Baptism Register help please.

Colin, have you ruled out the 71 year old Isaac Reach who was buried at Cambridge St Giles on 12 July 1836? Residence: 'of Gloucester St'. A note says 'husband of Martha' (transcription on Findmypast).

 

So now there's a revised timeline>

Mary: baptised London May 1794

Thomas: Born 17 March 1797 & baptized Thetford 28 December 1797 [Parents Isaac and Martha. Abode: Bury St E]

John: baptised Thetford November 1798 [lived Bury SE but no mother named]

Hannah: baptised London April 1799 - born February 1799

Martha: baptised Thetford December 1800

Thomas (not James - see your post 11): born 1804 baptised Thetford 1807

Samuel: born 1806 baptised Thetford 1807

Joseph: born 1810 & baptised Thetford 1810

William: born 1812 baptised Thetford 1812.

 

You know Martha died in 1857, so from the Bury and Norwich Post 22nd December 1857
On the 17th inst., aged 90, Martha, relict of Mr Isaac Reach, of this town.

Haven't found anything of use for Isaac.

Ann

 

I can't say for certain if it's our man but an Isaac Reach was a witness to a marriage in St James's Church, Bury St Edmunds in 1798.>


"MARRIAGES 1797—1798…..April 17. Samuel Debenham widower & Lucy Lingley single both of this parish. B. Witnesses Isaac Reach, Susan Pettit.'

Source:
BURY ST, EDMUNDs.
ST. JAMES PARISH REGISTERS.
MARRIAGES 1562-1800.
WITH PREFACE.
SUFFOLK GREEN BOOKS. No. XVII.
WOODBRIDGE :
GEORGE BOOTH, CHURCH STREET. 1916.

http://archive.org/ stream/burystedmunds00stja/burystedmunds00stja_djvu.txt

Close gap before stream

 

Just to clear up one thing re. the likely location of baptisms indexed on Ancestry and FamilySearch as being at Thetford . . .

If you look at the cover of the register in RG 4/1969 (image 3 of 48 on Ancestry) it says it is a 'Register of Baptisms / by the Preachers in the Connexion / of the late Revnd. Jno. Wesley / Thetford Circuit.' So the baptisms recorded there could include any places in the Thetford Circuit, not just Thetford itself. When Isaac and Martha Reach's children were baptised, Bury St Edmunds would have been in the Thetford Circuit:

Initially within the Bury Circuit, the Thetford society grew in numbers to swiftly rival its parent church at Bury and in 1797 took over the leadership of the circuit to form the Thetford Methodist Circuit. Circuit membership grew until in 1808 it was decided to split off some of the western Suffolk churches to form a separate circuit headed by the society at Littleport. In 1813 Bury St Edmunds and the southernmost members of the circuit seceded to form a new Bury St Edmunds Circuit​

From this A2A page outlining Thetford Methodist Circuit records at Norfolk Record Office.

Also did you notice that John, Thomas & Martha's baptisms are listed twice, once on a page saying it is a copy of a loose leaf, so in danger of being lost. Interestingly, the copy has a note by Thomas' baptism, recorded in the original as being in 1797, saying 'I believe it should have been 1799'. So which is correct?

 

From FMP there are three baptisms for infants called Isaac Reach in Bury St Edmunds all within a few years (1762, 1766, and 1770) and each to a different set of parents. That does make it tricky working out who's who.

Comparison of signatures may help in deciding if the 1798 marriage witness is the same person who married Martha Green. This is where it is crucial to see an image of the actual parish register. If the register hasn't been filmed by the LDS then the only option would seem to be getting copies of the relevant entries from the Suffolk Record Office.

 

Lots of information to digest - but where to begin? I really appreciate the work and efforts expended on my behalf. Thank you all.

 

Reply to post #20 - Thank you.

I couldn't find it using A.

 

Initially, I hadn't even considered it as my cousin was convinced that Isaac died in St. George in the East in 1818.

I will certainly now consider it as, if for no other reason than Joseph - born 22 June 1810 - was married and living in Cambridgeshire in the 1841 census.

 

There's also a transcript on the Cambridgeshire FHS website, which gives Isaac's age as 71/77, so presumably the handwriting is unclear.

I just had a look at that, and in fact Joseph was in Cambridge itself (at 127 East Road) in 1841. I think this is probably not coincidental, especially as we know that the Isaac who died in 1836 had a wife Martha.

 

I have followed Joseph up to his death in 1896 in St. Pancras - where he appears from 1851 onwards and his occupation was a Shoemaker.

As for Isaac being either age 71 or 77 as of July 12, 1836 neither fits the baptism date of 29 Dec. 1762. Maybe I should consider the 1766 baptism that you found - post #26.

 

Well the baptism on 22 May 1766 was in St. Mary's and the parents were Thomas and Margaret.

No appropriate marriage found yet - but that is par for the course.

2 other baptisms found - both in St. James:
Margaret - 29 Dec. 1757
Ann - 27 May 1760

I think I can discount the baptism in 1770 that you - Huncamunca - found in post #26.

Apart from the possible age at death, there isn't anything that jerks my chain about the 1766 baptism - but then I am somewhat limited here.

Now back to look at the rest of the posts on this thread.

 

Having finally after 7 attempts to view the image, I agrees the name is Thomas. I will now eliminate - prune - the tree to remove all traces of James.

If this is the 2nd son named Thomas - and named after the father of Isaac - then we should be able to find a burial for Thomas born 17 March 1797, shouldn't we?

 

The name looks more like James to me (what's written in front of that must be a 14, as the next entry, the baptism of Samuel Reach on the same day, is clearly numbered 15):



From RG 4/1969, image 9 of 48 of Ancestry.

 

Mmmmm….I see what you mean. I should have looked at it in close-up and not trusted the transcription. I think you're absolutely right there Huncamunca. James it is.

 

Re. posts #34 and 35 - so we are agreed and James is now back in.

Still though, I can't find James after his baptism.

 

Yes - we solve one problem and create another !!

 

Well, sir, that's my fault!!

Back to James:
I have found a possible marriage and death for him - but if he is my James, then where was he in 1841 census?

A James Reach married in Bury St. Edmunds Jan-Mar. q. 1838 vol. 13, page 656. No one else is named on the transcription.

A James Reach died in Bury St. Edmunds Oct-Dec. q. 1841 vol. 13, page 279.

I would really like to either confirm or eliminate this record.

 

There is an alternate entry Mar qtr Bury St Edmunds vol 13 page 565

There are three males including James Reach and the three possible spouses are:- Jane Ann Cooke, Elizabeth Hovell, Elizabeth Gent

 

I cannot see James Reach with wife of any of the names on the 1838 marriage entry.
There are just 4 candidates in Bury St Edmunds
One age 4,
Another aged 14,
One age 22 an iron monger (but Anc hints tie him to a baptism to James Reach and Sarah Elmer) but no other Reach listed with him
The final one is a schoolmaster b1796 age 45 who has three younger Reach's with him (Jno 17, Harry 8, Wm5).