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| TOWNSEND FAMILY TREE PAGE |
| TOWNSEND / WILTSHIRE FAMILY TREE |
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| EIGHT SEPARATE PAGES FOR PRINTING THE TOWNSEND FAMILY TREE |
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| JOHN BRITTEN'S DESCENDENT FAMILY TREE |
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| ' ALL IN ONE ' FAMILY TREE SHOWING ANN BRITTAIN'S ANCESTRAL FAMILY. |
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Update May 2008 The followimg notes were compiled at various times over the last few years. The latest addition is an analysis by Peter Marlow of the William Townsend and Ann Brittain mysteries. |
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I have been helped over the last few years by three descendents of Tryphena, Richard and George Townsend. All three made contact with me after finding my website at http://www.magma.ca/~petwp. As a result our joint research is really beginning to pay dividends. Note 1. The latest addition to help with my research is Kevin Stacey who's GG Grandfather was George Townsend who married Ann Wheeler in Bremhill . His research agreed with mine except for one thing. Kevin questioned the age of George Townsend shown at the top of the tree who was married to Mary Davis. The 1841 census shows George at age 40, which fitted perfectly with him being the son of John and Elizabeth Townsend. However the subsequent census in 1851 and 1861 showed George as being six years older ,thus more likely the son of Ann Townsend. I should note here that the 1841 census was found to be lacking in accuracy and in particular they rounded out ages!! As a result of Kevin Stacey's input the pendulum swung back to George being the 'baseborn' son of Ann Townsend once again, and because of a notation by the Vicar in the church register [which I copied from a Latter Day Saints film of the actual church register ] saying that the father was reputed to be a Richard Wiltshire we turned our focus to Ann Townsend . I think in those days the Vicar would refuse to baptise the baby unless the mother revealed the fathers name, as it has turned out he did us a great favour. Now this is where the plot thickens, because several years ago a Martin Wiltshire put a note on the Wiltshire Rootsweb website asking about the Wiltshire family in Bremhill. I sent him a brief note kidding him that one of his relatives had a liaison of sorts with one of my ancestors, since then we have kept in touch. He sent me his family tree and there large as life was Richard Wiltshire born in Bremhill in 1773, he would have been 22 years of age when Ann had 'Boy George'. To carry on with this story I had my DNA checked by FamilyTreeDNA early in 2005 and after explaining our situation to Martin Wiltshire he agreed to have his DNA checked as well.! The rest is history or should I say family history because Martin's DNA was almost identical to mine.The results of our tests are shown on page 17, with a glossary of terms that are completely foreign to most people. I found it a fascinating subject and if I come back again to this world I want to be a forensic scientist!! I understand that the chances of us having identical DNA are millions to one. Our Haplogroup or tribe was from the Viking Haplogroup [1] which means our long lost ancestors probably came from north western Europe which is very interesting, whereas most of the other Townsend groups that have had their DNA tested were from the Haplogroup [Rb1] which is by far the most popular group in European populations. Note 2. This is the latest branch to be included in our family tree and was provided by Kevin Stacey. George junior had five children, this branch has been added to the family tree on this website. Note 3. Julie Druce found my website in 2004 and added seven more family members. She is the gg grandchild of Richard Townsend. Note 4. Peter Marlow who is the G Grandson of Tryphena Townsend has be working with me for several years and in addition to adding the Comley branch has passed on much historical information, his help has been invaluable. Note 5. Sheila Charman who is related to Our Ted Charman, provided the Thomas Townsend branch which solved a mystery of how Florence Townsend was related to our family and the connection with Ted Charman. General Background Research Information. William and Ann Brittains children [excluding Mary] were originally baptised in Derry Hill in October 1859, For some reason seven years later , four years after Ann died at age 32 ,William the elder had Jonathon, William and Mary baptised again in nearby Calne!! This remains a mystery, could the explanation be that he was in the Militia when the first children were baptised and did not know they had been baptised previously. Shortly after the 1866 baptism Jonathon and Mary were put in the workhouse and William the elder disappeared, with one possible sighting somewhere in London many years later! I recently discovered that on William the youngers marriage certificate when he married Sarah Holtom in 1885, William's father was shown as deceased. Jonathan and William ran away a few years later and joined the Royal Navy, Mary died in a mental institution in 1937. Florence Townsend.... always known as aunt Flo and nicknamed Dodger always appeared at the Townsend family gatherings for as long as I can remember, however she also appeared at many of the Charman gatherings in the same way. When she died she left her estate which was divided between Ann Charman[ ne Van Overdijk my mothers sister] and David Charman, but nobody in the family understood the connection. It turned out that her sister Mary Jane Elizabeth Townsend was married to William Charman, David Charman being his grandson and cousin to Teddy Charman who in turn is first cousin to Joan .Peter yours truly, Betty, Margaret, and John Townsend the children of Ernie and Susie Townsend. Hope that makes sense. Elizabeth Burgess ,,,,We are now sure that Elizabeth Burgess [nee Townsend] who was married to Thomas Burgess, was the daughter of George and Mary Townsend and was not baptised with the other children, We know that William and Jonathon lived with her before they ran away to join the Royal Navy , also a census record showed a guest staying with them named Abraham Townsend who was almost certainly George and Mary's son. She also had a son William Alfred father unknown, she is now included in the family tree. |
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George and Mary Townsend George and Mary were married in St Martins Bremhill 22 Feb 1819. Desmond Townsend has a note from the Church register that this marriage was ‘ with parents consent ‘ indicating one or both were younger than required for a decision on their own marriage [George was 25 at that time]] so Mary was most likely under age. Their daughter Ann Townsend who was born in 1819 one month after George and Mary were married, this has obvious implications for an early wedding!! However Ann was not listed in the 1841 census! Did she die in the interim ? or could she have been in service at age 12 when the 1841 census was taken.?? Kevin Stacey has her shown as Ann Davis or Townsend and that she married Henry Peard .So far in my searches of the Bremhill Church and LDS records I have been unable to find any trace of her!! Most of our information on George and Mary comes from the 1841 and 1851 census. They produced eleven children in, George was shown as an Agricultural Labourer living Studley [Tithing]. D.T. records show the family ages during the 1841 census as George 40, Mary 38, George 15, Richard 13, Mary 13, William 7, Abraham 4, Isaac 2, Simon 0.5 D.T. also noted that two other children Jane and Philip were born in 1843 and 1845 respectively. DT has a record somewhere that the last two showed up in the 1851 census but he has not found it yet George Townsend who was born in circa 1826 does not show up in any of the Bremhill Church records!. Was he baptised in another parish or not at all ?. The same with Elizabeth who we think was born in 1824, could she and George have been twins??. The Bremhill Church records show that Abraham was baptised in 1836 and then two weeks later Richard, William and Mary were baptised. This suggests that when Abraham was baptised the Vicar of the day said ’’ How about getting all the others done as well "! D.T. also found a 1851 census record of a Richard Townsend age 22 born Lyneham married to Sarah age 23 born Charlton. They had at least one child born in Bremhill [Jane ? Mary ?] Richard listed as an Agricultural Labourer and his age fits the family. This is almost certainly our Richard as reported in note 6. at the top of the page. D.T. Also found an 1851 'Nimrod' census that stated that George and Mary Townsend and family lived at 31 Derry Hill !! |
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William Townsend and Ann Britain The following Analysis provided by Peter Marlow Central to the Townsend Family History is to try and understand the various mysteries of William Townsend and Ann Brittain\rquote s family of six children. THE PARENTS WILLIAM TOWNSEND We believe William Townsend was born about 1834. He was baptised 24 July 1836 in Bremhill. He appears on the 1841 census aged 7 - interestingly, and perhaps significantly, this would seem to be Williams only appearance on the various 19th century censuses. William Townsend and Ann Brittain married 30th Sept 1857, Christ Church, Derry Hill. ANN BRITTAIN Ann Brittain was born in 1830 and baptised 4 July 1830. We initially thought she was William and Matilda Brittains eldest daughter, but we have discovered that in 1827 Matilda Slade had given birth to a daughter Sarah. Sarah Slade was baptised 4th Feb 1827 in Charlton, Malmesbury - her mother noted as Matilda Slade, single woman . What is interesting about this is that Sarah eventually married Richard Townsend, brother of William Townsend. Ann died aged 32 in 1862, leaving 6 children. From what we can gather from the census and other records George and Mary Townsend lived at Bradenstoke-cum-Clack in the 1820s, but returned to Studley sometime before 1841, then after 1851 moved in next door to William and Matilda Brittain in Old Road, Studley/Derry Hill. THE CHILDREN SARAH Registered at birth and baptised as Sarah Brittain. Born 19 th Feb 1848 Baptised at Derry Hill 10 Oct 1859. Sarah is noted as daughter of Ann Brittain, now Mrs Townsend. The other 4 children baptised the same day all clearly have William and Ann Townsend noted as parents. We have looked at the possibility that William might have been the Father, but we now think there are too many factors against this. The baptism itself is pretty convincing, additionally William would have only been about 14 at the time of Sarahs birth - not an impossible scenario, but highly unlikely. As with most illegitimate children born at this time, Sarah's birth certificate does not name the father. Sarah appears to have been brought up by William and Matilda Brittain. Bearing in mind that Matilda had 2 more children AFTER the birth of her grandchild Sarah, it is possible that Sarah may have been brought up as her own child - this was not unusual. In 1851, Sarah is living with her Mother Ann, and her Grandparents William and Matilda Brittain. In 1961, Sarah is living with William and Matilda Brittain. Mother Ann is living down at Pewsham, about half a mile away. Sarah Brittain married John Knight in 1867, and they lived at Langley Burrell. Sarah died in 1917. THOMAS Registered at birth as Tom Brittain and Tom Townsend, baptised as Thomas Townsend. Born 21st Aug 1853. Baptised at Christ Church, Derry Hill 10th Oct 1859. With Tom we encounter our first mystery. Tom appears to have had his birth registered twice in the same quarter, once as Tom Brittain by Ann Brittain herself., and once as Tom Townsend, presumably by one of the Townsend family. The Tom Brittain birth certificate names William Townsend as the father - it is unusual for the Father to be named on a bc for an illegitimate child in the 1800s. The fact that that his birth is registered twice may suggest a dispute between the Townsend and Brittain families. In 1861, Tom is living with his Mother Ann at Pewsham, at the bottom of Derry Hill. Tom married Harriet Matilda Gay 13th May 1875, Kensington, London. TRYPHENA Registered at birth as Jane Tryphena Brittain, baptised as Tryphena Townsend. Born 8th Aug 1855. Baptised at Christ Church, Derry Hill, 10th Oct 1859, parents William and Ann Townsend. Tryphena is my direct maternal Great Grandmother. Initially I found it very difficult to locate Tryphenas birth, partly because of some confusion about her name. Tryphena married as Tryphena Townsend according to the marriage certificate. Her death certificate says Tryphena Jane Comley. Eventually I found her birth as Jane Tryphena Brittain, the birth certicate naming Calne Union Workhouse as her birthplace - and inevitably with no named father. I puzzled over this for some years now, and I have mostly satisfied myself that William Townsend is indeed the Father. It seems that William, as a soldier in the Wiltshire Militia, embarked for the Crimea on March 16th 1855. To my mind this date offers a possible explanation. This means that although Tryphena was concieved before William embarked, at the time of her birth he was far from home. Whether Ann knew of her predicament when William embarked, we will never know. If Ann was already in trouble for having a child (Tom) by the young lad next door, its unlikely that she was prepared to name him again - hence the workhouse beckoned In 1861, Tryphena is living with William and Matilda Brittain Tryphena married Charles Comley of Bushton, Clyffe Pypard. The marriage took place at Hilmarton, 8th May 1875. Charles and Tryphena lived at Clevancy, Hilmarton where Charles was a groom and gardener. They had 10 children, including my Grandmother, Kate. Tryphena was widowed in 1902, when Charles died of pneumonia aged 46. Tryphena carried on living in Clevancy until her death in 1937. Tryphena was midwife for the small hamlet of Clevancy, she also laid out the dead. William Townsend and Ann Brittain married 30th Sept 1857, Christ Church, Derry Hill. WILLIAM Registered at birth and baptised twice as William Townsend. Born 28th Mar 1858. Baptised at Christ Church, Derry Hill, 10th Oct 1859, parents William and Ann Townsend. Baptised again 2nd Dec 1866, St Mary's, Calne. In 1861 William is living with his Mother at Pewsham In 1871, William is living with his Uncle and Aunt, Thomas and Elizabeth Burgess on Blackdog Hill (on the main road down to Calne). Elizabeth Burgess nee Townsend was sister to William Townsend Snr. William Townsend married Sarah Ann Holtom, 28th November 1885, Christ Church, Notting Hill, London. William died 26th August 1942, London. JONATHAN Registered at birth as Jonathan George Townsend, baptised twice as Jonathan Townsend. Born 15th May 1859. \par Baptised at Christ Church, Derry Hill, 10 Oct 1859, parents William and Ann Townsend. Baptised again 2nd Dec 1866, St Marys, Calne. In 1961, Jonathan is living with his Mother at Pewsham. In 1871, Jonathan is living in the Workhouse in Calne. Jonathan married Sarah Anne Page, 2nd June 1895, St Judes, Kensal Green, London. At a later point in his life, Jonathan moved back to Derry Hill, into a cottage owned by the Earl of Lansdowne. Jonathan died 3rd\ March, 1946, London. MARY Registered at birth and baptised as Mary Townsend. Born 31st May 1861. Baptised 2nd Dec 1866, St Mary's, Calne. In 1971, Mary is living in the Workhouse in Calne. In 1881, Mary is a domestic housemaid at 2057 Mecklenburgh House, Putney, London. This is a Girls School which no longer exists. Mary sadly spent much of her adult life in Banstead Hospital, she was admitted in May 1899 and died there 4th Jan 1938. As you can see from the facts detailed above, more mysteries are created than solved. Some of these mysteries are: Why did Sarah and Tryphena live with Ann's parents William and Matilda? Even after the marriage of their mother Ann, only the boys Tom, William and Jonathan lived with their parents. Why did William Snr have William, Jonathan and Mary baptised at St Mary's Calne in 1866? Surely he knew the two boys had already been baptised in 1859 at Derry Hill? Why was Tryphena born in the workhouse? Why were Jonathan and Mary in the workhouse in 1871? Was William away with the Militia again? There is little doubt that most of these puzzles could be unravelled if we were able to fully trace the movements of William Townsend Snr. We know that he was in the Wiltshire Militia in the 1850s at least, we also know that he did return to the area from time to time. Various records describe his occupation as soldier , labourer , railway labourer , fruiterer. The last real sighting of William is at the baptism of the three youngest children in Calne in 1866. After that we only have his name appearing as Father on the respective marriage certificates for Tryphena and William jnr. One version of William and Sarahs marriage certificate names William Townsend as Father of the groom, but in brackets says deceased . Had William Snr died by 1885? We do not know what happened to William after 1862, whether he settled elsewhere in the UK, or possibly whether he drifted from one sort of casual employment to another. It is ironic that the occasional description of his occupation as fruiterer , may suggest he worked for the Wiltshire family back in the area he came from. |
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William and Sarah Townsend William was born in 1858 and was born into what would be described today as a dysfunctional family. He and his brother Jonathon lived with an Aunt , presumably because their Father had disappeared and their mother could not afford to keep them or she was already dead. Both of them ran away from their Aunt’s family , firstly they went to Wales and worked in a Colliery , however during a Colliery strike William joined the Royal Navy. He later went back to Wales and persuaded his younger brother Jonathon to also join the navy. William served for some ten years and was apparently a very good boxer. Jonathon stayed in for much longer and became a Chief Petty Officer. William entered the Royal Navy in June 1775 his trade was listed as a Blacksmith, he was awarded the’ Egypt ‘ medal and the ‘Bronze Star’ We have one photograph of him in his navy uniform when he was on HMS Indus named after a river in India. . Before William left the navy he met and married Sarah Holtom. The ceremony took place at Christchurch Notting Hill in London on 29th Nov. 1885 . William would have been 27 years old. at the time , their first son John was born in 1887 . When William left the navy they moved to London and opened a café at 147 Kensal Road Westbourne Park. From stories passed down through the family all the children used to help in preparing the vegetables for cooking. William went to work for DELCO-LESCO and became the Mains foreman at the Depford East Generating Station. He was in charge of laying the Ferranti 10 KV High Voltage cable from the Depford Generating Station to Bond Street. Previous attempts to lay High Voltage cables had been unsuccessful. Dr. Sebastion Ferranti who was chief Engineer at the Depford Station was to become a world famous engineer, designing most of the High Voltage Generating systems used in those days. We have a group photograph with William and Ferranti in the same picture but unfortunately no one knows which one is William. Historical note. During William’s lifetime five Royals sat on the throne of England. Victoria, Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, and George VI. TO BE CONTINUED |
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William Townsend and Ann Brittain William Townsend was a Great Grandfather to both Desmond Townsend and myself. Ann and William were married supposedly on 29th September 1857 .. They had six children. William, Jonathon, Thomas, Sarah, Tryphena and Mary. Five of the children were baptised on 10th Oct.1859 but not Mary, just how these baptisms fit in with the wedding date I am not sure. Also; I was told by a ‘family history’ friend who actually looked at the records in the Trowbridge County Records office that for some reason William was not listed as the father of Sarah, was Sarah Ann’s illegitimate daughter before she married William and did they have some of children before they were married ?? I plan to reveiw LDS films for Derry Hill when I have finished looking at Bremhill, maybe I might be able to make more sense of the date confusion. We do know that Ann lived in Derry Hill in 1861, the census for that year shows Ann age 31 as ‘head of household’ with sons Thomas 8, William 3 and Jonathon 2. The father William was away somewhere soldiering . William was listed as a soldier when the children were baptised in 1859 , he probably served in the Crimean War which had been fought a few years before in1853 to 1856 . Just where the three girls were when the1861 census was taken remains a mystery. We do know that two of the children [Jonathon and Mary] were listed in the ‘Workhouse because D.T. saw the record in the County Records Office. In later years William and Jonathon lived with their Aunt Betsy indicating that Ann could not support the whole family. The 1871 census showed William age 13 , listed as a nephew living with Elizabeth Burgess [nee Townsend]. The two boys William and Jonathon who was one year younger were reputed to have climbed out of Aunt Betsy's cottage window to run away, first to work in a Colliery in Wales and then both signed up as regulars in the Royal Navy.William served for approximately ten years and was listed as a Blacksmith when he joined the navy. Jonathan stayed much longer and became a Chief Petty Officer in the Coast guard. Subsequent research has shown the Aunt Betsy was in fact Elizabeth Townsend another child of George and Mary now shown on the all in the Townsend /Wiltshire Family Tree at the top of this page. Their relationship does not appear to have been very enduring one because William took off a few years later and was reputed to have rejoined the Militia. There were several stories about him including one that he lost an eye either in the war or in some other encounter. Apart from one possible sighting in London many years later he was never seen again. We really have no idea where he went or is buried, for all we know he may have started another family he was certainly young enough. However as I have noted elsewhere he is shown as deceased on his son William's marriage certificate in 1885!!. Further research has shown that Ann Brittain had a short life even though she had six children. She died of a postule of the face in her early 30's in 1862. According to Desmonds mother Mabel Townsend Ann's grave is under the present church wall which might have been moved when the road was put through Derry Hill. Our research on Ann and William continues and we are hoping to find out what happened to William the Elder one of these days. This contribution by Peter Townsend. Please see above for a later analysis of William and Ann by Peter Marlow. Historical note. Queen Victoria sat on the Throne. |
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Townsend Family History What do we know about our ancestors ? Desmond Townsend [ referred to as DT] and yours truly Peter Townsend have been reviewing all sorts of background information on the Townsend family. Everything from memory of conversations with the older generation, Church registers, Latter Day Saints films, Civic records, Census documents, Births, Marriage and Death certificates etc.. This is an ongoing project with all sorts of avenues to explore. The following is an up to date analysis of our findings, of course these findings are subject to change and I am sure will be modified as time goes by. But getting back to the basic question ‘‘ What do we know about our ancestors "? Well we know that William Townsend and Ann Brittain lived in Derry Hill in the mid 1850's and that their children were baptised in Christ Church Derry Hill which was a C of E congregation. We also know that Williams mother and father George and Mary Davis were married in St. Martins Bremhill and that most of their children were baptised in St. Martins which was another C of E congregation. We also now know that Ann Townsend had Son George Townsend who was fathered by Richard Wiltshire. Just what sort of an arrangement existed between Ann and Richard we do not know. However the fact that George named several of his children after both sides of the family suggests to me that it might have been amicable. George even named one of his sons Richard. However why did they not have the Wiltshire surname??. It is worth noting here that the two churches mentioned are just a few miles apart. Bremhill dates back to the 1500's but Derry Hill is relatively new built in the 1840's. There is another Church of St John the Baptist at Foxham, this Church has records that go back to 1850. At this point in time [2002] all three Churches are in the same Parish with an acting Vicar I have been concentrating on the Bremhill Church registers and in particular on the period 1750 to 1850. I am sure that Derry Hill and maybe Foxham records will provide more information on William and Ann Brittains family before they moved out the area, that work remains to be done. However, one thing that seems clear is that the Townsend’s lived in that area for a long time. In my search for Townsend’s I reviewed Latter Day Saints [ from now on referred to as LDS] films for a C of E Church in Calne which is the largest town in the nearby area , I only found a half dozen Townsend’s whereas as spreadsheets of the Church registers [see page 16] show the Bremhill Church has many Townsend’’s going back several hundred years. DT remembers that in a conversation with his mother Mabel Townsend that our grandfathers [William married to Sarah Holtom] Grannie came from Bremhill !!, that Grannie would be Mary Davis married to George Townsend. Our research to date certainly bears this out. I recently [June 2002] found two entries for a William Townfend and Robin or Robert Townfend buried in 1707 and 1700 respectively, who had ‘‘A Quaker’’ written beside their names, all the others that were buried in the same year had the actual burial date. I found this very strange and it suggested that Quakers were some how ‘less’ than other members of the congregation . I should say immediately that we have not been able to connect these two to our family as yet , but I am sure you will agree it was a very interesting find. The records from about 1750 back are very hard to read so I am trying to get another film for that period. There were several entries for Townsend’’s in the 1600's as well which I plan to revisit. The bottom line to all the above information is that our Townsend family ‘of old’ appear to have been very ‘‘territorial’’ living in and around the Derry Hill/Studley/ Bremhill area, this does make the research much easier. Townsend Name Changes Over the Years I have spent the last several months reviewing LDS films mostly for Bremhill. These films cover the period 1520-1880 and I have been concentrating on the period 1750-1850. I have noted that the name changes from time to time from Townsend to Towfend to Townshend and Townsing. It seemed very much to depend on the Vicar of the day but I have concluded they al are a varient of the same name. Prior to the 1800's the name changed many times but after the 1800' Townsend became the standard. I also checked the Derry Hill phone book and there were over 50 Townsend's to just a few of the others. Latter Days Saints Records It should also be noted here that while the LDS film records are a very valuable source of information , particularly for me living in Canada, they are not 100% reliable. The LDS people will tell you there may be some errors and actually ask you to send them any corrections you may find. It may be necessary in some cases to go back to the Church records which are held in the Wilshire County office in Trowbridge. |