Can anyone please read the name of the female witness in this marriage record?

Question

My ancestor Mary Found was a foundling, literally found on the street in Totnes, Devon, England in 1820. That is what her baptismal record says.

Mary got married in Plymouth in 1848, and I am still trying to find her in the 1841 census. I have no idea what name she may have used. There was noone identified as Mary Found in Devon, England in 1841.

So perhaps if I knew what the witnesses name was at her wedding. The male name was Thomas Bickham - probably a brother of the groom.

But what is the female name?  (bottom right of the marriage record - see below link)

It looks like June or Jane Boomann? or Broom? or Baomann?  or Broman? or Bremnan?

Perhaps this lady was one that Mary grew up with?

If I can find her in 1841, it might help me with Mary in 1841...

https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/1/14/Bickham-176-1.jpg

Thank you.

Answer 1

I’d say June Bromman the a in last name is totally different to second letter of first name

Comments

Bromnan, or Bronman .. those letters do run together and at a first glance may appear to be Brennan, but that second letter doesn't match the e in June.

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I vote for Bronman

Answer 2

I believe the 2nd letter to be an A or possibly an R. And the last vowel to be a U or possibly an A. My letters are not always the same (unfortunately I have 4 Rs and they sometimes look like an N.  Who knows in those days if they could write well.  BAOMNUN BAOMNAN Possible it is a version Of Bowman. I believe there to be three 'humps' for an M and to for N on this signature. It appears she tried to correct some without messing it up. Hope this helps combined with others' thoughts

Answer 3

There is a'20' year old Mary Found female servant in Meddon St Bideford. Shes in the home of a William Haycroft, wool dealer aged 75. I can't find  either of them on Family search

Interestingly, if it is her then it makes one possible Jane a slightly better possibility. ( I was playing around with possible versions of her name but must stress absolutely not convinced about either of them.There appears to be a Found family in N Devon ).

For what its worth a Jane Brannam wife of Thomas,  was living in Barnstaple, a few miles up the road from.Bideford (but a long way from Plymouth which is why I initially discounted it. )It is transcribed as Braman on Ancestry . It looks like Braman and I only looked twice when I realised he was a potter .Thomas Brannam.was to be the founder of a well known arts and crafts pottery https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brannam_Pottery

Comments

Interestingly the father of the groom is a wool sorter, so that's a match.

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I think its an odd coincidence and  unfortunately  a red herring. Thomas Brannam of pottery fame used the spelling  Brannan in the early years.  He was from Bideford.

The really strange bit is that also from Bideford was a Mark Brannan

He married in Camberwell (S London) a  woman called Mary Ann Found. The 1861 census says she was born in Bideford. (So could quite easily be the Mary Found in Bideford in 1841)

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Don't you just love those weird coincidences.

Answer 4

June Brennan.

Comments

I did find a Jane Brennan of around the right (or same) age living in Stoke Demerel with her family in 1841 - so the question then becomes - how would a girl from St Charles Martyr and a girl from Stoke Demerel become friends?

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Yes, Plymouth is a long way from Tunbridge Wells, assuming you meant King Charles Martyr. But who comes from there?

Stoke Damerel is in Devon, where the girl was "Found." It's 25 miles from Totnes.

Answer 5

I think it is Boonman.  It is indeed an English name and u can Google

the Boonman genealogy.

Anne

Comments

Actually all the mentions I see of Boonman on Wikitree are Dutch.

And if it is an English name, there is noone named Boonman in Devon, according to Family Search.

Answer 6

For sure it is Brennan. It is a fairly common name on the East Coast of America and England