Ann Barrass, born 1816 in Jamaica

[ElizabethHerts]

From FMP I can see that Ann Barrass was born in 1816 at St James, Cornwall, Jamaica.

She went to England at some point and married Thomas Mole in 1841 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

The FMP record doesn't state her parents. Online trees has her father as John.
I've tried Family Search with no results.

Barrass is a common name in the North-East of England, so I assume her father was from there originally.

Any ideas?

[ElizabethHerts]

If all else fails there is the marriage certificate I could buy, but I'm trying to avoid that!

First name(s) Thomas
Last name Mole
Marriage quarter 2
Marriage year 1841
Registration month -
MarriageFinder™ Thomas Mole married one of these people Jane Ireland, Catherine Prudhoe, Mary Thewlis, Ann Barrass
District Newcastle upon Tyne
District number -
County Northumberland
Country England
Volume 25
Volume as transcribed 25
Page number 388
Record set England & Wales Marriages 1837-2005
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Civil Marriage & Divorce
Collections from Great Britain, England

[kiterunner]

FamilySearch also has her father transcribed as John Barrass but it says you would have to go to a FamilySearch Centre to view the marriage record. Ancestry has two transcriptions of a baptism record, one in Jamaica, Select Births and Baptisms, 1752-1920 and one in Caribbean, Select Births and Baptisms, 1590-1928: Ann Barras, baptised 29 Jun 1816 St James, Jamaica, FHL film number 1224328, item4 p55.

[kiterunner]

Now I can find the baptism image on FamilySearch! I guess they don't consider Barras to be a variant of Barrass, because it didn't come up before.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939F-VN9Z-LN?i=570&cc=1827268
Image number 571 if it doesn't take you there. Near the bottom of the right-hand page, Ann Barras white by law, born June 18, 1815. The page is headed Baptisms, and there is a column "Surnames of those born in wedlock" with that column being blank for Ann, implying that she was born out of wedlock.

[ElizabethHerts]

Thanks, Kate.

[ElizabethHerts]

Ann Barras and Thomas Mole had their first son John baptised in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1840 but didn't marry until 1841. I know it's the correct family as Thomas Mole was a plasterer and is named as such.

[kiterunner]

Jamaican Family Search (not connected with FamilySearch) has a glossary which includes the following: Private Act: A white man who fathered non-white children could have a Private Act presented to the National Assembly. This Act would give them the same rights and privileges of British subjects, born of white parents, subject to certain restrictions, usually with respect to voting. These children would appear in the records as "white by law."
http://www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Samples/Glossary.htm

[Merry]

Ann Barras and Thomas Mole had their first son John baptised in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1840 but didn't marry until 1841. I know it's the correct family as Thomas Mole was a plasterer and is named as such.

I had to smile that on the 1841 census it's Ann who is the plasterer!

[ElizabethHerts]

That's very interesting, Kate.
I've made a note of this. I feel compelled to buy the marriage certificate.

[ElizabethHerts]

The marriage certificate for Thomas Mole and Ann Barrass has arrived.

10th May 1841 at St John, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Both of full age and of this parish.
Thomas Mole was a plasterer, as I knew. Father John Mole, gardener, as thought.


Ann's father was John Barrass, Clerk. I wonder what type of clerk he was.
I'd love to discover more about him.

Random witnesses, as far as I can see.
Wm. Fridley?
Jno. Thompson

[ElizabethHerts]

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939F-VN9V-LP?i=172&cc=1827268

Could someone please tell me the word to the left of John Barrass's name. He was baptised 13th July 1830. I don't think it's Mulatto.

[kiterunner]

Mestee.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/mestee

[ElizabethHerts]

Thanks, Kate. I didn't know there were so many names for mixed-race children.

I wonder if he is connected to Ann's father John Barrass.
I wish they would put the father's name.

[jmsstks]

Hi all (sorry I'm a bit late to the party).

I'm also searching for this Ann and reading through the thread so far, I was extremely familiar with all the references you mentioned, including the Baptism records.

Funnily enough, I'm waiting for the marriage certificate to arrive that you refer to here. Perhaps there won't be much more information to find (but it's a nice artefact to hang on to, I guess!)

My main questions at the moment are:

1) how/when did she travel back to the UK? I've heard rumours of Dover (1837) but no proof of this.

2) Who did she travel with? (Not neccessarily John Barass) .... there was an old rumour in our family that she travelled back "with a Governess".

3) Was her father (John Barrass) also from the Newcastle area? It seems likely, but not guaranteed.

4) As part of solving the above, trying to establish where she was based. Current best estimate is St James Parish (and there are clues to the location in the Baptism record)

The fact that she was "white by law" seems to suggest that she was the daughter of a white british person who was able to secure the 'Private Act' and who presumably was "coming home" when they travelled back to the UK.

I'd love to understand if any of you have any further information on this (since previous posts in 2022).

[ElizabethHerts]

It's good to find another person researching this family.

This is a tree I'm doing for a family member and isn't my family. I haven't done any further research since I posted this thread.

Are you a descendant of Thomas Mole and Ann Barrass?

[ElizabethHerts]

Is this Ann Barras' father, John?

Death
BARRASS, JOHN 81
GRO Reference: 1871 J Quarter in TYNEMOUTH Volume 10B Page 156

Online trees say it is.

Edit: This man was a coal miner. The informant was Eleanor Barrass, no relationship given.

[jmsstks]

ElizabethHerts

That's very interesting indeed, although in my mind that doesn't add up with the marriage cert which we known states that he's a Clerk. Also based on the handwriting being the same for all parties and that Ann simply signs with an 'x', it might indicate that neither of them could read/write (also given that Thomas Mole was a plasterer and his father, John Mole, was a gardener). If this is the case, then it's plausible that the surname of BARRAS was misspelt as BARRASS (with two S's).

It would be great to understand where the above-mentioned link is. Could you forward it, if you still have it?

[kiterunner]

Surnames didn't have fixed spellings in those days, so Barrass wouldn't be a misspelling of Barras.

[ElizabethHerts]

ElizabethHerts

That's very interesting indeed, although in my mind that doesn't add up with the marriage cert which we known states that he's a Clerk. Also based on the handwriting being the same for all parties and that Ann simply signs with an 'x', it might indicate that neither of them could read/write (also given that Thomas Mole was a plasterer and his father, John Mole, was a gardener). If this is the case, then it's plausible that the surname of BARRAS was misspelt as BARRASS (with two S's).

It would be great to understand where the above-mentioned link is. Could you forward it, if you still have it?

Other people's trees have this death assigned to John Barrass but I don't think it is, precisely because of the difference in occupation. Barras(s) is a relatively common name in the area.

[ElizabethHerts]

I bought the digital image of the death registration of John Barrass for £2.50 from the GRO.

[jmsstks]

More crucially, the question is how did Ann (born in Jamaica) obtain this surname?
1) Was it the surname or her biological father? If so how did they get there/what were they doing in Jamaica?
2) Was it a surname assigned based on the surname of a slave owner(although no Barras(s)'s come up in the UCL Legacies of Slavery database, nor have I [yet] found any links of a Barras(s) to Jamaica)?
3) Was is simply her adopted name when she was brought back to Britain?

As far as I'm aware, the only link to her being a Barras(s) is this marriage certificate, so for all we know, she may have taken a different name up to this point

Is there a way to discuss this more off the forum? Are you on Ancestry 'ElizabethHerts'?

[Olde Crone]

Small point post #17.

All the writing on the certificate is in the same hand because it is from the GRO, who do not hold original records. X instead of a signature doesn't mean much at that date either - if someone was judged to be of a low class then the vicar or registrar might assume they were illiterate and say "make your mark".

OC

[ElizabethHerts]

More crucially, the question is how did Ann (born in Jamaica) obtain this surname?
1) Was it the surname or her biological father? If so how did they get there/what were they doing in Jamaica?
2) Was it a surname assigned based on the surname of a slave owner(although no Barras(s)'s come up in the UCL Legacies of Slavery database, nor have I [yet] found any links of a Barras(s) to Jamaica)?
3) Was is simply her adopted name when she was brought back to Britain?

As far as I'm aware, the only link to her being a Barras(s) is this marriage certificate, so for all we know, she may have taken a different name up to this point

Is there a way to discuss this more off the forum? Are you on Ancestry 'ElizabethHerts'?

You can send me a PM on here with your email address. However, as I said, this isn't my family and I don't have any further information.

[kiterunner]

As far as I'm aware, the only link to her being a Barras(s) is this marriage certificate, so for all we know, she may have taken a different name up to this point


Her surname is Barras on her baptism record. (Post #4 on this thread.)

[ElizabethHerts]

Her surname is Barras on her baptism record. (Post #4 on this thread.)

As Kiterunner says, we have her baptism. I wouldn't imagine there are any other Ann Barrases born in Jamaica at the time.