Genealogy Chat

on HO 107; Piece 1802; Folio 730, Page 14 Sweffling 1851 , Suffolk Emma Ester, born 1819 Bruisyard, Suffolk. She is the wife a transport - and has 2 kids to prove it. But what is a transport?! Clive

Wife of a transport? in a mo

Erm, oh dear, Clive, how to tell you this... Could he have been transported? (I take it he's not around) OC

To one and all OC may well be right but I have a problem that the Ester family only appears on this census. The writing is charming. Could it be that Ester is actually Carter. It is not too different from the Carters written in the same area.If it is (a) not Ester and (b) not Carter, what is it please?. Clive

Easters in 1841....Image looks more like Easter Name: Matilda Easters Age: 8 Mo Estimated birth year: abt 1840 Gender: Female Where born: Suffolk, England Civil parish: Peasenhall Hundred: Blything County/Island: Suffolk Country: England Street address: Occupation: View image Registration district: Blything Sub-registration district: Halesworth Neighbors: View others on page Household Members: Name Age Emma Easters 20 John Easters 20 Matilda Easters 8 Mo Elizabeth Tillett 15 Francis Tillett 50 John Tillett 50 John Tillett 25 Chris

Thanks Chris I think that makes it very unlikely that husband was a transportee as transportation was virtually finished. Thankls to all Clive

Just a bit more about transportation: Transportation was not formally abolished until 1868, but in practice it was effectively stopped in 1857, and had become increasingly unusual well before that date. Clive

So, what does it say then, and what does it mean? Transportation may have been 'rare' but it was by no means unheard of, and certainly not in 1841. OC

I have a convict being transported to Australia arriving Dec 1866 along with 300 others aboard the same ship. So it certainly hadnt finished by then.

birth Matilda Eastaugh 1840 Oct-Nov-Dec Blything Suffolk

and son Jeremiah : Jeremiah EASTAUGH Jun quarter 1842 Blything 13 349 or Jeremiah John EASTAUGH Jun quarter 1843 Blything 13 401

They are Easters in the 1841 census. Ester in the 1851 census. and then vanish or more correctly I have not found them It has been suggested I look for Hester which I have not yet done. In 1841 John Easter was connected with transport - he was a wheelwright !!! Clive Clive

Hmm! In these days of fancy job titles I suppose a wheelwright might be described as a transport engineer or some such nonsense but I'm afraid in 1851 he would have been called a wheelwright plain and simple. I would say 'a transport' was much more likely to be a transportee. If the younger child was born in 1843 then he could have been transported anytime between then and 1851 and transportation was most definitely still taking place then.

Why say 'wife of a transport'? Other wives do not say wife of a convict why should this one say wife of a transport if he had indeed been transported? Clive

In 1861 there is a Matilda Eagle (dressmaker (hem hem) with a two year old son) in Ispwich.. The Jeremiah Easthaugh which was suggested has his own parents and is doing well in the North. This family is listed in Sweffling for 1851 but what name do I use for the village family tree? Clive

Clive In cases like this, I put all spellings, as found, in the tree, because otherwise someone else may miss the connection, if their research has only covered one particular spelling. I have seen all kinds of peculiar things on census forms, written either by the householder themself, or by the census taker. I have one lady, who, asked to give her occupation writes 'Wife, abandoned and living on the Parish and the great kindness of friends' One can almost hear the axes being ground, in some cases. Incidentally, if we are correct about her being the wife of a Transportee, she may have gone with him, which would explain her disappearance. National Archives are a good place to poke around for this sort of thing. (Petitions) OC

OC She would not have gone with Poor Law Union support - the law specifically excluded wife and and children of transportees from having subsidised passages. Since 'dressmaker' was apparently in many cases a polite name for prostitute I tend to think Maltilda Eagle is the right Maltilda. With no surname entered she was the only Maltilda of about the right age born in Suffolk who showed up. I can account for all my ancestors and the name of Esther/Easter/Eagle does not show up !! lol Clive

I don't think thats the same Matilda as there was a Matilda Eagle aged 15 living with her mother Elizabeth in Ipswich in 1851 who matches the 25 year old Matilda Eagle in 1861.

Oh fiddlesticks! Let's leave it until later when most of the village tree is complete. Thanks to all those who have tried. Clive

Clive I can't remember what tree maker you decided to use in the end for your village tree, but I have found it useful to put an asterisk in front of any name which requires more work, or has some confusing info to sort out. You will forget all about her otherwise. OC