The Past Revealed

Ancestor Of The Month Blog

Each month one of my ancestors will feature here, with a brief story about their life.
December 2024

Eli Paul 1762-1839

Born in Dorchester, Dorset, Eli was one of eight children born to Thomas and Susanna. He married Elizabeth Samways at All Saints Church in Dorchester in 1785 and they went on to have ten children together. In all records his occupation is given as a yeoman. From title deeds we can see he owned property in Broadmayne adjoining a slaughterhouse along with a small area of land. He can be found in multiple land tax records as both a tenant and land owner and is also found in many electoral registers. Eli died at the age of 77 with his cause of death given only as 'natural decay'.
https://pixabay.com/users/3736
Blank
Extract from Eli's death certificate
November 2024

Thomas Osment 1824-1897

Thomas was born illegitimately to mother Hannah Osment and a married man named John Puckett who lived two doors down from them in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset. Occasionally going under the surname of Osmond, Thomas married Elizabeth Read in Preston, Dorset at the age of 23. They had eight children, all of whom survived to adulthood. His occupation changed between records including working as a gardener, railway labourer and an agricultural labourer. He remained living in the Sutton Poyntz and Preston area until his death at the age of 73. His cause of death was given as 'jaundice' and he was buried in Preston churchyard on 26th October 1897.
https://pixabay.com/users/3736
Blank
Extract from Thomas' death certificate
October 2024

William White 1807-1855

William was born to parents Richard and Sarah in Luddenham, Kent; their eldest son. Shortly afterwards the family moved to Sarre where he remained for the rest of his life working as an agricultural labourer. William married Elizabeth Rowland in 1833 and together they had 11 children. Three of their children died in infancy- Julia died of croup aged nine months, Alice died of vomiting aged three months and Edward died of debility aged 20 days old. William lived a seemingly unremarkable life before dying of dropsy aged 48.
https://pixabay.com/users/3736
Blank
Extract from William's death certificate
September 2024

Thomas Pheasant 1816-1899

Thomas was the youngest child of James and Martha Pheasant, being baptised in Billington, Bedfordshire in 1816. His mother died when he was aged just 5. Thomas married Elizabeth Janes in Leighton Buzzard in 1839. They resided in the town until at least 1861 where they can be seen in the census with their children. By 1863 they had moved to Billington where Thomas remained until Elizabeth's death in 1898. He then moved in with his daughter Jane in Leighton Buzzard, where at the beginning of 1899 he witnessed Jane's father-in-law's death due to old age. Thomas himself passed away on Boxing Day 1899 of 'decay of nature' aged 83.
https://pixabay.com/users/3736
Blank
Extract from Thomas' death certificate
August 2024

Philip Stanbridge 1840-1898

Philip was born in Edlesborough, Buckinghamshire where he lived with his parents Thomas and Jemima throughout his childhood. He can be seen there aged 11 in the 1851 census working as a straw plaiter. In 1867 he married Mary Turney in Slapton, where they remained throughout their married life. They had five children, including my great-great grandmother Margaret. Philip died suddenly aged 58 after suffering from a brain haemorrhage.
https://pixabay.com/users/30363
Blank
Extract from Philip's death certificate
July 2024

Mary Janes 1790-1873

Mary was born in Marsworth, Buckinghamshire in approximately 1790, the daughter of John and Elizabeth. In 1818 she married Charles Bowler, a blacksmith, at Leighton Buzzard. They had three children together before his early death in 1826. Twelve years later in 1838 she married again, this time to her sister-in-laws widower William Cook at Bletchley. After his passing in 1854, she resided with her youngest son Charles and his family. She died on 5th December 1873 of epilepsy in Water Eaton and was buried at Bletchley parish church three days later.
https://pixabay.com/users/30363
Blank
June 2024

Eleanor Shaw 1806-1900

Eleanor was the youngest child and only daughter of John Shaw and Sarah Marshall. She was born in Longdon, Staffordshire in 1806 and had four brothers. Her first marriage was to Peter Jones in 1826 at Lichfield. They had three children before Peter died young. She had an illegitimate daughter with John Shaw in 1837 before marrying him two years later. They had six children together; one daughter Selina died young of scarlet fever. Eleanor spent most of her life in Longdon, living to the great age of 94. An obituary in the local newspaper stated she was the oldest inhabitant of the village and one of its most familiar figures.
https://pixabay.com/users/3736
Blank
Eleanor's headstone in Longdon churchyard
May 2024

Charles Keep 1822-1871

Born in Bourn, Cambridgeshire, Charles was baptised there along with his twin sister Elizabeth who sadly died 3 months later. Their parents William and Catherine had six further children. Charles worked as a groom and agricultural labourer, residing in Bourn for the entirety of his life. He married Susan Dodson there in 1844 and together they had five children; all of whom lived to adulthood. Charles died of tuberculosis and pneumonia aged 49 on 16th February 1871 and was buried in Bourn four days later.
https://pixabay.com/users/3736
Blank
Extract from Charles' death certificate
April 2024

Thomas Paul - Died 1804

Thomas married Susannah Allen in Fordington in 1750 and together they had four sons and four daughters. No baptism has yet been found for Thomas but it is known that he shared a name with his father as he is frequently recorded as Thomas Paul Jr. He worked as a thatcher and was a Master to his Apprentice son of the same name, passing down the trade as is common. He can be seen in the militia lists of 1758 which confirm his occupation. He was buried at All Saints Church in Dorchester on 6th December 1804.
https://pixabay.com/users/3736
Blank
March 2024

Thomas Marshall 1765-1837

Thomas was born in Longdon, Staffordshire to parents William and Ann. He resided in the village all his life and worked as a farmer. He first married Susannah Adie in 1788. They had two daughters together before she sadly died in 1795. The following year he married Sarah Brandrick of Ellastone. They had four sons and one daughter. He wrote his will in July 1837, leaving everything to his wife including his farm, furniture and money. Thomas died on 4th December 1837 and is one of the rarer cases where his time of death is given as around 2pm. He was buried at Longdon five days later.
https://pixabay.com/users/3736
Blank
Extract from Thomas' death certificate
February 2024

Walter Eli Hatcher 1859-1934

My great-great-grandfather Walter was born in Osmington, Dorset to parents Edwin and Mary. Aged 21, he married 20-year-old Elizabeth Osment in Preston, Dorset. Together they had ten children, only one of whom died in infancy. After a short time living in Osmington, the family were living in Bincombe by 1883 where Walter remained for the rest of his life. He worked as an agricultural labourer, noted in the newspapers for his first-class hedging skills. Walter and Elizabeth were renowned for their strong family values, raising not only their children but also my grandmother. Other family members lived with them at several points too, including another granddaughter and a nephew. Walter and Elizabeth celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1931 with a lovely local newspaper article. He is buried in Bincombe with two of his children.
https://pixabay.com/users/3736
Blank
Walter Eli Hatcher c.1925
January 2024

Hilda Blundell 1900-1987

My great-grandmother Hilda was born to unmarried parents Alfred James Blundell and Margaret Stanbridge on 22nd December 1900. They married a few months after her birth and had four further children together. The 1921 census shows Hilda working as a servant for the Gee family in Walton Manor near Bletchley, Buckinghamshire. She married Arthur Charles Keep in January 1922, having met two years previously working at the same Co-op store. They had two daughters born twenty years apart; the first, Gwendoline, was born in December 1922 with her sister Celia following in 1942. Hilda and Arthur celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1972, with a photograph featured in the local paper. She passed away on her 87th birthday in Bedford Hospital.
https://pixabay.com/users/3736
Blank
Hilda Blundell in 1972