There is an online Ancestry tree (very sparse) giving the father's name as James Chater.
I've just found a baptism for a John Frederick Cheater, son of James and Sarah, bap 03 Mar 1816 St Michael's Bath. So maybe I should be trying John!
Cheater John Frederick 1816 Somerset Baptism Index Bath, Somerset, England
Chater Catherine 1818 Somerset Baptism Index Bath, Somerset, England EDIT: transported 1839
Cheater James 1821 Somerset Baptism Index Walcot, Somerset, England. EDIT: Bur 1838
Cheater Edmund 1825 Somerset Baptism Index Walcot, Somerset, England. EDIT: Bur 1826
Cheater Lavinia 1827 Somerset Baptism Index Walcot, Somerset, England. EDIT: Bur 1828
Parents James (EDIT: died 1837) and Sarah (EDIT: died 1866)
kiterunner
23-11-21, 21:48
Two matches for Elizabeth Cheater on here:
https://www.batharchives.co.uk/bath-ancestors
Sarah Cheater, likely mother of the 1837 groom, is on the 1861 census:
Galloway Buildings, 7, Lilliput Alley, St James, Bath, Somerset
Sarah Cheater head married 70 Pauper servant b Wells, Wiltshire, England
Of course Wells isn't in Wiltshire!
And in 1851 in the Bath Union Workhouse (I should think widow is correct and married, in 1861, incorrect)
Sarah Cheator pauper widow 60 b Market Lavington, Wiltshire, England
Two matches for Elizabeth Cheater on here:
https://www.batharchives.co.uk/bath-ancestors
Thanks Kate. Just looking in the newspapers for more info.
Hmmmm..
Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette 16 June 1842
Elizabeth Cheater, aged 23, charged with stealing and pawning a sheet and blanket, the property of Thomas Andrews, at whose house she lodged. Found guilty. Fortnight's hard labour.
My Elizabeth would be 25 or 26, but 23 is probably close enough. Pity it doesn't say if this young woman was married or not.
In Oct 1838 a Catherine Cheater 19, was sentenced to 10 years transportation for stealing a silver watch (her second offence) - Bath Chronicle.
They sound like sisters, but maybe that's wishful thinking!
Oooh, Catherine is also the child of James and Sarah, bap 1818 Bath St Michael. Surname Chater.
Not found an Elizabeth as yet though.
Catherine arrived in NSW in 1839 on the Planter. Her birth year is given as 1819.
Thanks Libby.
James Cheater died Feb 1837 and was buried at St Peter and St Paul, Bath aged 49 (b 1787/8)
James Cheater (Chester) m Sarah Oram 1813 at Walcot, Somerset.
Witnesses Jacob Amer and Henry Stillman.
I've seen that name, Henry Stillman somewhere in the last 24 hours!
Still, clearly it's much easier to find the people who are close to Frederick, but not Fred (John?) himself!
Oooh, this looks like one of mine (or at lease, one of the family I'm wondering about!):
CHETER, LOUISA CLARKE
GRO Reference: 1839 D Quarter in BATH Volume 11 Page 33
Louisa was buried in Feb 1842, so should be on the 1841 census. Address from burial record is Pulteney Road.
I can't get this entry to come up on Bath BMD, nor have I found any others 1837-1851 (on Bath BMD or the GRO), but then I said I couldn't find any before, so what do I know! lol
This is the family:
Caroline Buildings, Lyncombe and Widcombe, Somerset
Fredrick Cheetre (transcribed as Cheetne), 25, french polisher, Yes
Elizabeth ditto, 20, Yes
Louisa ditto, 2, Yes
So, Elizabeth could still be mine. Really need more!
There's also a Joseph Chead, mmn Clark b 1837, d 1840 all in Bath district. No address on the burial and no baptism.
I've not yet researched this name combination for a different couple.
kiterunner
24-11-21, 08:39
Oooh, this looks like one of mine (or at lease, one of the family I'm wondering about!):
CHETER, LOUISA CLARKE
GRO Reference: 1839 D Quarter in BATH Volume 11 Page 33
Louisa was buried in Feb 1842, so should be on the 1841 census. Address from burial record is Pulteney Road.
I can't get this entry to come up on Bath BMD, nor have I found any others 1837-1851 (on Bath BMD or the GRO), but then I said I couldn't find any before, so what do I know! lol
You can search births on Bath BMD by MMN so I have found her - listed as Chester.
Oh, thanks Kate.
I was thinking, if Elizabeth Clark/Cheater is mine, her aunt (mother's sister) was called Louisa Cook. This Louisa married twice and had three children by her first marriage (born 1828-1832) but they all died v young. In 1841 Louisa is with her first husband, Isaac Perry, and also in their household is my gg-grandfather, George Clark, aged 17 (listed down to 15). I've never been able to estabish what became of William and Charlotte Clark, parents of George and Elizabeth (all promising people eliminated), but did wonder if George had been brought up by Louisa and Isaac Perry. Now George's potential sister has called her daughter Louisa, that is promising, especially if Louisa had a hand in her upbringing too.
If only I could work out what happened to Frederick and Elizabeth!
I might have to try harder with William and Charlotte Clark as I think there's more records available than when I last looked.
In case anyone else wants to look whilst I'm at Tesco Express, they are:
Charlotte Eliza Cook bap St Swithins, Walcot, Bath Somerset 23-Jul-1797
William Clark unknown birth/bap
Charlotte only has the middle name on her baptism.
They married 26-Mar-1816 at St Swithin's Walcot, Bath. I got that from an offline index where I wrote away for it, but I expect the marriage will be online somwhere now.
1816-1824 they lived at Beaufort Square, Bath, Somerset (baps of children). William was sometimes a chairman and sometimes a labourer. The only other child who may have lived to adulthood, other than George and (maybe) Elizabeth is Jane Clark, bap 1819 at St Swithin's, Walcot. I know nothing further about Jane after her baptism.
kiterunner
24-11-21, 10:15
This is William and Charlotte's marriage record:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/60858/images/42886_1831109388_0673-00185?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=Ctf25531&_phstart=successSource&pId=2916897
The marriage before it (bottom of the previous page), but not on the same day although the banns were called on the same days, is John Clark and Anne Prince. Henry Stillman is a witness on a lot of the marriages, including both Clark marriages.
Damn it, I really should take more notice - I remember looking for those witnesses, Walter and Martha Watkins last night and now I don't know why I was doing that. Did I look at this Clark marriage yesterday, not realising I'd not seen it before, or were their names somwhere else?
I'll investigate that other Clark marriage - thanks.
kiterunner
24-11-21, 11:31
I expect it's unrelated but just thought I should mention it.
Yes. I'm not too keen on the name Clark for research!
I couldn't find any children for John and Ann in the Bath area, and not knowing anything more about them meant I didn't know if they were any of the John and Anns on the census.
I got a bit distracted as I'd completely forgotten what happened to Louisa Cook (the aunt of Elizabeth Clark)! Her body was exhumed to establish whether either her husband or his new wife had murdered her, likely by administering arsenic. No evidence was found.
http://www.genealogistsforum.co.uk/Forum/showthread.php?t=24342&highlight=charlotte+marchant
Getting back to what I was originally looking for.....(and still haven't got anywhere with!) - Where is this Somerset family after 1841?
(John) Frederick Cheater (labourer) m Elizabeth Clark in Dec 1837 in Bath
John Frederick was bap 1816 Bath (only place he has the first forename)
Elizabeth was bap 1816 at Walcot (which was a separate parish to Bath, but often gets lumped in with the city). Elizabeth is my relative.
They only seem to have had one child in Bath reg district:
CHETER, LOUISA CLARKE
GRO Reference: 1839 D Quarter in BATH Volume 11 Page 33
(for anyone who remembers I also found a Joseph - I think he belongs to a different family)
Louisa died in Feb 1842 in Bath. (nothing helpful on her burial)
Here they are on the 1841 census:
Caroline Buildings, Lyncombe and Widcombe, Somerset
Fredrick Cheetre (transcribed as Cheetne on Ancestry), 25, french polisher, Yes
Elizabeth ditto, 20, Yes
Louisa ditto, 2, Yes
In June 1842 Elizabeth Cheater (23), Bath, was sentenced to 2 week hard labour for a minor theft. I had previously thought this Elizabeth might be a sister of Frederick, given he had a sister transported around the same time. However, I can't prove that, so she could well be mine.
After this, nothing for either of them. Any thoughts?
kiterunner
30-11-21, 11:39
I spent a while looking last week but came up with nothing.
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