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The Mary JENNINGS Quandary

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Location: Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, Englandmap
Surnames/tags: Jennings Hawkins Stone
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The Mary Jennings Quandary


Which Mary JENNINGS of Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, England married Thomas HAWKINS
in Little Hallingbury, Essex, England on 21st May 1825 ? [1][2]

&

Which Mary JENNINGS of Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, England married John STONE
in Sheering, Essex, England on 8th November 1828  ? [3][4]

(Sawbridgeworth and Sheering, though in two different counties, are less than two miles apart.)

For over 30 years, descendants of the Jennings family of Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, England have pondered over the origins of Mary Hawkins.

Both the 1851[5] & 1861[6] Census of Little Hallingbury, Essex, state Mary Hawkins was born in Sawbridgeworth (age 44 in 1851 & age 58 in 1861).

A search of the International Genealogical Index available on microfiche at the Latter-day Saints Family History Centre was conducted, in this case however, a far less common problem was met. Far from not finding the Mary JENNINGS who was being searched for, there were in fact two found, born approximately 12 months apart !

1. Mary baptised 15 December 1805 daughter of Thomas JENNINGS & Elizabeth HARRINGTON.[7][8]

2. Mary baptised 25 December 1806 daughter of Joseph JENNINGS & Sarah HAMPTON.[9][10]


Joseph Jennings, father of the second Mary, was also the grandfather of the first Mary, whose father Thomas was his eldest son, from his first marriage to Mary Harber.

Initial contact was made in 1989 with the Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Salt Lake City, and after consideration, the first Mary was chosen as the more likely in the correspondent, Phill Dunn’s opinion, and there the matter would lie for many a year.

In early 2013, Peter Hawkins (a direct descendant of Thomas Hawkins & Mary Jennings) contacted another Jennings descendant, Vivian Egan and together they began to corroborate and piece together the puzzle.

In revisiting this dilemma, the first small breakthrough was made when the Sawbridgeworth Parish Registers became available online at www.findmypast.com. When viewing the 1806 baptismal register, it was noted Mary (2.) was seven weeks old at the time.[9] (i.e. born on or very close to 6th November 1806).

There was no such help with the earlier Mary, whose birthday, and exact age, remain unknown.

The other Mary JENNINGS

Before proceeding further, it was necessary to find out more on the Mary JENNINGS who did not marry Thomas HAWKINS, in the hope that a clue may be available which would identify her baptismal date. In this, another more recent letter to the LDS genealogical library in Salt Lake City elicited very helpful information from Vona Williams, without which it would have been impossible to continue at that time. Vona found this marriage:

Mary JENNINGS & John STONE in Sheering, Essex, on 8 Nov 1828.[3][4]

As this was prior to September 1837, no father’s name was recorded, but at least this Mary could be identified on census returns.

Events in the two Marys’ lives

Tables were drawn up of all the different events that included ages, and ages for each Mary was calculated for the specific events (also see the Notes section below the tables).

Event - Mary 1.DateStated Age at EventCalculated Age at Event (M1.)Age comparison M1.Calculated Age at Event (M2.)Age comparison M2.
Birth (guess)08/11/1805 + wks/mths
Baptism15/12/1805
Marriage - Hawkins21/5/182519y6m13d18y6m15d
Marriage - Stone8/11/182823y22y0m2d
Census 185130/3/185146y45y4m22d - 7m8d44y4m24d - 1y7m6d
Census 18617/4/86158y55y4m30d - 2y7m54y5m1d - 3y6m29d
Census 18712/4/187165y4m25d64y4m27d
GRO Death - M.Stone1/11/186964y63y11m24d - 6d62y11m26d - 1y0m4d
Burial PR - M.Stone1/11/186966y63y11m24d - 2y0m6d62y11m26d - 3y0m4d
GRO Death - M.Hawkins11/4/187267y66y5m3d - 6m27d65y5m5d - 1y6m25d
Burial PR - M.Hawkins15/4/187268y66y5m7d - 1y6m23d65y5m9d - 2y6m21d


Event - Mary 2.DateStated Age at EventCalculated Age at Event (M2.)Age comparison M2.Calculated Age at Event (M1.)Age comparison M1.
Birth (estimated)6/11/1806 +/-few days
Baptism25/12/18067 weeks
Marriage - Hawkins21/5/182518y6m15d19y6m13d
Marriage - Stone8/11/182822y0m2d23y
Census 185130/3/185144y44y4m24d + 4m24d45y4m22d + 1y4m22d
Census 18617/4/86158y54y5m1d - 3y6m29d55y4m30d - 2y7m
Census 18712/4/187167y64y4m27d - 2y7m3d65y4m25d - 1y7m5d
GRO Death - M.Stone1/11/186964y62y11m26d - 1y0m4d63y11m24d - 6d
Burial PR - M.Stone1/11/186966y62y11m26d - 3y0m4d63y11m24d - 2y0m6d
GRO Death - M.Hawkins11/4/187267y65y5m5d - 1y6m25d66y5m3d - 6m27d
Burial PR - M.Hawkins15/4/187268y65y5m9d - 2y6m21d66y5m7d - 1y6m23d


Notes:

  • Since ladies often married on their birthdays & 8th November is only shortly before 25th December, 8th November 1805 could be Mary 1.'s birthdate, and is the date being used for the above comparison.
  • Based on the baptism entry of Mary 2. stating she was 7 weeks old, a birth date of 6th November 1806 is being used.
  • Based on the above tables, Mary 1. best fits known details available for both Mary Stone & Mary Hawkins. So nothing conclusive has been found as to which Mary is which.

Additional Research

The burial register entries for both Mary's revealed they died in Workhouses, so the names of the informants on their Death registrations would not have been family members.

Marriage entries for both Marys' siblings were checked for the names of witnesses:

Children of Thomas JENNINGS & 1st wife Elizabeth HARRINGTON

William - no marriage found to date.

John Orger - no marriage found to date.

Children of Thomas JENNINGS & 2nd wife Mary LIVERMORE

Sarah = James GUNN : 6 Oct 1834 Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire - witnesses: John MARTIN*, John BURTON (regular witness) [11]

Elizabeth = Charles SPRINGHAM : 30 May 1837 Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire - witnesses: John MARTIN*, John BURTON (regular witness) [12]

Susanna = James WYBREW : 1 Oct 1840 Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire (No image available online) [13]

Rebecca = William FISH :18 Jul 1859 Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire (No image available online) [14]

A marriage was also found of Eliza JENNINGS & John MARTIN : 7 Mar 1835 Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire - witnesses: Lydia LAWRENCE, John BURTON ; [15][16] but there is difficulty in understanding where she fits in. 1841 age 25 ; 1851 age 32 ; 1861 age 43 ; 1871 age 45 ; 1881 age 56 ; 1891 age 71 - all with "born Sawbridgeworth"

With John MARTIN* witnessing the marriages of Sarah & Elizabeth, Thomas & Mary's children were investigated further.

The only one not married up was Louisa baptised 25th August 1816.[17] Could she actually be "Eliza" and her name was recorded incorrectly in the baptism register? Her burial is recorded on 17 Dec 1895 in Sawbridgeworth age 80 (and there were no other marriages or burials for a relevant Louisa in Essex or Herts).
[Note: When searching on www.findmypast.com for "Louisa" & variants,"Eliza" comes up as a variant].

Children of Joseph JENNINGS & Sarah HAMPTON

John = Jane COOKE : 21 Jun 1817 Great Hallingbury, Essex - witnesses: Thomas COLLIN, Edward WILSON [18]

William = Mary PAVELY : 28 Aug 1825 Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire - witnesses: James MILLER, Elizabeth PAVELY, J. BURTON [19]

Jane = William GLASSCOCK : 23 Jun 1821 Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire - witnesses: Janes GLASSCOCK, Elizabeth GRAYLING, J. BURTON [20]

Daniel = Elizabeth TRUNDLE : 13 Oct 1828 High Roding, Essex - witnesses: Timothy SAVILLE, Sarah TRUNDLE [21]

Sarah = 1. James WARD : 19 Oct 1831 Stanstead Abbots, Hertfordshire - witnesses: Hy James WARD, Jane STONE [22]

Sarah = 2. George BOWYER : 6 Jul 1845 Shoreditch St. Leonard, London - witnesses: John SPRINGHAM, Ann SPRINGHAM [23] (John & Ann Springham were her neighbours in the 1841 Census [24])
[A point of interest: in the 1881 Census [25] of Stanstead Abbots, Sarah BOWYER is living next door to Samuel & Agnes Amelia MILLS; Agnes being the daughter of Thomas HAWKINS & Eliza LOGSDALE, and the granddaughter of Mary HAWKINS (née JENNINGS).

Elizabeth = John THAKE : 25 Nov 1832 Widford, Hertfordshire – witnesses: Amelia WANT, Benjamin THAKE, John FAINT [26]

The naming patterns of the children of both Mary's are shown below:

Details of children of Mary Jennings & John Stone

  1. Charles - after brother of John Stone ?
  2. Elizabeth – after her mother, if she is Mary 1. ?
  3. James - after father of John Stone ?
  4. Susanna - after her half-sister, if she is Mary 1. ?
  5. John - after her husband John Stone ?

Details of children of Mary Jennings & Thomas Hawkins

  1. George – after possible father of Thomas Hawkins  ?
  2. Thomas – after her father, if she is Mary 1. ; after her half-brother, if she is Mary 2. ?
  3. Aaron
  4. Jane – after half-sister, if she is Mary 1. ; after eldest sister, if she is Mary 2. ?
  5. Jacob
  6. Mary – after herself ?
  7. Rhoda
  8. Louisa - after half-sister, if she is Mary 1. ?
  9. Rachael
  10. Rebecca - after half-sister, if she is Mary 1. ?
  11. David
  12. Amelia

It is interesting to note, that the names "Joseph" or "Sarah" were not used in either family. The name of the Hawkins children are more in common with the family of Mary 1.

A search of Essex Archives Online has failed to produce any details of Workhouse Records for Epping Union Workhouse & Settlement Certificates or Examination details of either Little Hallingbury or Sheering. Lennox-154 11:37, 21 February 2020 (UTC)

At this point, another option could be to resort to DNA testing, which would involve finding descendants, of one or both, of the siblings of Elizabeth HARRINGTON & Sarah HAMPTON. Research along these lines is currently ongoing.

Mary Stone née Jennings is currently linked as the daughter of Thomas Jennings & Elizabeth Harrington

AND

Mary Hawkins née Jennings is currently linked as the daughter of Joseph Jennings & Sarah Hampton,
with "uncertain" indicators selected for both sets of parents.


Sources

  1. ↑ England, Essex Parish Registers, 1538-1997, database, FamilySearch accessed: 13 February 2020 > Thomas Hawkins and Mary Jennings, 21 May 1825; citing Marriage, , Great Hallingbury, Essex, England, Essex Record Office, England.
  2. ↑ Essex Archives Online > Parish Registers > Great Hallingbury > Marriages 1813-1837 > citing Essex Record Office Ref. D/P 27/1/11 accessed: 6 July 2013 > Image 12 of 24; Page 19; Entry No. 57: 21 May 1825. Thomas Hawkins & Mary Jennings.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 England Marriages, 1538–1973 database, FamilySearch accessed: 9 November 2017 > John Stone and Mary Jennings, 08 Nov 1828; citing Sheering, Essex, England, reference 15, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1,702,587.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Essex Archives Online > Parish Registers > Sheering > Marriages 1813-1837 > citing Essex Record Office Ref. D/P 370/1/7 accessed: 7 July 2013 > Image 12 of 17; Page 16; Entry No. 46: 8 Nov 1828. John Stone & Mary Jennings.
  5. ↑ England Census, 1851 Class: HO107; Piece: 1706; Folio: 104; Page: 2/3; Schedule: 5.
  6. ↑ England Census, 1861 Class: RG9; Piece: 807; Folio: 89; Page: 15; Schedule: 66.
  7. ↑ England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, database, FamilySearch accessed: 6 September 2016 > Mary Jennings, 15 Dec 1805; citing Sawbridgeworth, Hertford, England, reference ; FHL microfilm 991,324.
  8. ↑ England - Hertfordshire Baptisms database with images > Sawbridgeworth > Births, Burials 1790-1812 > Image 47 of 58: 15 Dec 1805. Mary c/o Thomas & Elizabeth Jennings.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 England – Hertfordshire Baptisms, database with images; accessed: 12 May 2013 > Sawbridgeworth > Burials, Births 1790-1812 > Image 48 of 58; Page 51: 25 Dec 1806. Mary of Joseph & Sarah Jennings (aged 7 weeks).
  10. ↑ England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, database, FamilySearch accessed: 5 October 2016 > Mary Jennings, 25 Dec 1806; citing Sawbridgeworth, Hertford, England, reference ; FHL microfilm 991,324.
  11. ↑ England – Hertfordshire Marriages, database with images; accessed: 15 February 2020 > Sawbridgeworth > 1813-1837 > Image 45 of 52; Page 78; Entry No. 232: 6 Oct 1834. James Gun & Sarah Jennings.
  12. ↑ England - Hertfordshire Marriages database with images, accessed: 15 February 2020 > Sawbridgeworth > 1813-1837 > Image 50 of 52; Page 88; Entry No. 264: 30 May 1837. Charles Springham & Elizabeth Jennings.
  13. ↑ England Marriages, 1538–1973, database, FamilySearch accessed: 15 February 2020 > James Wybrew and Susanna Jennings, 01 Oct 1840; citing Sawbridgeworth, Hertford, England, reference , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1040865 IT 4.
  14. ↑ England Marriages, 1538–1973, database, FamilySearch accessed: 15 February 2020 > William Fish and Rebecca Jennings, 18 Jul 1859; citing Sawbridgeworth, Hertford, England, reference 2:3F1QBZT, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1,040,865.
  15. ↑ England Marriages, 1538–1973, database, FamilySearch accessed: 6 September 2016 > John Martin and Eliza Jennings, 07 Mar 1835; citing Sawbridgeworth, Hertford, England, reference ; FHL microfilm 991,396.
  16. ↑ England – Hertfordshire Marriages, database with images; accessed: 18 February 2020 > Sawbridgeworth > 1813-1837 > Image 46 of 52; Page 80; Entry No.238: 7 Mar 1835. John Martin & Eliza Jennings.
  17. ↑ England - Hertfordshire Baptisms, database with images; accessed: 18 February 2020 > Sawbridgeworth > 1813-1842 > Image 21 of 109; Page 29; Entry No. 225: 25 Aug 1816. Louisa c/o Thomas & Mary Jennings, Thatcher, of here.
  18. ↑ Essex Archives Online, database with images; accessed: 6 July 2013 > Parish Registers > Great Hallingbury > Marriages 1813-1837 > Image 6 of 24; Page 7; Entry No. 21: 21 Jun 1817. John Jennings & Jane Cooke.
  19. ↑ England - Hertfordshire Marriages database with images; accessed: 15 February 2020 > Sawbridgeworth > 1813-1837 > Image 28 of 52; Page 43; Entry No. 126: 28 Aug 1825. William Jennings & Mary Pavely.
  20. ↑ England - Hertfordshire Marriages database with images; accessed: 15 February 2020 > Sawbridgeworth > 1813-1837 > Image 21 of 52; Page 29; Entry No. 83: 23 Jun 1821. William Glasscock & Jane Jennings.
  21. ↑ Essex Archives Online, database with images; accessed: 13 July 2013 > Parish Registers > High Roding > Marriages 1813-1838 > Image 11 of 16; Page 17; Entry No. 51: 13 Oct 1828. Daniel Jennings & Elizabeth Trundle.
  22. ↑ England – Hertfordshire Marriages, database with images; accessed: 13 July 2013 > Stanstead Abbots > 1813-1837 > Image 22 of 30; Page 35; Entry No. 103: 19 Oct 1831. James Ward & Sarah Jennings.
  23. ↑ London, England – Church of England Marriages & Banns 1754-1932, database with images; accessed: 15 February 2020 > Borough: Hackney > Parish: St Leonard, Shoreditch > 1845-1846 > Image 6 of 125; Page 11; Entry No. 21: 6 Jul 1845. George Bowyer & Sarah Ward.
  24. ↑ England Census, 1841 Class: HO107; Piece: 434; Book: 12; Folio: 29; Page: 4.
  25. ↑ England Census, 1881 Class: RG11; Piece: 1400; Folio: 53; Page: 3; Schedule: 16.
  26. ↑ England – Hertfordshire Marriages, database with images; accessed: 15 February 2020 > Widford > 1813-1837 > Image 13 of 17; Page 17; Entry No. 49: 25 Nov 1832. John Thake & Elizabeth Jennings.




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Categories: Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire