Melbourn – Our Casbon Journey

More Servants!

January 31, 2019April 15, 2020 admin2 Comments

My last two posts profiled two individuals who entered into domestic service as a ladies-maid and footman, respectively. Before I leave the topic altogether, I want to pay tribute to many other Casbon family members who worked as domestic servants. I’ve combed through my files to find those Casbon relatives who were listed as servants on census or other records. It turns out there were quite a few! I know precious few details about most of them, but collectively, I think their stories are worth the telling.

All of the servants featured in today’s post are women. This should come as no great surprise. Employment opportunities for women during this time frame (mid 1800s to early 1900s) were limited, and domestic service was one of the most common occupations for working-class women. In 1911, although the numbers were already declining, twenty-eight percent of working women in England were employed in domestic service.^[1]

Men constituted a much lower percentage of the domestic service workforce. Men had access to a much greater variety of trades and occupations.“Most of those employed in domestic service in Victorian times were women, outnumbering men at over 20 to one by 1880.”^[2] There was a tax on male servants, so they tended to be employed in larger, wealthier households.^[3] The majority of female servants worked in middle-class households; where having at least one servant was considered essential.^[4]

Here are the Casbon women I’ve discovered who were domestic servants at one time or another. They are presented in roughly chronological birth order and grouped by families.

John Finnie (1829-1907), “Maids of All Work” (1864-5), ©The Geffrye Museum of the Home.^[5]

Mary Ann, Edith, Jane and Martha Casbon

I’ve listed these four together because they were the daughters of William (1805–1807) and Ann (Clark, ~1812–1869) Casbon, of Meldreth, Cambridgeshire. William was an agricultural labourer with a large family.

Mary Ann was born about 1831 in Meldreth.^[6] in the 1851 census, we find her listed as the only servant in the household of John Campkin, a “Grocer & Draper” living in Melbourn.^[7] By 1861 Mary Ann was working as a cook in a London public house.^[8] I haven’t located her in the 1871 census. In 1875, at the age of forty-four, she married a widower named Joseph Sparrow.^[9] She had no children. Her date of death is unknown, but occurred after 1891.^[10]

Edith was baptized at Meldreth in 1835.^[11] In 1851, sixteen-year-old Edith was working as a “house servant” in the home of Elizabeth Bell, a widow in Whaddon, Cambridgeshire, with a farm of 166 acres (quite large for that time).^[12] There were also two male servants in the household, a horse keeper and a shepherd. She married William Catley in 1860,^[13] and together they had seven children. She died in 1916 and was buried in Melbourn.^[14]

Jane was baptized in 1840 at Meldreth.^[15] In 1861 she was living at home but listed as “Servant,” so she was presumably working elsewhere.^[16] In 1871, she was listed as “House Keeper,” again in her father’s household, so it is unclear whether she was keeping his or someone else’s house.^[17] She married John Camp in 1881^[18] and had two children. She died in 1904, age sixty-four.^[19]

Martha, who was twenty-four years younger than her sister Mary Ann, spent most of her life as a domestic servant in London. In 1871, Martha was listed as “Housemaid” along with one other female servant (the cook) in the household of a civil engineer.^[20] In 1881 she was the sole servant in a small household consisting of a Scottish woolen merchant and his sister.^[21] She was again the sole servant in 1891, this time to a chemist and his wife.^[22] In 1901 she was the lone servant for a Presbyterian minister and his wife.^[23] The last record we have of Martha as a servant is in 1911 (the last year census records are available). At that time fifty-six-year-old Martha was serving as the cook in a household with three other servants.^[24] Their master and mistress were a retired draper and his wife. Quite a few servants for two people! Martha never married. Sometime before 1839, she retired to Melbourn, Cambridgeshire (the sister village to Meldreth).^[25] She died in Cambridge in 1947 and was buried in Melbourn.^[26]

Sarah Casbon

Sarah was the daughter of Thomas (~1807–1863) and Jane (Cooper, ~1803–1874) Casbon. Thomas was the patriarch of the “Peterborough Casbons.” Sarah was born about 1834 in Somersham, Huntingdonshire.^[27] In 1851, she was the only servant for a widow and her daughter in Chatteris.^[28] She married Richard Baker in 1857^[29] and had at least eight children. She died in 1904, age sixty-nine.^[30]

Priscilla Casbon

Priscilla was the daughter of William (~1835–1896) and Sarah (West, ~1823–1905) Casbon of Meldreth. William was an agricultural labourer and Priscilla his only daughter. She was born in 1862.^[31] In the 1881 census, she was employed as the only servant for a banker’s clerk and his wife in Cambridge.^[32] In 1891 she was living with her parents at home, with no occupation listed.^[33]

Priscilla’s story has an interesting twist. When she was thirty-four, in 1896, she married a seventy-seven-year-old widowed gentleman named Charles Banks.^[34] He was definitely a “sugar daddy.” He never had children. When he died in 1904, his estate was valued at
£12, 232, divided between Priscilla and two other beneficiaries.^[35] There is evidence that she remarried a man named John Wilson in 1908 and was still alive in 1939, but I’m not certain this is her. I would love to know more about her story!

Julia Frances Casbon

Julia was born in 1866, the daughter of George S (~1836–1914) and Sarah (Pryor, ~1831–1903) Casbon. George was a wheelwright in Barley, Hertfordshire, and originally from Meldreth. In the 1891 census, we find Julia working as one of three female servants in the household of a retired Army officer in Kensington, London.^[36] She married Henry Brassington, a bootmaker, in 1899.^[37] They had two sons. Julia was ninety-nine years old when she died in 1965.^[38]

Kate Casban

Kate was the daughter of John (1843–1927) and Mary Anne (Hall, ~1840–1880) Casban. She was born in 1874.^[39] In 1891, at the age of seventeen, she was one of two female servants employed by a single unmarried woman.^[40] She married Frederick Gunn in 1898^[41] and had two children. I haven’t been able to pin down the date of her death.

Margaret Alice Casban

Born at Melbourn in 1875,^[42] the daughter of Samuel Clark (1851–1922) and Lydia (Harrup, ~1853–1924) Casban, “Alice,” like her cousin Kate, was already working as a servant in 1891.^[43] She was one of two servants, the other a footman, working for the proprietor of a pub.^[44] She married Thomas William Francis in 1898^[45] and had seven children. Date of her death is uncertain.

Olive Louise, Maud Emily, Hilda Mary, and Elsie Lydia Casbon

These four sisters were the daughters of George (1846–1897) and Sarah (Pearse, ~1847–1912) Casbon. George was originally from Meldreth but settled in nearby Fowlmere where he was a farm labourer. The family was probably quite poor. Sarah, the mother, went to work as a charwoman after George’s death. The daughters would have had few other options than going into domestic service as soon as they reached a suitable age. A striking feature of this family is that all four daughters died at an early age. I don’t know the cause of death for any of them.

Olive Louise, the oldest, was born in 1884.^[46] by 1901, she was the sole servant for a tea buyer and his family, living in Croydon.^[47] In 1911, she was one of two servants, the other the cook, for a much larger family, also in Croydon.^[48] She married Thomas De Rinzy^[49] in 1911 and bore him a son that same year. ^[50] Olive died in 1916, thirty-two years old.^[51]

Maud Emily was born in 1885.^[52] In 1901 at age fifteen, she was working as a kitchen maid in Melbourn,^[53] and in 1911 she was the cook for a London single woman.^[54] She died later that year at the age of twenty-six.^[55]

Hilda Mary was born in 1887.^[56] In 1911 she was living with her mother in Fowlmere, but occupation was listed as “General (Domestic),” which suggests that she was doing service work outside of the home.^[57] By 1914, she was working as a domestic servant in Surrey. We know this because of the fact that she gave birth to a son in June 1914.^[58] The birth certificate states that she was “a Domestic Servant of 140 Beckenham Road Penge.”

Birth certificate of George Casbon, 11 June 1914. (Click on image to enlarge)

An unwanted pregnancy was possibly the worst-case scenario for an unmarried female servant. If she became pregnant, she could be “immediately turned out of the house without a character to join the ranks of the unemployed.”^[59]

I have handwritten notes from a relative stating that Hilda abandoned her son at the Croydon Infirmary, and that he was later taken in by the Mission of Good Hope, a well-known organization that placed children for adoption. This fills in some blanks in another story, that of how young George came to be placed with Dr. Barnardo’s Homes and then sent to Canada as a sort-of indentured servant.

I don’t know what became of Hilda after the birth, except for her death, at age thirty-three, in 1921.^[60]

The youngest sister, Elsie Lydia, was born in 1890.^[61] She was the sole domestic servant at the White Ribbon Temperance Hotel located in Cambridge, 1911.^[62] I presume that Elsie later found a position in Kensington, London, because that is where here death was registered in 1919.^[63] She was thirty years old.

The stories of these thirteen women are in many ways typical for female domestic servants of their era. With the exception of Martha, they did not work as servants for the greater part of their lives. Most of them started work in their teens and continued until they found husbands and had families of their own. They generally worked in smaller middle-class homes with one or two servants. Other than the four daughters of George and Sarah (Pearse) Casbon, they generally lived “normal” lifespans.

This is far from an adequate description of their lives, since it is based largely on “snapshots” taken every ten years with the census. Nevertheless, their stories provide insights into our shared heritage and deserve to be told.

^[1] “Women and Work in the 19^th Century,” Striking Women (http://www.striking-women.org/module/women-and-work/19th-and-early-20th-century : accessed 27 January 2019).
^[2] “Who Were the Servants?” My Learning (https://www.mylearning.org/stories/the-victorian-servant/280 : accessed 27 January 2019).
^[3] Kate Clark, “Women and Domestic Service in Victorian Society,” The History Press (https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/women-and-domestic-service-in-victorian-society/ : accessed 27 January 2019).
^[4] “The Rise of the Middle Classes,” Victorian England: Life of the Working and Middle Classes (https://valmcbeath.com/victorian-era-middle-classes/#.XE3gilxKiUk : accessed 27 January 2019).
^[5] “File: John Finnie. Maids of All Work, 1864-65 (higher colour).jpg,” Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Finnie._Maids_of_All_Work,_1864-65_(higher_colour).jpg : accessed 27 January 2019).
^[6] 1841 England census, Cambridgeshire, Meldreth, ED 19, p. 9, High St., Mary Ann (age 10) in household of William Casbon; imaged as “1841 England Census,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8978 : accessed 27 January 2019), Cambridgeshire >Meldreth >District 19 >image 6 of 9; The National Archives (TNA), HO 107/63/19.
^[7] 1851 England census, Cambridgeshire, Melbourn, ED 11b, p. 3, schedule 8, Church Lane, Mary Casbon in household of John Campkin; imaged as “1851 England Census,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8860 : accessed 27 January 2019), Cambridgeshire >Melbourn >11b >image 4 of 25; TNA, HO 107/1708/177.
^[8] 1861 England census, Middlesex, Islington, ED 36, p. 27, schedule 153, Mary Ann Cusbin in household of Richd Munford; imaged as “1861 England Census,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8767 : accessed 19 November 2018), Middlesex >Islington >Islington East >District 36 >image 28 of 84; TNA, RG 9/16/55.
^[9] Church of England, Parish of St. Lukes Finsbury (Middlesex), Marriage Records, 1871-6, p. 245, no. 489, Joseph Sparrow & Mary Ann Casbon, 26 Dec 1875; imaged as “London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1623 : accessed 10 Aug 2016), Islington >St Luke, Finsbury >1867-1881 >image 494 of 747; London Metropolitan Archives, record no. p76/luk/058.
^[10] 1891 England census, London, Hackney, ED 23b, p. 31, schedule 47, 33 Benyon Rd, Mary A Sparrow (indexed as “Spawn”); imaged as “1891 England Census,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6598 : accessed 29 October 2018), London >Hackney >West Hackney >District 23b >image 32 of 34; TNA RG12/190/98.
^[11] Church of England, Meldreth (Cambridgeshire), Register of Baptisms, 1813-77,. 44, no. 345, Edith Casburn, 29 Mar 1835; imaged as “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877,”FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/film/007567609?cat=210742 : accessed 28 April 2017), image 219 of 699; FHL film 1,040,542, item 5.
^[12] 1851 England census, Cambridgeshire, Whaddon, ED 4, p. 15, schedule 43, Edith Casbon in household of Elizabeth Bell; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8860 : accessed 27 January 2019), Cambridgeshire >Whaddon >4 >image 16 of 23; TNA, HO 107/1708/34.
^[13] Meldreth, Register of Marriages, 1837-75, p. 50, no. 99, William Catley & Edith Casbon, 13 Oct 1860; imaged as “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/007567609?cat=210742 : accessed 29 August 2017), image 397 of 699; FHL film 1,040,542, item 9.
^[14] “Index of Cambridgeshire Parish Records,” database/transcriptions, Cambridge Family History Society, Edith Catley, bu. 22 May 1916 at Melbourn; print copy in author’s personal collection.
^[15] Meldreth, Register of Baptisms, 1813-77, p. 54, no. 429, Jane Casbon, 29 Nov 1840; FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/film/007567609?cat=210742 : accessed 28 April 2017), image 224 of 699.
^[16] 1861 England census, Cambridgeshire, Meldreth, ED 15, schedule 133; J Carston in household of William Caston; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8767 : accessed 27 January 2019), Cambridgeshire >Meldreth >District 15 >image 25 of 32; TNA, RG 9/815/64.
^[17] 1871 England census, Meldreth, enumeration district (ED) 15, p. 21, schedule 125, High St., Jane Casbon in household of William Casbon; “1871 England Census,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7619 : accessed 27 January 2019), Cambridgeshire >Meldreth >District 15 >image 22 of 32; TNA, RG 10/1363/25.
^[18] “England & Wales Marriages 1837-2008”, database, findmypast (https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-Records/england-and-wales-marriages-1837-2005 : accessed 30 March 2017), John Camp, 1^st qtr, 1881, Royston, vol. 3A/323; General Register Office (GRO), Southport.
^[19] “Search the GRO Online Index,” HM Passport Office (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp : accessed 27 January 2019), deaths, Jane Camp, J[un] qtr, 1904, Royston, vol. 3A/299.
^[20] 1871 England census, Kent, Lewisham, ED 4, p. 61, schedule 214, Martha Casbon (indexed “Carbor” in household of John H Greener (indexed “Greeno”); Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7619 : accessed 19 March 2018), Kent >Lewisham >Lee >District 4 >image 62 of 80; TNA, RG 10/763/89.
^[21] 1881 England census, London, Hammersmith, ED 28, pp. 41-2, schedule 186, 100 Godolphin Rd., Martha Casbon in household of John Weir; “1881 England Census,” Ancestry ((https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7619 : accessed 19 March 2018), London >Hammersmith >St Paul Hammersmith >District 28 >image 42 of 68; TNA, RG 11/60/143.
^[22] 1891 England census, London, Lambeth, ED 20, p. 4, schedule 20, 156 Clapham Rd., Martha Casbon in the household of Frederick Glew; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6598 : accessed 27 January 2019), London >Lambeth >Kennington First >District 20 >image 5 of 45; TNA, RG 12/400/96.
^[23] 1901 England census, London, Hammersmith, ED 3, p. 90, schedule620, 214 Goldhawk Rd., Martha Casbon in household of Henry Miller; “1901 England Census,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7814 : accessed 20 March 2018; TNA, RG 13/: accessed 20 March 2018; TNA, RG 13/9/124.
^[24] 1911 England census, London, Lambeth, ED 10, schedule 109, 76 Tulse Hill SW, Martha Casbon in household of Thomas Drake; “1911 England Census,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2352 : accessed 27 January 2019), London >Lambeth >Norwood >10 >image 220 of 421; TNA, RG 14/2109.
^[25] 1939 Register, Cambridgeshire, South Cambridgeshire, ED TBKV, schedule 34, High St., Martha Casbon, “1939 England and Wales Register,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=61596 : accessed 27 January 2019), Cambridgeshire >South Cambridgeshire RD >TBKV >image 5 of 9; TNA, RG 191.63261,
^[26] “Melbourn Burials 1739–1950,” p. 73, Martha Casbon, 19 Jan 1947; transcriptions, Cambridge Family History Society, Melbourn burials, Martha Casbon, bu. 22 May 1916 at Melbourn; print copy in author’s personal collection.
^[27] 1851 England census, Cambridgeshire, Chatteris, ED 3e, p. 1, schedule 1, Park Rd., Sarah Casborn in household of Ann Curtis; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8860 : accessed 27 January 2019), Cambridgshire >Chatteris >3e >image 2 of 48; TNA, HO 107/1765/371.
^[28] Ibid.
^[29] Church of England, Peterborough (Northamptonshire), St. John Parish, Marriages, 1855–1866, p. 76, no. 152, Richard Baker & Sarah Casbon, 22 Jun 1857; imaged as “Northamptonshire, England, Church of England Marriages, 1754-1912,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=9199 : accessed 19 January 2018), Peterborough, St John >Parish Registers >1855-1859 >image 41 of 66; Northamptonshire Record Office, Northampton.
^[30] “Search the GRO Online Index,” deaths, Sarah Baker, M[ar] qtr, 1904, Peterborough, vol. 3B/146.
^[31] “Search the GRO Online Index,” births, Priscilla Banks, D[ec] qtr, 1862, Royston, vol. 3A/227.
^[32] 1881 England Census, Cambridgeshire, Cambridge, ED 2, p. 14, schedule 59, 8 Parker St., Priscilla Casbon in household of Edmund Wilson; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7572 : accessed 26 January 2019), Cambridgeshire >Cambridge >St. Andrew the Great >District 2 >image 15 of 48; TNA, RG 11/1669/43.
^[33] 1891 England census, Cambridgeshire, Meldreth, ED 13, p. 18, schedule 134, Witcroft Rd., Priscilla Casbon in household of William Casbon; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6598 : accessed 27 January 2019), Cambridgeshire >Meldreth >District 13 >image 19 of 27; TNA, RG 12/1104/68.
^[34] “England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8913 : accessed 24 April 2018), Priscilla Casbon, 3d qtr, 1896, Bedford, vol. 3B/732; GRO, London.
^[35] “Find A Will,” Gov.UK (https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar#calendar : accessed 27 January 2019), Wills and Probate 1858–1996, search terms: “banks” “1904.”
^[36] 1891 England census, London, Kensington, ED 17, p. 30, schedule 157, 40 Evelyn Gardens, Julia F Casbon in the household of Thomas Fraser; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6598 : accessed 27 January 2019), London >Kensington >Brompton >District 17 >image 31 of 51; TNA, RG 12/32/73.
^[37] Church of England, Barley (Hertfordshire), Marriage registers, p. 136, no. 271, Henry Brassington & Julia Frances Casbon, 19 Sep 1899; “Hertfordshire Banns & Marriages,” findmypast (https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-Records/hertfordshire-banns-and-marriages : accessed 14 October 2017).
^[38] “England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007”, FamilySearch, (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVCK-W896 : accessed 4 September 2014), Julia F Brassington, 1965, 4^th qtr, Harrow, vol. 5B/961/153; citing GRO, Southport.
^[39] “Search the GRO Online Index,” births, Kate Casban, M[ar] atr, 1874, Edmonton, vol. 3A: 203.
^[40] 1891 England Census, Middlesex, Edmonton, ED 1, p. 49, schedule 284, Langhedge House, Kate Casban in household of Maria Rowley; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6598 : accessed 28 January 2019), Middlesex >Edmonton >District 01 >image 50 of 54; TNA, RG 14/1081/27.
^[41] Church of England, London, Edmonton, St James, Marriages 1851-1917, p. 159, no. 318, Frederick Gunn & Kate Casban, 9 Apr 1898; “London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1623 : accessed 22 March 2017), Enfield >St James, Upper Edmonton >1851-1917 >image 206 of 506; London Metropolitan Archives.
^[42] “Search the GRO Online Index,” births, Margaret Casbon, D[ec] qtr, 1875, Royston, vol. 3A/320.
^[43] 1891 England Census, Surrey, Croydon, ED 34, p. 9, schedule 48, 25 Wellesley Rd., Alice Casbar in household of George E Wheeler; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6598 : accessed 28 January 2019), Surrey >Croydon >District 34 >image 10 of 89; TNA RG 14/591/44.
^[44] Ibid.
^[45] “England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005,” FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:269S-X5P : accessed 13 December 2014), Margaret Alice Casban, 2d qtr, 1898, Croydon, vol. 2A/529/38; GRO, Southport.
^[46] “Search the GRO Online Index,” births, Olive Louise Casbon, J[un] qtr, 1884, Royston, vol. 3A/444.
^[47] 1901 England census, Surrey, Croydon, ED 81, p. 8, schedule 45, Olive L Casson in household of John Percy Lewis; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7814 : accessed 26 January 2019), Surrey >Croydon >District 81 >image 9 of 55; TNA, RG 13/648/8.
^[48] 1911 England Census, Surrey, Croydon, ED 18, schedule 63, 18 Avenue Rd, Norwood S.E., Olive Louise Casbon in household of Reuben Glasgow Kestin; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2352 : accessed 20 March 2018), Surrey >Croydon >North Croydon >18 >image 126 of 699; TNA, RG 14/3385.
^[49] “England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005,” FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:267B-M1S : accessed 14 November 2015), Olive L Casbon, 2d qtr, 1911, Croydon, vol, 2A/631/105.
^[50] “Search the GRO Online Index,” births, Thomas Jessop Cavendish De Rinzy, D[ec] qtr, 1911, Croydon, vol. 2A/644.
^[51] “Search the GRO Online Index,” deaths, Olive Louise De Rinzy, D[ec] qtr, 1916, Croydon, vol. 2A/473.
^[52] “Search the GRO Online Index,” births, Maud Emily Casbon, D[ec] qtr, 1885, Royston, vol. 3A/471.
^[53] 1901 England census, Cambridgeshire, Melbourn, enumeration district 9, p. 9, schedule 44, Maud Carton in household of Albert Spencer; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7814 : accessed 28 January 2019), Cambridgeshire >Melbourn >District 09 >image 10 of 27; TNA, RG 13/1296/9.
^[54] 1911 England Census, Surrey, Penge, ED 2, schedule 138, Maude Emily Casbon in household of Adele Maude Everest; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2352 : accessed 20 March 201), Surrey >Penge >02 >image 276 of 809; TNA, RG 14/3406.
^[55] “Search the GRO Online Index,” deaths, Maud Emily Casbon, D[ec] qtr, 1911, Croydon, vol. 2A/408.
^[56] “Search the GRO Online Index,” births, Hilda Mary Casbon, D[ec] qtr, 1887, Royston, vol. 3A/466.
^[57] 1911 England Census, Cambridgeshire, Fowlmere, ED 5, schedule 26, Hilda Casbon in household of Sarah Casbon; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2352 : accessed 28 January 2019), Hertfordshire >Fowlmere >05 >image 52 of 265; TNA, RG 14/7557.
^[58] England, birth certificate (PDF copy) for George Casbon, born 11 Jun 1914; registered June quarter, Croydon district 2A/618, West Croydon Sub-district, Surrey; General Register Office, Southport.
^[59] Tessa Arlen, “The Redoubtable Edwardian Housemaid and a Life of Service,” Tessa Arlen Mysteries from the early 1900s (http://www.tessaarlen.com/redoubtable-housmaid-life-belowstairs/ : accessed 28 January 2019).
^[60] “Search the GRO Online Index,” deaths, Hilda Casbon, J[un] qtr, 1921, Croydon, vol. 2A/312.
^[61] “Search the GRO Online Index,” births, Elsie Lydia Casbon, S[ep] qtr, 1890, Royston, vol. 3A/490.
^[62] 1911 England Census, Cambridgeshire,Cambridge, ED 7, schedule 135, 160-1 East Rd, Elsie Lydia Caslon in household of George W Sheet; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2352 : accessed 20 March 2018), Cambridgeshire >Cambridge >St Andrew the Less >07 >image 274 of 313; TNA, RG 14/9107.
^[63] “Search the GRO Online Index,” deaths, Elsie Casbon, J[un] qtr, 1919, Kensington, vol. 1A/217.

Going, Going …

November 1, 2018April 15, 2020 admin1 Comment

The sister villages of Meldreth and Melbourn in Cambridgeshire are my ancestral homeland. Records of Casbon ancestors in these villages go back to the mid-sixteenth century. Families occasionally moved from one village to another, or to other nearby villages, but there was little reason or incentive to go further. The situation remained stable for over 250 years, but in the 1840s, things began to change.

Slowly at first, and then with increasing speed, the number of Casbons in Meldreth and Melbourn began to dwindle. In the 1841 census, there were 7 households with 30 people; in 1851, 7 households with 27 people; 1861 – 4 households/14 people; 1871 – 5 households/12 people; 1881 – 2 households/4 people; 1891 – 2 households/5 people; 1901 & 1911 – 1 household/2 people.^[1] (1911 is the last year census records have been made available to the public.) The 1939 register (a census-like record taken before World War 2) shows only one Casbon living in Meldreth.

Chart showing decline in Casbon households and family members in Meldreth and Melbourn from 1841 to 1939. (Click on image to enlarge)

What happened? Where did they go and why did they leave? The reasons are varied, but for the most part revolve around the “three Fs”: finance, family, friends. In the mid-1800s, the growth of cities and improvements in transportation created new job opportunities. The exodus from Meldreth took off after the arrival of the railroad in 1851.^[2]

Casbon households in Meldreth, 1841 England Census.

The first to leave was my third great grandfather, Thomas (1803–1888), and his family, when they emigrated to the United States in 1846. I’ve written extensively about Thomas and his journey, so will not elaborate further here.

Casbon households in Meldreth & Melbourn, 1851 England Census.

The next to go was James Casbon (1806–1871), who moved to the village of Barley in Hertfordshire with his family, probably in the early 1850s.^[3] Barley is located about five miles south of Meldreth.

Detail map showing Cambridge, Meldreth, Melbourn, and Barley.^[4] (Click on image to enlarge)

James was a landowner, which put him in a different class than his poorer Casbon relatives. He also had a business as a carrier, hauling freight (and perhaps passengers) to and from London. His reasons for moving to Barley are unknown. His sons remained in Barley and established their own families there. Thus, Barley became a new population center for the Casbon surname.

Between 1851 and 1861 the number of Casbon households was further reduced due to deaths, employment, and unknown other reasons. Lydia (Burgess) Casbon, widow of Joseph (abt. 1811–1847), died in 1851.^[5] Two daughters, Hannah and Harriet Ann, preceded her in death in 1848 and 1850, respectively, and a third daughter, Emma, died in 1852.^[6] Lydia’s surviving daughter, Mary, emigrated to the United States, where she joined her uncle Thomas Casbon, in 1856.^[7] “Patty” Barns (née Martha Wagstaff), widow of John Casbon (abt. 1779–1813), died in 1855.^[8] After losing his wife, Elizabeth, in 1852, James Casbon (b. abt. 1813) and his family disappeared from view until he emigrated to Indiana in 1870.^[9] Mary Ann Casbon (b. 1831, daughter of William, b. 1805), who had been working as a servant in Melbourn in 1851, was employed as a cook in a London public house by 1861.^[10]

Casbon households in Meldreth, 1861 England Census.

Although the numbers remained relatively stable between 1861 and 1871, some important moves still took place. Three more of William’s (b. 1805) children left for the environs of London: John (b. abt. 1842), Reuben (b. 1847) and Martha (b. abt. 1855). John was working as a Labourer when he was married in Lambeth (now a borough of London) in 1866.^[11] Reuben must have moved to the London area in the same time frame, since he and his sister Mary Ann are listed as witnesses on the marriage record. Martha, perhaps following in her brothers’ footsteps, is listed as a sixteen-year-old “domestic servant housemaid” for a suburban London household in the 1871 census.^[12]

Casbon households in Meldreth & Melbourn, 1871 England Census.

The numbers plunged after 1871, as the “old-timers” – Jane (1803–1872), William (1805-1877) and William (1806–1875) died and their remaining children moved away. Samuel Clark Casbon (b. 1851) moved to Croydon, Surrey.^[13] His sister, Jane, married John Camp in 1881.^[14] Only the younger William (b. 1835), and John Casbon (b. 1849) remained. William’s three children, Walter (b. 1856), William (b. 1860), and Priscilla (b. 1862), all left home for jobs in domestic service or the railroads.

William (b. 1835) died in 1896. After his death, his wife, Sarah (West, b. abt 1823) moved to Hitchin, Hertfordshire, where she lived with her son, Walter, until her death in 1905.^[15] John (b. 1849) died in 1935, followed by his wife Sarah (Pepper, b. abt 1850) in 1938.^[16] John and Sarah were the only two Casbons on the 1901 and 1911 censuses for Meldreth.

The memorial stone of William (1835–1896) and Sarah (West, abt 1823–1905) Casbon, Holy Trinity Churchyard, Meldreth. “In/ Memory of/ WILLIAM CASBON/ who died March 7th 1896/aged 61 years/”We hope to meet again at/ The Resurrection of the just/A light is from the household gone/ A voice we loved is stilled/ A place is vacant in our home/ Which never can be filled”./ Also of /SARAH, wife of the above/who departed this life/ December 22nd 1905/ aged 83 years./She hath done what she could/ Her end was peace./”
Photograph by Malcolm Woods; Meldreth History website (http://www.meldrethhistory.org.uk).
(Click on image to enlarge)

Martha Casbon (b. abt. 1855), who spent most of her adult life in domestic service, returned to Meldreth in her later years, and is the sole Casbon listed on the 1939 register.^[17] With her death in 1947, the Casbon name became extinct in Meldreth.^[18]

^[1] Data extracted from England censuses by Jon Casbon.
^[2] Happy Birthday, Meldreth Station (no publication details available), leaflet; PDF download (http://meldrethsheprethfoxtonrail.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Meldreth150.pdf : accessed 1 November 2018).
^[3] Jon Casbon, “James Casbon, Farmer and Carrier, 1806-1871, Part 1,” 23 Jan 17, Our Casbon Journey (https://casbonjourney.wordpress.com/2017/01/23/james-casbon-farmer-and-carrier-1806-1871-part-1/ : accessed 1 November 2018).
^[4] Ordnance Survey of England and Wales (Southampton: Director General at the Ordnance Survey Office, 1903), Sheet 16; online image, A Vision of Britain Through Time (http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/sheet/new_series_revised_medium/sheet_16 : accessed 1 November 2018).
^[5] England and Wales, “Search the GRO [General Register Office] Online Index,” database, HM Passport Office (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp : accessed 1 November 2018), Lydia Casbon, 2d qtr, 1851, Royston & Buntingford, vol. 6:405.
^[6] Ibid., Hannah Casbon (age 5), 2d qtr, 1848, Royston & Buntingford, vol. 6/433. Ibid., Harriet Ann Casbon (age 11), 3d qtr, 1852, Royston & Buntingford, vol. 6/366. Ibid., Emma Casbon (age 7), 2d qtr, 1852, Royston & Buntingford, vol. 3A/131.
^[7] Jon Casbon, “From England to Indiana, Part 8,” 18 Nov 2016, Our Casbon Journey (https://casbonjourney.wordpress.com/2016/11/18/from-england-to-indiana-part-8/ : accessed 1 November 2018).
^[8] England and Wales, “Search the GRO [General Register Office] Online Index,” (cited previously), Martha Barnes, 4^th qtr, 1855, Royston, vol. 3A: 128.
^[9] Jon Casbon, “James Casbon of Meldreth, England and Porter County, Indiana,” 29 Nov 2016, Our Casbon Journey (https://casbonjourney.wordpress.com/2016/11/29/james-casbon-of-meldreth-england-and-porter-county-indiana/ : accessed 1 November 2018).
^[10] 1861 England Census, Middlesex, Islington, population schedule, district 36, Johnston parish, p. 55 (stamped), schedule 153, Mary Ann Cusbin in household of Richd Munford; imaged on Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8767 : accessed 1 November 2018), Middlesex >Islington >Islington East >District 36 >image 28 of 84; citing The National Archives, RG 9, piece 146, folio 55, p. 27.
^[11] “London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1623 : accessed 22 March 2017), Lambeth >St. Mary, Lambeth >1761-1896 >image 337 of 540; citing London Metropolitan Archives, ref. no. p85/mry1/541.
^[12] 1871 England Census, Kent, Lewisham, population schedule, enumeration district 4, schedule 214, Martha Casbon (indexed as “Carbor”} in household of John H Greeno; imaged on Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7619 : accessed 19 March 2018), Kent >Lewisham >Lee >District 4 >image 62 of 80; citing The National Archives, RG 10, piece 763, folio 89, p. 61.
^[13] 1881 England Census, Surrey, Croydon, population schedule, enumeration district 35, schedule 256, Samuel Casban; image on Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7572 : accessed 1 November 2018), Surrey >Croydon >District 35 >image 49 of 66; citing The National Archives, RG 11, piece 816, folio 60, p. 47.
^[14] “England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005”, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2DRB-92Y : accessed 1 November 2018), Jane Casbon, 1^st qtr, 1881, Royston, vol. 3A/323.
^[15] Kathryn Betts, “Holy Trinity Churchyard: Monumental Inscriptions.” Meldreth History (http://www.meldrethhistory.org.uk/page_id__484_img__4391.aspx : accessed 1 November 2018).
^[16] “England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007”, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVHV-Q78D : accessed 1 November 2018), John J Casbon, 1^st qtr, 1935, Cambridge, vol. 3B/564. Same source (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVHP-YBY9 : accessed 1 November 2018), Sarah Casbon, 1^st qtr, 1938, Cambridge, vol. 3B/553.
^[17] 1939 Register, South Cambridgeshire R.D., enumeration district TBKV, schedule 34, Martha Casbon; imaged on findmypast (https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-records/1939-register : accessed 19 November 2016); citing The National Archives, R39/6326/6326I/005/05.
^[18] “England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007”, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVCQ-FH17 : accessed 2 August 2016), Martha Casbon, 1^st qtr, 1947, Cambridge, vol. 4A/257.

Was my Third Great Grandfather a Convicted Thief?

October 16, 2018April 28, 2020 admin7 Comments

Sometimes there are long gaps in records, especially for people who lived before censuses were taken. You might only have records for birth (or baptism), marriage, and death (or burial)—commonly referred to as “BMD” records, with no information about what happened in the intervals between these major life events.

Such is the case with my third great grandfather, Thomas Casbon. Thomas was born November 3, 1803 in Meldreth, Cambridgeshire. He married Emma Scruby October 9, 1830 in nearby Melbourn. The 27-year gap between his birth and marriage is a silent period in Thomas’ life.

Or at least it was.

Here’s an interesting record I found on the Findmypast website:^[1]

(Click on image to enlarge)

This is a register of criminal court proceedings for Cambridgeshire held in the year 1822. I’ve marked the pertinent items. Thomas Casborn was tried during the October Sessions, convicted of larceny, and sentenced to seven years’ transportation. Sessions were courts that met quarterly to try a variety of civil and criminal offenses.^[2] They were generally held in the county seat – in this case, Cambridge.

The sessions were also reported in the local newspaper:^[3]

Cambridge Chronicle, 25 Oct 1822. (Click on image to enlarge) Newspaper image © The British Library Board. All rights reserved. With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk).

I’ve included the entire article, as I think readers might find it interesting, but here is the paragraph in question.

(Click on image to enlarge)

There are a couple of interesting terms in this report: harvest home – a festival traditionally celebrated on the Sunday nearest the harvest moon in late September or early October;^[4] haulm – “the stems or tops of crop plants (such as peas or potatoes) especially after the crop has been gathered.”^[5]

You can see that Thomas’ surname was spelled Casburn in this report. Was he my ancestor? Spelling of surnames was still highly fluid at that time, so minor variations do not rule out anyone with a similar name. The fact that the stolen watch was located in Bassingbourn possibly points to “my” Thomas, because Bassingbourn is quite close to Meldreth. (Thomas’ father Isaac and mother Susanna (Howes) were married in Bassingbourn in 1800.^[6]) But this is weak evidence at best.

To complicate matters further, there were quite a few men named Thomas, with similar surnames, living in Cambridgeshire at the time. These included the names Casborn, Casbourn, and Casburn. As a matter of fact, if you read the entire Cambridge Chronicle article, you will see that another man named Thomas Casburn was charged with disturbing the peace in the parish of Burwell. (The Casburn spelling is strongly associated with Burwell.) How can we tell if the man convicted of larceny was my ancestor?

Fortunately, there are other records that help to narrow down the field.

(Click on image to enlarge)
This is a partial page from a register of prisoners on the convict hulk Leviathan.^[7] A hulk was a decommissioned ship used as a floating prison.^[8] Masts, rigging, and other components necessary for sailing were removed, rendering the ships unseaworthy, but still able to float.^[9] They were used to house prisoners in England from 1776 until 1857, when the practice was finally banned.^[10] Many convicts were placed on hulks temporarily, while awaiting transport on convict ships to Australia and other Commonwealth lands. But a few served their entire sentence aboard the hulk.

HMS Leviathan was first launched as a 74-gun ship of the line in the British Navy in 1790. She fought in the battle of Trafalgar. She was decommissioned and converted to a prison ship in 1816, and anchored in Portsmouth harbor.^[11]

Prison Hulks in Portsmouth Harbour, oil on canvas, Daniel Turner. © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. (Click on image to enlarge)

The register of prisoners shows that Thomas Casborn was the 6,072d prisoner registered on the ship’s book. He was one of four prisoners brought aboard from Cambridge on October 31, 1822. All four were convicted of grand larceny (“G.L.”) and received seven-year sentences. If you look back at the Cambridge Chronicle article, you will find the other three names. All except Thomas were transported to New South Wales (“N.S.W” in the last column) on May 8, 1823. Thomas served his entire sentence aboard the hulk and was discharged October 18, 1829. I believe the reason Thomas was not transported is that this was his first offense.^[12] The other three men were repeat offenders.^[13]

Most importantly, this register shows that Thomas was nineteen years old at the time of his conviction. This gives him a birth year of about 1803 and helps us to narrow down the list of men who might have been Thomas. I can only find two potential candidates:

Thomas Casbon, my third great grandfather, and
Thomas Casburn, baptized October 3, 1802 in Burwell, Cambridgeshire.^[14]

There were also Thomases baptized in 1792 and 1808, but these are too far outside the margin of error to be listed as nineteen years old in 1822.

So, the list is down to two. But which one was the prisoner on the Leviathan? I needed more information.

With a little research, I learned that the records of the Cambridge Quarter Sessions are maintained at the Cambridgeshire Archives. I emailed the Archives, along with a copy of the news clipping, to see if they could tell me anything more about Thomas Casborn who stole the silver watch. I received this polite reply on October 4^th.

I have looked at the Quarter Sessions order book for 1822-1826 (ref QSO/14) and there is indeed an entry for the trial and conviction of Thomas Casborn. There is no personal information about him other than that he was “late of the parish of Melbourn [my emphasis].” This may help you identify whether this is the Casborn you are searching for or not.^[15]

He also mentioned that other supporting papers for the October 1822 sessions are located in the archives, but to access these I would have to hire a professional researcher for a fee. These papers might contain additional background information about Thomas Casborn, but they might not. I’m hoping to visit the archives myself in a couple years, so I decided to forego the professional researcher.

Besides, I think the information I received answered my question. Thomas Casborn, the convict, was from the parish of Melbourn. The parishes of Melbourn and Meldreth are next-door neighbors, and my ancestors lived in both at one time or another. As I mentioned already, “my” Thomas was married at Melbourn. There are no records of other men named Thomas with this surname living in or near Melbourn at the time.

Have I proved that “my” Thomas was the man convicted of larceny in 1822? I think the evidence is pretty strong. What do you think?

It might sound like I’m celebrating the fact that I’m related to a thief. Although it does add a bit more color to the family history, I think what I’m really celebrating is that I’ve been able to link my ancestor to these records, and because of that I now have a more complete picture of his life.

What was life like for Thomas on the hulk? Some generalities can be made. Prisoners were required to do hard labor at the dockyards or river banks.^[16]

This work was backbreaking, exhausting and very public; convict chain gangs provided a moral spectacle and example for all who saw them. The rations … were inadequate, in that they did not provide the convicts with the energy or nutrition required to perform such arduous work. This was done on purpose – the parliamentary act authorizing the use of hulks stipulated that convicts were to be fed little other than bread, “any coarse or inferior food”, water and small beer.^[17]

Discipline was said to be severe and convicts were frequently locked in irons. Mortality rates were high, although this does not seem to be the case on the Leviathan.^[18] Of the 444 prisoners brought onto the Leviathan in 1822, only eight died while in captivity.^[19]

These would be considered extreme and inhumane conditions by today’s standards. In Thomas’ time, harsh punishments were the norm, although criticism of the hulk system did occur.^[20]

© The British Library Board. (Click on image to enlarge)

I have another set of records from the Leviathan, known as Quarterly Returns. These list the prisoners on board at any given time, and they include entries about prisoners’ “Bodily State” and “Behavior.” Most of Thomas’ entries list his bodily state as “good” and behavior as “very good.” However, in 1827 his behavior was listed as “indifferent.”^[21] After five years imprisonment, this would not be surprising. In 1828 and 1829, his behavior was once again “very good.” Perhaps by then he was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

How does this change how I think of and feel about my third great grandfather? I don’t know if I have an answer. I never knew him, so everything I know about him is based on limited information. Now I know that he committed a criminal act, when he was old enough to know better, and was punished accordingly. Did he “learn his lesson” after serving his sentence? It would seem so. He married Emma Scruby one year after his release from the Leviathan. After another sixteen years he was somehow able to come to the United States, where his family was able to prosper in ways that would have been impossible in his mother country. There is nothing to suggest he was anything but a model citizen after coming to America. The balance sheet seems to be in his favor.

Nothing of this has been passed down in our family history that I know of. Who knew about it? His wife Emma would have surely known. The children, who ranged in age from thirteen to two years old when they emigrated, might have had an inkling. If they did know, it seems that they kept it to themselves.

His conviction and imprisonment on the Leviathan must have influenced his decision to emigrate. By coming to America he was able to put the past behind him and start over with a clean slate.

^[1] “England & Wales, Crime, Prisons & Punishment, 1770-1935,” database with images, Findmypast (subscription site) (https://search.findmypast.com/record?id=TNA/CCC/HO27/023/00041&parentid=TNA/CCC/HO27/00950248 : accessed 26 September 2018), entry for Thomas Casborn, October Sessions, 1822, Cambridge; citing The National Archives, HO 27, piece 23.
^[2] “England Quarter Session Records,” FamilySearch Wiki (https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/England_Quarter_Session_Records : accessed 10 October 2018), rev. 26 Dec 15, 02:53.
^[3] “Cambridgeshrire Quarter Sessions, October 18 and 19, 1822,” Cambridge Chronicle and Journal, and Huntingdonshire Gazette, 25 Oct 1822, p. 3, col. 4; online image, The British Newspaper Archive (https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000420/18221025/008/0003 : accessed 26 September 2018).
^[4] “British harvest: how long does the season last, when is harvest day, plus history and traditions,”Countryfile Magazine (https://www.countryfile.com/how-to/food-recipes/british-harvest-how-long-does-the-season-last-when-is-harvest-day-plus-history-and-traditions/ : accessed 11 October 2018), 9 Aug 2018.
^[5] “haulm,” Merriam-Webster (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haulm : accessed 11 October 2018).
^[6] “England Marriages, 1538–1973 ,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N63P-B9H : accessed 4 November 2015), Isaac Casbill and Susannah Howes, 15 Oct 1800; citing; FHL microfilm 1,040,367.
^[7] “HO 9. Convict hulks moored at Portsmouth: Portland, Captivity, Leviathan: Register of prisoners,” p. 213 (stamped); PDF download, The National Archives (http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4286832 : accessed 10 October 2018). (file HO-9-8_1.pdf).
^[8] “List of British prison hulks,” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_prison_hulks : accessed 10 October 2018), rev. 31 Aug 18, 08:44.
^[9] Ibid.
^[10] Ibid.
^[11] Ibid.
^[12] “HO 9. Convict hulks moored at Portsmouth: Portland, Captivity, Leviathan: Register of prisoners,” p. 145 (stamped).
^[13] Ibid, pp. 154, 163 (stamped).
^[14] “England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NVPC-NNY : accessed 10 October 2018), Thomas Casburn; citing FHL microfilm 887,403.
^[15] Alan Akeroyd (cambs.archives@cambridgeshire.gov.uk), to Jon Casbon, email, 4 Oct 2018, “Cambs quarter sessions, October 1822”; privately held by Casbon [(e-address for private use)].
^[16] “Convict Hulks,” digital panopticon (https://www.digitalpanopticon.org/Convict_Hulks : accessed 11 October 2018).
^[17] Ibid.
^[18] Ibid.
^[19] Jon Casbon, review of Leviathan prisoner register, cited above.
^[20] “Convict Hulks,” digital panopticon, previously cited.
^[21] “England & Wales, Crime, Prisons & Punishment, 1770-1935,” database & images, findmypast (https://search.findmypast.com/record?id=TNA/CCC/HO8/011/00204 : accessed 26 September 2018), quarterly returns from Hulk Leviathan, Mar 1827, p. 192 (stamped), no. 6072, Thomas Casborn; citing The National Archives, HO 8, piece 11.

John Casball, Cordwainer

May 12, 2018April 15, 2020 admin2 Comments

This record from 1718 caught my eye.^[1]

Record of apprenticeship duties paid by John Casball 12 Dec 1718. (Click on image to enlarge)

The original source for this record is a register of duties, or taxes, paid to the Board of Stamps in London by master trades- and craftsmen for the indenture of apprentices. When a master took on a new apprentice, he was paid a fee, usually by the parents of the apprentice.^[2] This fee was taxed at the rate of 2.5 percent, or 6 pence for every 1 pound.^[3]

Reading the entry, we can see that “John Casball of Meldreth Cambridge Cordwain^r” had an apprentice named James Sharbolt. The entry contains three dates, and I’m not completely sure what they mean. The first date, Friday, December 12 (far left) seems to be the date that the duty was recorded or received in London. The second date, October 29, might be the date the duty was paid. The third date, September 29^th, is the day the indenture (the formal apprenticeship agreement) began. Following the third date are the words “Comon Ind^r & Counterpt.” I believe these refer to the documents presented when the tax was paid: common indenture (the apprenticeship contract) and counterpart (a second copy of the contract). These would have been presented as proof of the apprenticeship and the amount paid to the master. The next column shows the term, or duration, of the apprenticeship: “7 yr fr 29 Sept ult,” meaning “seven years from last September 29.”

The columns on the far right show, first, the apprenticeship fee, with separate columns for pounds, shillings, and pence; and the tax paid against that fee, also in pounds, shillings, and pence. In this case, John Casball received a fee of four pounds to serve as James Sharbolt’s master, and he paid the tax of two shillings (equivalent to twenty-four pence).

The real reason this record caught my eye was the name, John Casball, and his occupation, Cordwainer. Casball is one of the many early versions of the surname that eventually settled down to become today’s Casbon (see my post “What’s in a Name?”). Being from Meldreth, John Casball is some sort of ancestor, although possibly not in my direct line. (My post, “Stuck on John,” explained why I haven’t been able to trace my ancestry back any farther than Thomas Casbon, born in 1743.^[4])

What was a cordwainer? In simple terms, a cordwainer was a shoemaker.^[5] The etymology of the word is interesting: it comes from Old French cordewan, “of Cordoba (Spain).”^[6] Originally, cordwainers used the finest goats’ leather from Cordoba, known as cordovan, to make their shoes.^[7] Cordwainers made shoes from new leather, as opposed to cobblers, who used old leather to repair shoes.^[8]

We know from his occupation and the fact that he took on an apprentice that John Casball was a master craftsman. What else do we know about him? This is where the going gets tough, in genealogical terms. Based on the fact that he signed an apprenticeship contract in 1718, he must have been born sometime in the 1600s, most likely in the latter half of the century. A likely candidate would be John Catsbold, the son of William and Ann, who was baptized in Melbourne in 1672.^[9]

Detail from parish records, Melbourne, Cambridgeshire: “John the Sonn of William and Ann Catsbold was baptized the first of July 1672.” (Click on image to enlarge)

However, in nearby Fowlmere, just another mile or two down the road from Melbourn, John Casbourne (son of John and Anne) was baptized in 1674.^[10] Either of these two men could plausibly be the cordwainer of the 1718 apprenticeship record.

The first mention we have of John living in Meldreth is the baptism of “Anne the daughter of John Cassbell and of Anne his wife” on June 29, 1712.^[11] (She was buried the next day.^[12]) Several other children were born (or buried) to John and Anne over the next several years. Although John’s occupation is not indicated in these records, there is no indication that another person with that name was living in Meldreth at the time, so he is probably our cordwainer. Unfortunately, I haven’t found the marriage record of John and Anne, so I don’t know her maiden name, nor when they were married.

As a skilled craftsman, John should have been on a higher social standing than most of the Casbon ancestors, who were agricultural laborers. However, it apparently did not mean he was on a higher economic status, as evidenced in the wording of his burial record: “John Cassbell, a poor shoemaker was buried in Woolen / March the 26th 1727.”^[13]

Detail from parish records, Meldreth, Cambridgeshire, burials 1727. (Click on image to enlarge)

His widow, Anne, was buried in Meldreth just five years later, in 1732.^[14]

As to the young apprentice, James Sharbolt, I have some ideas about who he was and where he was from, but no proof, so I will leave his history for someone else to discover.

^[1] England, Board of Stamps, Register of apprenticeship duties, p. 153 (penned), 12 Dec 1718, item 1, John Casball (master) & James Sharbolt (apprentice); imaged as “UK, Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices’ Indentures, 1710-1811,”Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1851/GB1337-02184 : accessed 10 May 2018), 1715-1719 >image 1170 of 2631; citing The National Archives, IR1, piece 6.
^[2] “England Apprenticeship Indentures 1710 to 1811,” FamilySearch Wiki (https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/England_Apprenticeship_Indentures_1710_to_1811 : accessed 10 May 2018), rev. 6 Sep 14, 17:53.
^[3] “England Trade Apprenticeship Records (National Institute),” FamilySearch Wiki (https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/England_Trade_Apprenticeship_Records_(National_Institute) : accessed 10 May 2018), rev. 8 Sep 14, 21:07.
^[4] Jon Casbon, “Stuck on John,” 17 Feb 2017, Our Casbon Journey (https://casbonjourney.wordpress.com/2017/02/17/stuck-on-john/ : accessed 11 May 2018).
^[5] “Cordwainer,” Oxford Living Dictionaries (English) (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/cordwainer : accessed 11 May 2018).
^[6] Ibid.
^[7] “Welcome to the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers,” The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers (http://cordwainers.org/ : accessed 11 May 2018).
^[8] “What is a cordwainer,” The Honourable Cordwainers’ Company (http://www.thehcc.org/backgrnd.htm : accessed 11 May 2018).
^[9] Parish of Melbourn (Cambridgeshire, England), Parish Register, n.p. (previous page heading “Baptizings 1668”), record for John Catsbold, 1 Jul 1672; browsable image, “Parish registers for Melbourne, 1558-1877,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/007567610?i=585&cat=210722 : accessed 10 May 2018), image 586 of 684; citing FHL microfilm 1,040,540, item 11.
^[10] “England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JWDS-8V4 : accessed 11 May 2018), John Casbourne, 4 Dec 1674; FHL microfilm 6,035,580.
^[11] Parish of Meldreth (Cambridgeshire, England), General Register [1682–1782], n.p. (baptisms 1707–12), Anne Cassbell, 29 Jun 1712; accessed as “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877,” browsable images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/007567609?cat=210742 : accessed 29 August 2017), image 102 of 699; citing FHL microfilm 1,040,542, item 2.
^[12] Ibid (burials 1704–13); image 47 of 699.
^[13] Ibid (burials 1726-9), John Cassbell, 26 Mar 1727; image 50 of 699.
^[14] Ibid (burials 1729-31), Anne Cassbel, 9 Mar 1731/2; image 51 of 699.

An Almost Forgotten Occupation

July 30, 2017April 28, 2020 admin1 Comment

One of my favorite sources for stories has been the British Newspaper Archive, hosted by Find My Past. The collection is constantly being updated with new materials. Just last week the Herts and Cambs Reporter and Royston Crow was added. “Herts” stands for Hertfordshire and “Cambs” stands for Cambridgeshire. Royston is a town in northern Hertfordshire, just a few miles south of Meldreth and Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, the ancestral home villages of many of today’s Casbons.

Map showing Meldreth, Melbourn, Royston and Barley (indicated by stars) (Google Maps).

When I searched on the name “Casbon” in the Herts and Cambs Reporter, one of the first things to pop up was this advertisement.^[1]

Newspaper image © The British Library Board. All rights reserved. With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk).

“G. W. Casbon, Jun.” would have been George Walter Casbon, the son of George Casbon (~1836–1914) and Sarah Sophia Pryor (~1831–1903). He was the grandson of James Casbon (“James Casbon, Farmer and Carrier, 1806–1871”). George Junior was born October 14, 1873 in Barley, a village just outside of Royston.^[2] He married Miss Emma Brown in London March 27, 1901, shortly after taking over his father’s business.^[3] They had a son, Mervyn Henry George, born in 1905 (d. 1964).^[4]^,^[5]

As the ad indicates, George Junior was continuing his father’s “long established” business as a wheelwright. George Senior’s business certainly was long established; his occupation was listed as wheelwright as early as the 1861 census, when he was 20 years old and newly married to Sophia.^[6]

According to Wikipedia, “a wheelwright is a craftsman who builds or repairs wooden wheels.”^[7] The word “wright” means a maker or builder, and derives from the Old English wryhta, relating to work.^[8] Many occupations ended in “wright”; probably the most common today is playwright.

When George Junior took over his father’s business in 1901, I wonder if he realized his profession was in its waning days. Wire-spoked wheels and pneumatic tires were invented in the 1870s.^[9] Many early automobiles used wooden-spoked wheels, but as the 20^th century progressed, the need for wooden wheels would have gradually decreased. Today the profession of wheelwright is largely restricted to living history museums.

An iron tire being placed on a wooden wheel. (Daphne Turner, “The Craft of the Wheelwright,” Small Farmer’s Journal, issue 28-4, online periodical {https://smallfarmersjournal.com/the-craft-of-the-wheelwright : accessed 30 July 2017}).

Later records give George’s occupation as wheelwright and blacksmith.^[10] Blacksmithing probably would have helped offset any potential loss of income as the need for handmade wheels declined.

George lived almost 97 years, until January 9, 1970.^[11] His wife Emma died in 1942.^[12]

^[1] Advertisement “G.W. Casbon, Jun., Cart and Coach Wheelright, &c.,” Herts and Cambs Reporter and Royston Crow, 8 Feb 1901, p. 4, col. 3; online image, British Newspaper Archive, through findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/bna/viewarticle?id=bl%2f0001795%2f19010208%2f180: accessed 28 July 2017).
^[2] “Hertfordshire Baptisms,” database with images, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbprs%2fb%2f71820470%2f1 : accessed 30 July 2017), George Walter Casbon, 28 Jun 1875, Barley, Hertfordshire; citing parish registers.
^[3] “London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921”, database with images, Ancestry Library Edition (accessed through participating libraries: 10 August 2016), George Walter Casbon & Emma Brown, 27 Mar 1901; citing parish registers, St. John the Less, Bethnal Green, London.
^[4] “England & Wales Births, 1837-2006,” database, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=bmd%2fb%2f1905%2f4%2faz%2f000095%2f341 : accessed 30 July 2017), Mervyn Henry G Casbon, 1905; citing Birth Registration, Royston, Hertfordshire; citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
^[5] “England & Wales deaths 1837-2007,” database, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=bmd%2fd%2f1964%2f2%2faz%2f000130%2f035 : accessed 30 July 2017), Mervyn H G Casbon, 1964, 2^nd quarter; citing Death Registration, Watford, Hertfordshire; citing General Register Office.
^[6] “1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census,” database with images, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1861%2f0005011661 : accessed 30 July 2017), entry for George Casbon (age 20)) in household of John Ryce, Smith End, Barley, Hertfordshire; citing [The National Archives], RG 09, piece 812, folio 76, p. 44; Royston registration district, enumeration district 5.
^[7] “Wheelwright,” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelwright : accessed 30 July 2017), rev. 7 Jul 17, 10:40.
^[8] “Wright,” Oxford Dictionaries (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/wright : accessed 30 July 2017).
^[9] “Wheel,” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel#History : accessed 30 July 2017), rev. 26 Jul 17, 10:45.
^[10] “1939 Register Census of United Kingdom,” High Street , Hitchin registration district (Hertfordshire); database with images, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=tna%2fr39%2f1659%2f1659b%2f003&parentid=tna%2fr39%2f1659%2f1659b%2f003%2f37 : accessed 30 July 2017) ), entry for George W Casborn (b. 14 Oct 1873); citing [The National Archives], ref. RG101/1659B/003/37.
^[11] “Find a Will,” database searched through “Wills and Probate 1858-1996,” GOV.UK (https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar#calendar : accessed 30 July 2017), >Casbon >1970, entry for Casbon George Walter, d. 9 Jan 1970.
^[12] “England & Wales deaths 1837-2007,” database, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=bmd%2fd%2f1942%2f2%2faz%2f000146%2f050 : accessed 30 July 2017), Emma Casbon (age 75), 2^nd quarter, 1942, Watford,Hertfordshire; ; citing General Register Office.

Jane, William and Edith, Part 1

March 30, 2017April 28, 2020 admin2 Comments

I would like to preface this post with these definitions:

Genealogy – a study of family ancestors with pertinent data such as birth, marriage and death dates.
Family History – an in-depth study of a family lineage with greater emphasis and clarification of each ancestor’s life story.[1]

Hopefully my readers will agree that this blog leans more towards the family history definition than that of genealogy. Not that I intend to demean genealogy in any way. Genealogy research is the tool I use to get the facts needed to write about our family history. The dates and events are important – and sometimes the only information I have. But what I really want to do is to understand and describe our ancestors’ lives and the world they lived in.

Which leads me to the discussion of siblings. A strict genealogical approach would emphasize direct ancestors – parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. Siblings might be mentioned, but probably not explored in depth. There’s nothing wrong with that approach, but I think it restricts the ability to understand our ancestors’ lives. If you think about your own relatives – brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents – they all relate in some way to your concept of family and how you fit into that family. It must have been the same for our ancestors. For this reason, it’s important to me to look beyond my own direct ancestors and find out more about their extended families.

The late 18th century and early 19th century was an especially rich time when it comes to Casbon families in the Meldreth, Cambridgeshire area. My fifth great-grandfather Thomas Casbon (1843–1799) and his wife Jane (Wilson, 1741–1831) had seven children, four of whom survived into adulthood and had families of their own. These were: James (1772–1833), Isaac (1773–1825), Thomas (1775–1820), and John (1779–1813). Each of them had three or more children who lived beyond childhood, and each of them continued to live and work in the Meldreth area.

My point is this: by the early 1800s, Meldreth was teeming with Casbons. There were siblings and cousins galore. They must have had at least passing acquaintance with one another.

So, after this admittedly roundabout introduction, I’ll finally get to the real subject of today’s post. This is the first in a 3-part series about 3 siblings: Jane, William, and Edith Casbon, the children of John and Martha (Wagstaff) Casbon. John and Martha were each the subjects of earlier posts (“John Casbon of Meldreth & Royston (~1779-1813)” and “Martha = Patty”). Today I’m focusing on their first child, Jane.

Jane was born in Royston, Hertfordshire, probably in 1803, and was baptized November 27th of that year.[2]

Detail from Royston parish registers, 1803. (Click on image to enlarge)

She was 10 years old and the oldest of the three children when her father died at Meldreth in 1813.[3] Given the social and economic conditions of the time, it probably would have been necessary for her to help support the family in some manner, but there is no record of this. Things would have improved when her mother married Samuel Barnes in 1815.[4] Jane and her siblings gained 4 half-brothers and one half-sister, ranging in age from 8 to 20 years old.

Jane never married. In the 1841 census, she was living with her mother, “Patty” Barns.[5]

Page from 1841 Census, Meldreth, Cambridgeshire. (Click on image to enlarge)

Two entries above that for Patty and Jane is one for William Casbel and his two children. This was not her brother William, but her first cousin, son of Isaac. Her brother William appears a few pages later, farther down the same street.

In the 1851 census, she was still living with her mother, and was now right next door to her brother.[6]

Page from 1851 Census, Meldreth, Cambridgeshire. (Click on image to enlarge)

This entry is interesting because it lists Janes mother as a “Pauper,” and Jane as a “Straw Platter.” What is a straw platter, you ask? The answer is that a straw plaiter was someone who braided straw to be used in the production of certain textiles, especially straw hats, which were fashionable at the time.[7],[8] The straw was braided into long strips and then sold by the score (20 yards) to either middlemen or manufacturers.[9] The straw plaits were sewn together in factories to make the finished product.[10] It was said that straw-plaiting women could earn more than their husbands.[11]

“Happy Times: Straw-Plaiting near St. Albans”[12] This engraving, based on a watercolor painting,
appeared in The Illustrated London News in May, 1853. (Click on image to enlarge)

Most straw plaiting in England was done in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire and Hertfordshire.[13] Meldreth, in Cambridgeshire, was only a few miles away from the county borders of both Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, so it was apparently close enough for Jane to get in on the business. It’s interesting that of the 776 entries in the 1851 Meldreth census, Jane’s is the only one given “straw platter” as the occupation.

In 1861, Jane was living alone, her mother having died in 1855.[14] Her occupation was listed as “Retired.”[15] This makes me curious whether she had a source of income or enough savings to live on.

The 1871 census makes a surprising revelation.[16]

Page from 1871 census, Melbourn, Cambridgeshire. (Click on image to enlarge)

She was now living in Melbourn (just a mile from Meldreth). The word “Pauper” under Occupation has been crossed out. The surprise is in the column on the far right that says “Cripple from Birth.” I didn’t see that coming! I don’t know what kind of disability she had, but I would guess that it affected her ability to walk normally. She seemed to be able to use her hands, given her earlier work as a straw plaiter. How did this disability affect her life? I would like to think that she overcame the adversities in her life and ended up a stronger, more independent woman.

Jane’s death at the age of 69 was registered in Royston in the third quarter of 1872.[17] There is no record of her burial in either the Meldreth or Melbourn parish registers.

[1] “Think There Is No Difference in Genealogy vs. Family History?,”n.d., familytree.com (http://www.familytree.com/blog/think-there-is-no-difference-in-genealogy-vs-family-history/ : accessed 29 March 2017).
[2] “Hertfordshire Baptisms,” images and transcriptions, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbprs%2fb%2f71142286%2f1 : accessed 29 March 2017), Jane Casburn, 27 Nov 1803; citing Hertfordshire Record Office, Royston Parish Register, Baptisms 1662—1812, Marriages 1662—1754, Burials 1662–1678.
[3] Parish of Meldreth (Cambridgeshire, England), “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877,” John Casbail burial, 3 Dec 1813; Family History Library microfilm 1,040,542.
[4] Parish of Meldreth, “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877,” marriage of Samuel Barnes & Martha Casbon, 24 Jul 1815; Family History Library microfilm 1,040,542.
[5] “1841 Census of England, Wales & Scotland,” High Street, Meldreth, Royston & Buntingford, Cambridgeshire; image and transcription, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1841%2f0000942497 : accessed 29 March 2017), entry for Jane Casbon (age 35) in household of Patty Barns; citing [The National Archives], HO 107, piece 63, book 19, folio 6, p. 6.
[6] “1851 Census of England, Wales & Scotland,” Meldreth, Royston, Hertfordshire; image and transcription, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1851%2f0006949839 : accessed 29 March 2017), entry for Jane Casbon (age 48) in household of Patty Barns; citing [The National Archives], HO 107, piece 1708, folio 49, p. 14.
[7] “Straw plaiting,” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_plaiting : accessed 29 March 2017), rev. 5 Dec 16, 21:32.
[8] Eleanor Markland, “Teachers’ Notes,” Luton: Hat Industry 1750 to 2000 (Luton Borough Council [Museum Service], 2003), p. 5; online PDF book, Luton Culture (http://www.lutonculture.com/uploads/documents/1339774056_HatIndustry.pdf : accessed 29 March 2017).
[9] Markland, “Teachers’ Notes,” Luton: Hat Industry 1750 to 2000, p. 6.
[10] Markland, “Teachers’ Notes,” Luton: Hat Industry 1750 to 2000, p. 48.
[11] Straw Plaiting,” A History of Preston in Hertfordshire (http://www.prestonherts.co.uk/page222.html : accessed 29 March 2017)
[12] “Happy Times: Straw-Plaiting near St. Albans,” The Illustrated London News, 14 May 1853, supplement, vol. 22, p. 392; online images, Hathi Trust Digital Library (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.60765664;view=1up;seq=394 : accessed 29 March 2017).
[13] “Straw plaiting,” Wikipedia.
[14] “1861 Census of Engand, Wales & Scotland,” Meldreth, Royston, Hertfordshire; image and transcription, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1861%2f0005026890 : accessed 29 March 2017), Jane Carston (age 59); citing [The National Archives], enumeration district 15, RG 09, piece 815, folio 59, p. 13.
[15] “1861 Census of Engand, Wales & Scotland,” Meldreth; findmypast (accessed 29 March 2017).
[16] “1871 Census of England, Wales & Scotland,” Meeting Lane, Melbourn, Royston, Hertfordshire, England; image and transcription, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1871%2f0016452824 : accessed 27 March 2017), entry for Jane Casbon (age 67)); citing [The National Archives], RG 10, piece 1362, folio 69, p. 14.
[17] “England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007,” Royston, Hertfordshire, vol. 3A: 195; database, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=bmd%2fd%2f1872%2f3%2faz%2f000054%2f315 : accessed 29 March 2017), Jane Casbon (age 69), 3d quarter, 1872.

A Family of Tailors

March 16, 2017April 15, 2020 admin5 Comments

We’ve already met Alfred Hitch Casbon. He’s the guy whose middle name was transcribed as “Jitel” (see “Without a Hitch”). He was the son of James (Howse) Casbon (1806–1871) by his first wife, Ann Hitch.

Alfred Hitch Casbon was born September 4, 1828 in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire and baptized in the “non-conformist” Independent church December 7th of the same year.^{^[1]} He spent his early years in Meldreth with his family. By 1851, however, “Hitch” was working as a tailor, and living in the town of Sandiacre, Derbyshire, England.^{^[2]}

Detail from 1851 census, Sandiacre, Derbyshire, England. (Click on image to enlarge)

For reasons unknown, he decided to be baptized again as an adult into the Church of England, in 1851.^{^[3]} Perhaps this had something to do with his upcoming marriage. He married Charlotte (Haines) Hornby, a widow, on August 9, 1852.^{^[4]}

Marriage record of Alfred Hitch Casbon and Charlotte Hornby, August 9, 1852. (Click on image to enlarge)

Alfred and Charlotte had a son, also named Alfred Hitch, in 1853.^{^[5]} Charlotte died in 1866,^{^[6]} and Alfred remarried in 1867, this time to Elizabeth Ryder, a previously unmarried woman.^{^[7]} Their first child, Arthur Hitch, born in 1868, lived only a matter of days.^{^[8]} Their second son was born in 1870 and named Harry Hitch Casbon.^{^[9]} Thus, Alfred Hitch Casbon had two surviving sons, born 17 years apart.

Alfred moved around quite a bit during his working years. His first marriage was in Hackney (London).^{^[10]} Arthur was baptized and buried in Haddenham (near Ely).^{^[11]} Harry was baptized in Ely proper.^{^[12]} By 1861 Alfred was again living in Hackney and in 1871 he was in Kent.^{^[13],} ^{^[14]}

By 1881 he finally settled down for good, in Bury, Lancashire. The census of that year is the only one that shows Alfred, his wife, and both surviving sons together.^{^[15]}

Page from 1881 Census, Bury, Lancashire, England. (Click on image to enlarge)

By this point, Alfred senior seems to have attained some stability in his occupation. He employed an apprentice and machinist. Alfred junior had also learned the tailor’s trade. Alfred senior died at Bury in 1887.^{^[16]} His widow Elizabeth died in 1904.^{^[17]}

Meanwhile, Alfred junior was married in 1885 to Margaret Marshall, the daughter of a baker.^{^[18]} In the 1891 census, Alfred and Margaret were listed in separate locations, Alfred as a lodger in Brighton, Sussex, and Margaret as head of household in Bury.^{^[19],} ^{^[20]} Perhaps this was due to a temporary work situation for Alfred, as they were together again in Bury for the 1901 census.^{^[21]} Alfred and Helen had two daughters, Helen and Laura, born 1887 and 1888, respectively.^{^[22],} ^{^[23]}

In the 1911 census, Alfred described his specialty as “gentlemens tailoring.”^{^[24]}

Schedule from 1911 Census, Bury, Lancashire, England. (Click on image to enlarge)

This census also shows that daughter Helen was employed as a milliner and Laura as an elementary school teacher. This census image is also interesting because it shows the actual form completed by Alfred and provided to the census enumerator. Prior to 1911 these forms, known as schedules, have been lost, and only the summary sheets completed by the census enumerators survive. Alfred’s wife Margaret died 1934 in Bury, and Alfred died one year later, also in Bury.^{^[25],} ^{^[26]}

By 1891, Harry Hitch, the youngest son, was also a tailor.^{^[27]} He married Elizabeth Bradshaw in 1897.^{^[28]} In the 1891 and 1901 censuses, Harry was living in Radcliffe, Lancashire, not far from Bury.^{^[29]} In 1911 he was living in Bury again.^{^[30]}

Detail from 1911 Census, Bury, Lancashire, England. (Click on image to enlarge)

Unlike their father, both Alfred junior and Harry were listed as “workers”—not employers—on the census forms. In the 1939 register (similar to a census – taken just after the outbreak of war), Harry is listed as a Journeyman Tailor – retired.^{^[31]} The word journeyman implies that he could serve as an employee, but had not fulfilled all the requirements to be a master tailor and hence could not be self-employed. Harry and Elizabeth never had children. Harry died 1943 in Fylde, Lancashire, and Helen died 1956 in Blackpool, Lancashire.^{^[32],} ^{^[33]}

Here’s a chart showing how the “Hitch’s” are descended from the Meldreth Casbon branch.

(Click on image to enlarge)

^{^[1]} “England & Wales Non-Conformist Births and Baptisms”, Hitch Casbon (born 4 Sep 1828, baptized 7 December 1828); images and transcriptions, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=tna%2frg4%2fbap%2f183809 : accessed 10 Jan 2017); citing The National Archives, TNA/RG/4/155.
^{^[2]} “1851 Census of England, Wales & Scotland,” image and transcription, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1851%2f0013258922 : accessed 8 March 2017), entry for Hitch Casbourn (age 22) in household of William Raynor,Sandiacre, Shardlow, Derbyshire, ; citing [The National Archives], HO 107, piece 2141, folio 241, p. 241 (stamped).
^{^[3]} Meldreth Parish (Cambridgeshire, England), Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877, Alfred Hitch Casbon baptism, 25 Oct 1851; FHL microfilm 1,040,542.
^{^[4]} “London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921,” Alfred Hitch Casbon & Charlotte Hornby, 9 August 1852; images and transcriptions, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 August 2016); citing London Metropolitan Archives, London.
^{^[5]} “England & Wales births 1837-2006,” Alfred Hitch Casbon; database, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=bmd%2fb%2f1853%2f2%2fah%2f000619%2f035 : accessed 8 March 2017); citing Hackney, London, England, 2d quarter, 1853, vol. 1B: 263.
^{^[6]} “London, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1980,” Parish of West Hackney, Middlesex, England; transcriptions and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2017), entry for Charlotte Casbon, buried 13 November 1866; citing Board of Guardian Records, 1834-1906 and Church of England Parish Registers, 1813-1906. London Metropolitan Archives, London.
^{^[7]} “London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921,” Alfred Hitch Casbon & Elizabeth Ryder, 15 April 1867; Ancestry (accessed 10 August 2016).
^{^[8]} Cambridge Family History Society, “Cambridgeshire Burials,” transcripts, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbprs%2fd%2f403340357%2f1 : accessed 8 March 2017), entry for Arthur Hitch Casbon, 17 Aug 1868, Haddenham, Cambridgeshire, England.
^{^[9]} Cambridge Family History Society, “Cambridgeshire Baptisms,” transcripts, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbprs%2fb%2f323517931%2f1 : accessed 31 Jan 2017), entry for Harry Hitch Casbon, born 25 May 1870, baptized 21 Jun 1870, Ely (Cambridgeshire), Wesleyan Methodist [Church].
^{^[10]} “London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921,” Casbon & Hornby, 9 August 1852.
^{^[11]} Cambridge Family History Society, “Cambridgeshire Burials,” Arthur Hitch Casbon, 17 Aug 1868.
^{^[12]} Cambridge Family History Society, “Cambridgeshire Baptisms,” Harry Hitch Casbon, born 25 May 1870.
^{^[13]} “1861 Census of England and Wales,” image and transcriptions, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1861%2f0000993933 : accessed 26 Jan 2017), entry for Alfred Cashon (age 32), Marys Place, Hackney, London; citing [The National Archives], RG 09, piece 155, folio 155, p. 63.
^{^[14]} “1871 Census of England, Wales & Scotland,” image and transcriptions, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1871%2f0014306938 : accessed 8 March 2017), entry for Alfred W Casban, Alexandria Road, St Lawrence, Thanet, Kent; citing [The National Archives], RG 10, piece 997, folio 70, p. 18.
^{^[15]} “1881 Census of England, Wales & Scotland,” image and transcriptions, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1881%2f0017803564 : accessed 8 March 2017), entry for Alfred K Casbon (age 52), Regent Street, Bury, Lancashire; citing [The National Archives], RG 11, piece 2864, folio 96, p. 22.
^{^[16]} “England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007,” Bury, Lancashire, England, vol. 8C, p. 404; database, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=bmd%2fd%2f1887%2f4%2faz%2f000060%2f108 : accessed 8 March 2017), entry for Alfred Hitch Casbon (age 59), 4th quarter, 1887.
^{^[17]} “England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007,” Preston, Lancashire, England, vol. 8E: 363; findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=bmd%2fd%2f1904%2f3%2faz%2f000060%2f351 : accessed 14 March 2017), entry for Elizabeth Casbon (age 75), 3d quarter, 1904.
^{^[18]} Parish of St Thomas Bradford, Yorkshire, England, Alfred Hitch Casbon & Margaret Marshall, 18 October 1885; transcripts and images, “West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935,” Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2017); citing Yorkshire Parish Records, West Yorkshire Archive Service, Wakefield, Yorkshire.
^{^[19]} “1891 Census of England Wales & Scotland,” image and transcription, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1891%2f0006364915 : accessed 8 March 2017), entry for entry for Alfred H Casbon (age 37) in household of George Luste[?se], Belgrave Street, Brighton, Sussex, England; citing [The National Archives], R 12, piece 806, folio 71, p. 31.
^{^[20]} “1891 Census of England Wales & Scotland,” image and transcription, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1891%2f0021545025 : accessed 8 March 2017), entry for Margaret Casbon (age 41), East Street, Bury, Lancashire, England; citing [The National Archives], RG 34, piece 3136, folio 50, p. 34.
^{^[21]} “1901 Census of England, Wales & Scotland,” image and transcription, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1901%2f0024703844 : accessed 8 March 2017), entry for Alfred H Cashon (age 47), East Street, Bury, Lancashire, England; citing [The National Archives], RG 13, piece 3645, folio 120, p. 33.
^{^[22]} “England & Wales births 1837-2006,” Bury, Lancashire, England, vol. 8C: 533; database, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=bmd%2fb%2f1887%2f4%2faz%2f000095%2f116 : accessed 15 March 2017), entry for Helen Marshall Casbon, 4th quarter, 1887.
^{^[23]} “England & Wales births 1837-2006,” Bury, Lancashire, England, vol. 8C: 560; database, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=bmd%2fb%2f1888%2f4%2faz%2f000095%2f356 : accessed 15 March 2017), entry for Laura Marshall Casbon, 4th quarter, 1888.
^{^[24]} “1911 Census of England and Wales,” image and transcription, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1911%2frg14%2f23516%2f0111%2f1 : accessed 8 March 2017), entry for Alf H Casbon (age 57), East St, Bury, Lancashire, England; citing [The National Archives], census reference RG14PN23516 RG78PN1371 RD462 SD5 ED5 SN56.
^{^[25]} “England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966,” database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 August 2016), Casbon, Margaret, 12 July 1934; citing Principal Probate Registry, Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England, London.
^{^[26]} “England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966,” database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 August 2016), Casbon, Alfred Hitch, 5 May 1935; citing Principal Probate Registry, Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England, London.
^{^[27]} “1891 Census of England Wales & Scotland,” image and transcription, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1891%2f0021600165 : accessed 8 March 2017), entry for Harry Casbon, West Street, Radcliffe, Bury, Lancashire; citing [The National Archives], RG 12, piece 3143, folio 47, p. 13.
^{^[28]} “England & Wales Marriages 1837-2008,” Bury, Lancashire, England, vol. 8c: 882; database, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=bmd%2fm%2f1897%2f3%2faz%2f000060%2f188 : accessed 16 March 2017), entry for Harry Hitch Casbon [& Elizabeth Bradshaw], 3d quarter, 1897.
^{^[29]} “1901 Census of England, Wales & Scotland,” image and transcription, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1901%2f0024729035 : accessed 8 March 2017), entry for Harry H Casbon (age 30), Wellington Street, Radcliffe, Bury, Lancashire, England; citing [The National Archives], RG 13, piece 3648, folio 90, p. 14.
^{^[30]} “1911 Census of England and Wales,” image and transcription, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1911%2frg14%2f23523%2f0577%2f1 : accessed 8 March 2017), entry for Harry Hitch Casbon, Nelson St, Bury, Lancashire; citing [The National Archives], RG14PN23523 RG78PN1371 RD462 SD5 ED12 SN286.
^{^[31]} “1939 Register,” image and transcription, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=TNA%2FR39%2F4258%2F4258A%2F014%2F19 : accessed 8 March 2017), entry for Harry H Casbon (born 25 May 1870), Collyhurst Avenue , Blackpool C.B., Lancashire; citing [The National Archives], RG101/4258A/014/19.
^{^[32]} “England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007,” Fylde, Lancashire, vol. 8E: 858; database, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=bmd%2fd%2f1943%2f1%2faz%2f000164%2f105 : accessed 16 March 2017), entry for Harry H Casbon (age 72), 1st quarter, 1943.
^{^[33]} “England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966,” database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2017), Casbon, Elizabeth, 24 April 1956; citing Principal Probate Registry, Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England, London.

Joseph and Lydia (Burgess) Casbon

March 2, 2017April 15, 2020 admin4 Comments

You might need the Kleenex® for this one.

One goal of genealogy, at least for me, is to keep lives from being forgotten. By writing about them, I hope to recognize, and give context and meaning to their existence, even if there are no living descendants to preserve their memory. Sometimes there is precious little to preserve when it comes to genealogical records.

Such is the case with Joseph Casbon and his wife Lydia. There is such a paucity of records, that I can only provide a bare outline of their lives. Unfortunately, those few records tell a depressing story

Until I was given a very old hand-written family history last year, I didn’t know if or how Joseph was related to the other Casbons. I wrote about this in a post titled “From England to Indiana, Part 2.” Joseph was listed as the son of Isaac Casbon (1773–1825), and brother to Thomas (1803–1888), William (1806–1875), and James (abt. 1813–1884). The only description given of Joseph was this: “dead he left no heirs.”[1]

Other than this family history, the only two records I have that mention Joseph by name are those documenting his marriage and his burial. The first of these records his marriage to Lydia Burgess in 1835.[2]

Marriage record of Joseph Casbon and Lydia Burgess, October 17, 1835, Parish of Royston (Hertfordshire & Cambridgeshire, England). (Click on image to enlarge)

A little information can be gleaned from this record. We can see that Joseph was a resident of Melbourn parish (just outside of Meldreth) and a bachelor. Lydia was “of this parish” (Royston) and a spinster – meaning an unmarried woman. Both Joseph and Lydia signed with their marks, meaning they were not proficient at writing, and possibly could not read. I don’t recognize the names of either of the two witnesses (John Thurley & Phoebe Huggins).

The only other record I have of Joseph is his burial in Meldreth March 7, 1847.[3]

Detail from Meldreth Parish register, burials 1847. (Click on image to enlarge)

The burial record tells us that Joseph was still a resident of Melbourn, and that he was 36 years old when he died. This is useful information, because I’ve never been able to find a record of his baptism. Assuming the age is correct, we can estimate that he was born in 1810 or 11, and that he was about 24 years old when he married Lydia.

For Lydia, in addition to the marriage record, I have two census entries, birth registrations for her children, and a burial record. The first of these is the 1841 England and Wales census.[4]

Detail from 1841 census of England, Melbourn, Cambridgeshire. (Click on image to enlarge)

The census tells us that Lydia lived in Chiswick End, a street lies roughly in between Melbourn and Meldreth proper.

Map detail showing location of Chiswick End, from Ordnance Survey of Great Britain New Popular Edition, Sheet 148 – Saffron Walden. This work is based on data provided through www.VisionofBritain.org.uk and uses historical material which is copyright of the Great Britain Historical GIS Project and the University of Portsmouth.

The 1841 census also shows that Lydia was 28 years old and was born outside of Cambridgeshire (the “No” in the right-hand column). Two children were in the home: Ann, age 2, born in Cambridgeshire; and Mary, 6 months, also born in Cambridgeshire.

For an unknown reason, Joseph is not recorded in this census. The census only recorded those who were physically present in the household at the time of the census. If a family member was visiting relatives or working elsewhere, they could be recorded at whichever location they occupied on the day of the census (more accurately the night of the census, but that’s another story). Some records have been lost or are too illegible to read. At any rate, I haven’t been able to find an entry for Joseph anywhere in England in the 1841 census. He must have been around, since Lydia continued bearing children (presumably his) through 1844.

In the 1851, Lydia was living in “M[elbourn] in Meldreth,” and listed as: head of household, widow, age 39.[5]

Detail from 1851 census of England, Melbourn, Hertfordshire. (Click on image to enlarge)

Her status is widow makes sense, given that Joseph died in 1847. In addition, she is described as a “Pauper,” meaning she was dependent on public support. Her birthplace is listed as Chrishall, Essex. Daughter Ann is not recorded, but Mary, now age 10, is there, along with a new daughter Emma, age 6. Both daughters were born in Meldreth. From these two censuses, we can estimate that Lydia was born in 1812 or 13. I’ve searched online for records of her birth in and around Chrishall, Essex, in this timeframe, without success.

Three children are mentioned in the two census records. I haven’t found baptismal records for any of them, but in the course of researching for this post, I was able to find civil registrations of their births. Birth registrations were required in England beginning in 1837. Births in Meldreth and Melbourn were registered in nearby Royston, Hertfordshire. The online birth registration index contains limited information – only name, year, quarter of birth, and mother’s maiden name. Individual birth records with complete information can be purchased from the General Register Office, but I haven’t done so.

In addition to the daughters listed in the census, I found a birth registration for a fourth child, also a daughter. Sadly, I also found burial records in Meldreth for three of these four children. Here is a summary of the four daughters’ lives:

Harriet Ann (“Ann” in the 1841 census): born 4th quarter, 1838;[6] buried August 15, 1850, age 11.[7] Her death explains her absence from the 1851 census.

Mary: born 1st quarter, 1841.[8] Orphaned at age 10, she survived to adulthood. Her immigration to the United States and subsequent marriage to William Slocum is described in “From England to Indiana, Part 8.”

Hannah (not in either census record): born 4th quarter, 1842;[9] buried June 6, 1848, age 5.[10]

Emma: born 4th quarter, 1844;[11] buried April 9, 1852, age 7.[12]

Lydia was buried in June, 1851, just a couple months after the census was taken.[13]

Detail from Parish of Meldreth, Bishop’s transcripts for Meldreth, 1599-1862, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-NXZK?mode=g&i=287&cc=1465708&cat=1108704 : accessed 28 February 2017) (Click on image to enlarge)

Her age on the burial record does not match her estimated year of birth from the census records, but this must be her. There was no one else in England with her name and the same approximate age.

What happened to this family? Five of six family members were buried within the span of five years. They could have died from a variety of causes, but my guess is that they suffered from what was then known as consumption (tuberculosis), a disease aggravated by conditions associated with poverty: living in close quarters, poor sanitation, and malnutrition.

On the other hand, after the loss of her husband and two daughters, and with another probably very sick at home, is it too much to believe that Lydia might have died from a broken heart?

[1] Author unknown, photocopy of untitled, undated, handwritten family tree describing descendants of Isaac and Thomas Casbon, 1890-92 (estimated), p. 1, line 5; privately held by Jon Casbon [Address for private use], 2017; photocopy was given to Jon Casbon by Donald A Casbon [Address for private use] in 2016; source and location of original is unknown.
[2] Parish of Royston (Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, England), “Register of Marriages [1813–1837],” p. 89, Joseph Casbon & Lydia Burgess, 17 Oct 1835; database with images, “Hertfordshire Marriages,” findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : accessed 3 February 2017).
[3] Parish of Meldreth (Cambridgeshire, England), parish registers, 1681-1877, Joseph Casbon burial (1847); FHL microfilm 1,040,542.
[4] 1841 census of England, Cambridgeshire, Melbourn, p. 14 (stamped), Lydia Casbon; image, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : accessed 21 July 2016); citing [The National Archives] HO 107, piece 63, book 15, folio 14, p. 22.
[5] 1851 census of England, Hertfordshire, Melbourn, p. 29 (stamped), Lydia Casbon; image, findmypast (accessed 21 July 2016); citing [The National Archives] HO 107, piece 1708, folio 206, p. 29.
[6] HM Passport Office, database, Search the [General Register Office] GRO Online Index (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp : accessed 28 February 2017), birth of Harriet Ann Casbon (1838); citing Hertfordshire, December quarter 1838, Royston & Buntingford district, vol. 6: 463.
[7] Parish of Meldreth, parish registers, 1681-1877, Harriet Anne Casbon burial (1850); FHL microfilm 1,040,542.
[8] GRO Online Index (accessed 28 February 2017), birth of Mary Casbon (1841); citing Hertfordshire, March quarter 1841, Royston & Buntingford district, vol. 6:553.
[9] GRO Online Index (accessed 28 February 2017), birth of Hannah Casbon (1842); citing Hertfordshire, December quarter 1841, Royston & Buntingford district, vol. 6:530.
[10] Meldreth parish registers, Hannah Casbon burial (1848); FHL microfilm 1,040,542.
[11] GRO Online Index (accessed 28 February 2017), birth of Emma Casbon (1844); citing Hertfordshire, December quarter 1841, Royston & Buntingford district, vol. 6:540.
[12] Meldreth parish registers, Emma Casbon burial (1852); FHL microfilm 1,040,542.
[13] Meldreth parish registers, Lydia Casbourn burial (1851); FHL microfilm 1,040,542.

Stepping back: Thomas Casbon, 1743-1799

December 8, 2016April 15, 2020 admin5 Comments

One thing that most people want to know about in tracing their ancestry is “how far back can I go?.” The best way to do this is to go back one generation at a time, looking for evidence that proves how the two generations are related. Eventually you reach a point where there is not enough evidence to be sure of the connection.

In the case of my “Meldreth Casbon” ancestors, records go back to the 1500s. However, I’ve only been able to confidently trace our ancestry back to the early 1700s. The reason is that earlier records do not provide enough information to “connect the dots,” that is, to say with certainty who is related to whom. The method for establishing these connections is known as the Genealogical Proof Standard.

Adapted from The Board for Certification of Genealogists http://www.bcgcertification.org/resources/standard.html

I will try to illustrate this process with the subject of today’s post, Thomas (yes, another Thomas!) Casbon, father of my 4th great-grandfather, Isaac. This diagram shows how Thomas is related to the other “Meldreth Casbons” I’ve discussed so far.

(Click on image to enlarge)

I’ll start with Isaac’s baptismal record, since I have a good chain of evidence proving that he is my ancestor.

Church of England, Parish Church of Meldreth “Bishop’s transcripts for Meldreth, 1599-1862” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-NF4Z?i=236&cat=1108704
(Click on image to enlarge)

We’ve seen this record before, in “The Collage Explained.” From this record we know that Isaac was baptized July 11, 1773 and that his parents’ names were Thomas and Jane. But who were Thomas and Jane? How can we learn more about them?

If Isaac was baptized as an infant, we can guess that his parents were married within the previous 20 years and born another 20 years or so before that. Although unlikely, his father Thomas might even have been born as many as 70 years or so earlier than Isaac. This gives approximate dates to look back in the parish registers for marriage and birth records.

The parish registers are available on microfilm. In addition, Bishop’s Transcripts, i.e., copies of the parish registers that were sent to the Bishop every year, can be viewed online at https://familysearch.org/search/film/007672879?cat=1108704 (free user account required to view these records).

I could not find a marriage record for Thomas and Jane in Meldreth, but from past experience, I knew that many of our ancestral records could also be found in the adjacent parish of Melbourn, located less than a mile away from Meldreth (just across the A10 highway). My search was more productive here: I found a record for Thomas Casbon and Jane Wilson, married October 25, 1769. [1]

From Melbourn Bishop’s Transcripts, Marriages 1769 (Click on image to enlarge)

This date of this marriage fits very well with Isaac’s baptism, so at this point we can say these are probably [my emphasis] his parents. But Thomas and Jane were both common names, so it’s important to make sure there aren’t any other records for a Thomas Casb* (* = any string of letters) marrying a woman named Jane in this time frame. Fortunately, several online genealogy sites make it relatively easy to search for this kind of information. I could not find any other marriages in the correct time frame between Thomas Casb* and a woman named Jane. So, based on the evidence (names, dates, location) and lack of contradictory information, I’m comfortable saying that Thomas Casbon and Jane Wilson, who were married in Melbourn, 1769, are the same Thomas and Jane listed on Isaac’s baptismal record.

The next step is to find a birth or baptismal record for Thomas Casb* in about the 1700 to 1753 time frame. Again, the parish registers on microfilm, Bishop’s transcripts and online search engines come to the rescue. Fortunately, there is only one viable candidate: Thomas, the son of John and Ann Casbel, baptized December 11, 1743 in Meldreth. [2]

Meldreth parish registers, Baptisms 1743. (Click on image to enlarge)

This birth date fits very well with what we know so far: Thomas would have been 26+ years old when he married Jane and 30+ when Isaac was born.

I would also like to know more about Jane, since she is my 5th great-grandmother. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find a baptismal record for a Jane Wilson in Meldreth or the immediate area. Apparently there were no Wilson families living in Meldreth, as the name appears very rarely in the parish records. However, I can deduce that Jane was born in about 1841 based on the age reported on her burial record (see below). This would have given her an age of about 22 when her son Isaac was born.

Now that I’ve established birth and marriage dates for Thomas and Jane, let’s see what other children were born to them.

Their first recorded child is Anne, baptized as Casbull in June 1773. [3] She died less than 4 months later. [4]

Burial record of Anne Casbull 1773 (Click on image to enlarge)

You can see that another Anne Casbull was buried on February 18th of the same year. This was Anne, the wife of John. She was the mother of our Thomas, and was mentioned in his baptismal record above.

Thomas and Jane’s second child was baptized James Casbull in Meldreth, July 19, 1772. [5]

(Click on image to enlarge)

I’ll be writing more about James in a future post. He had several children and is the ancestor of a significant line of Casbons today.

Isaac was their third child. As I’ve discussed in previous posts, his sons Thomas and James emigrated to the United States, while sons William and Joseph remained in England.

After Isaac came another son, Thomas, baptized Casbul, May 28, 1775, in Meldreth. [6]

(Click on image to enlarge)

He left Meldreth and lived his entire adult life in the nearby parish of Shepreth (1.5 miles from Meldreth). His three children died in their teens and did not have descendants.

I’ve mentioned before that it was common practice to name a child after one who was previously deceased. This was the case with Thomas and Jane’s fifth, sixth, and seventh children – all named John and baptized in Meldreth. The first son John was baptized with the surname Casbill in February 1776. [7] His burial was recorded on October 29, 1777. [8] There is no baptismal record for their second son John. He must have been born sometime between his namesake’s death in 1777 and his own burial in June 1778. [9]

Burial record of the second John, June 7, 1778, in Meldreth, John Son of Thomas and Jane Casbon 7th.
(Click on image to enlarge)

The third son John survived into adulthood. He was baptized Casborne, October 3, 1779. [10]

You can clearly see the grain of the parchment in this image (Click on image to enlarge)

This John also fathered a significant line of Casbons. He is included in the diagram at the top of this post, and is the father of Reuben and Samuel Clark, who were discussed in earlier posts.

This diagram shows all of Thomas and Jane’s children.

(Click on image to enlarge)

The only remaining records needed to complete this profile of Thomas and Jane’s lives are their burial records. Based on the baptism of their last child, 1779 would be the earliest possible year to find a death record for either of them. Based on their estimated birth years, it would be very unlikely to find a burial record later than 1840.

I have located this record for Thomas Casbell, buried July 22, 1799 in Meldreth. [11]

(Click on image to enlarge)

Although there is nothing in this record to tell us for certain that this is our Thomas, born in 1843 and married to Jane Wilson, he is the only likely candidate. The only other Thomas Casb* living in the area at the time was our Thomas’ own son Thomas, born in 1775. Fortunately, there is good evidence that Thomas the son died in 1825. [12] After a thorough review of the available local records, I haven’t found any contradictory evidence, so I’m confident this is the correct burial date.

For Jane, I’m confident that she was buried on November 22, 1831 in Meldreth. [13]

Meldreth Bishop’s Transcripts, Burials 1831. (Click on image to enlarge)

There was one other Jane living in the area in the time after Thomas’ death. She was the granddaughter of Thomas and Jane by their son John, baptized Jane Casburn 1803, in nearby Royston. [14] Census records show that she was still alive after 1831, so she could not be the Jane buried in 1831. [15] In addition, by 1813 or so, burial records consistently recorded the age of the deceased. In this case, we can see that Jane’s age at death was recorded as 90, which is how I derived a birth year of 1741. She is listed as a widow, which is consistent with Thomas’ death in 1799.

While these records are sufficient to establish an outline of their lives, they give us little insight into what kind of lives Thomas and Jane led. We know that Thomas was a labourer, and that he lived long enough to see his surviving children reach maturity. As an elderly widow, we can guess that Jane was supported by her children. Beyond that we can only speculate.

This illustrates the challenges of locating, compiling, and interpreting genealogical data in order to trace one’s lineage. From Thomas, I can only trace the “Meldreth Casbons” back one more generation with reasonable certainty. I will save that for a future post.

[1] Church of England, Parish of Melbourne, “Bishop’s transcripts for Melbourne, 1599-1847.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-6BCP?i=256&cat=1109075 [accessed 11 May 2016]
[2] Church of England. Parish Church of Meldreth, “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877.” Baptisms 1743 FHL microfilm #1040542
[3] “Bishop’s transcripts for Meldreth, 1599-1862.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-NFCJ?i=233&cat=1108704 [accessed 12 May 2016]
[4] “Bishop’s transcripts for Meldreth, 1599-1862.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-NFCJ?i=233&cat=1108704 [accessed 12 May 2016]
[5] “Bishop’s transcripts for Meldreth, 1599-1862.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-NF4G?i=235&cat=1108704 [accessed 12 May 2016]
[6] “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877.” Baptisms 1775
[7] “Bishop’s transcripts for Meldreth, 1599-1862.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-NFLC?i=239&cat=1108704 [accessed 12 May 2016]
[8] “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877.” Burials 1777
[9] “Bishop’s transcripts for Meldreth, 1599-1862.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-NXYQ?i=242&cat=1108704 [accessed 12 May 2016]
[10] “Bishop’s transcripts for Meldreth, 1599-1862.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-NFVM?mode=g&i=243&cat=1108704 [accessed 1 December 2016]
[11] “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877.” Burials 1799
[12] Church of England, Parish of Shepreth, “Bishop’s transcripts for Shepreth, 1599-1871.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9TD-N7KB-X?i=248&cat=1126796 [accessed 8 November 2015]
[13] “Bishop’s transcripts for Meldreth, 1599-1862.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-N656?i=354&cat=1108704 [accessed 11 May 2016]
[14] “England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NB69-ZXJ [accessed 4 August 2016]
[15] “1841 Census of England and Wales,” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQR8-J6S [accessed 8 September 2016]

From England to Indiana, Part 3

October 21, 2016April 14, 2020 admin14 Comments

This is the third post in a series discussing the handwritten family history of Isaac Casbon and his descendants. This post focuses on Thomas Casbon’s emigration to the United States with his family.

(Click on image to enlarge)

Thomas Casbon emigrated to United States in the year of ~~1865~~ 1846. Although I haven’t been able to find a ship’s manifest or passenger list documenting Thomas’ voyage to America, there are several sources describing his emigration. One of the more detailed is the following, contained in a biographical sketch of his son Sylvester:

“Thomas … Casbon … who was an English farmer, in 1847 determined to share in the remarkable opportunities of the new world, and in that year embarked his family at Southampton on board the Canadian lumber boat Parkfield.…The boat on which they took passage had a long and tedious voyage, leaving England in February, first sighting land at the Banks and thence sailing up the St. Lawrence river.… At Niagara the family made the transfer in the horse cars then in use, and all had time to enjoy the spectacle of the mighty falls. From Buffalo they took another boat to Cleveland, where they arrived in the month of May. Thomas Casbon, the father, moved to Wayne county, Ohio, and bought eighty acres of land near Wooster.”[1]

The source above incorrectly gives the year as 1847. When Thomas applied for naturalization in 1852, he gave the year of his emigration as 1846.[2]

The journey must have been memorable. Another description says “the sailing vessel on which they all embarked encountered adverse winds that after several weeks drove it back within sight of the starting point, and it was a long voyage before the western continent appeared.”[3] Sylvester later named a son Charles Parkfield Casbon – his middle name commemorating the ship that brought them from England to America!

He was Married to Emma Scruby at Meldrith or Melborn Church Cambridgeshire England where the record may be found. Here is a copy of Thomas and Emma’s marriage record from the Melbourn parish registers, dated October 9, 1830.[4]

(Click on image to enlarge)

There are a couple of interesting things to point out in this marriage record. First, notice that the married couple and the two witnesses all signed with their ‘mark.’ Thomas used an ‘x’ and Emma used a ‘+’ sign. This suggests that neither one was proficient at writing. This is not surprising, because there was no compulsory education in England at the time.[5]

The other item of interest is that Joseph Casbon is listed as a witness to the marriage. We learned in the previous post that Joseph was Thomas’ younger brother. This marriage record is the only primary source document I’ve seen that links Joseph with the rest of the family.

Thomas and Emma Casbon had born to them 4 son’s and 2 daughters the firs born son died in infancy the name being the same as the secon born boy. Mary Ann Silvester Charles Jesse and Emma the last Daughter beng born in the state of Ohio Wayne Co. Mary Anne Casbon was baptized in Meldreth in 1833[6]. Their firstborn son was named Sell. He was baptized in 1836[7] and buried 23 days later[8]. Their next son, also named Sell (a nickname for Sylvester), was baptized 1837 in Meldreth[9]. The next two sons, Charles (“Thomas Charles”) and Jesse, were baptized in Meldreth 1840[10] and 1844, respectively.[11] Finally, daughter Emma was born May 22^nd, 1847[12], not quite 1 year after they arrived in Wayne County, Ohio.

Everything in this part of the family history matches the original sources. The author must have had first-hand knowledge of most of this information. I wonder if one of Thomas’ children was the author?

[1] “Sylvester V. Casbon” History of Porter County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of its Historical Progress, its People and its Principal Interests. Lewis Publishing Company (1912), Pages 482-484. Hathi Trust Digital Library: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011679885 [accessed 20 August 2016]
[2] Wayne County HIstorical Society (Ohio), Genealogical Section, Wayne County, Ohio : abstracts of naturalization records, 1812-1903 (Wooster, Ohio: Wayne County Historical Society – Genealogical Section, 1985), page 29
[3] “History of Porter County, Indiana.” Page 459
[4] Church of England. “Bishop’s transcripts for Melbourne, 1599-1847.” Marriages 1830. FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-6B25?i=536&cat=1109075 [accessed 15 May 2016]
[5] Lemire, D. A Historiographical Survey of Literacy in Britain between 1780 and 1830. Constellations Vol 4, No.1 (2012). https://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/constellations/article/viewFile/18862/14652 [accessed 18 Aug 2016)
[6] Church of England., “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877”, Baptisms 1833. FHL Microfilm #1040542. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1980
[7] Church of England., “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877”, Baptisms 1836
[8] Church of England., “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877”, Burials 1836
[9] Church of England., “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877”, Baptisms 1837
[10] Church of England., “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877”, Baptisms 1840
[11] Church of England., “Parish registers for Meldreth, 1681-1877”, Baptisms 1844
[12] “Emma Rigg” Find A Grave Memorial # 18208125. Find A Grave http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=18208125 [accessed 18 Aug 2016]

Mary Ann, Edith, Jane and Martha Casbon

Sarah Casbon

Priscilla Casbon

Julia Frances Casbon

Kate Casban

Margaret Alice Casban

Olive Louise, Maud Emily, Hilda Mary, and Elsie Lydia Casbon

Map showing Meldreth, Melbourn, Royston and Barley (indicated by stars) (Google Maps).

Newspaper image © The British Library Board. All rights reserved. With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk).

An iron tire being placed on a wooden wheel. (Daphne Turner, “The Craft of the Wheelwright,” Small Farmer’s Journal, issue 28-4, online periodical {https://smallfarmersjournal.com/the-craft-of-the-wheelwright : accessed 30 July 2017}).

Detail from Royston parish registers, 1803. (Click on image to enlarge)

Page from 1841 Census, Meldreth, Cambridgeshire. (Click on image to enlarge)

Page from 1851 Census, Meldreth, Cambridgeshire. (Click on image to enlarge)

“Happy Times: Straw-Plaiting near St. Albans”[12] This engraving, based on a watercolor painting, appeared in The Illustrated London News in May, 1853. (Click on image to enlarge)

Page from 1871 census, Melbourn, Cambridgeshire. (Click on image to enlarge)

Detail from 1851 census, Sandiacre, Derbyshire, England. (Click on image to enlarge)

Marriage record of Alfred Hitch Casbon and Charlotte Hornby, August 9, 1852. (Click on image to enlarge)

Page from 1881 Census, Bury, Lancashire, England. (Click on image to enlarge)

Schedule from 1911 Census, Bury, Lancashire, England. (Click on image to enlarge)

Detail from 1911 Census, Bury, Lancashire, England. (Click on image to enlarge)

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Marriage record of Joseph Casbon and Lydia Burgess, October 17, 1835, Parish of Royston (Hertfordshire & Cambridgeshire, England). (Click on image to enlarge)

Detail from Meldreth Parish register, burials 1847. (Click on image to enlarge)

Detail from 1841 census of England, Melbourn, Cambridgeshire. (Click on image to enlarge)

Detail from 1851 census of England, Melbourn, Hertfordshire. (Click on image to enlarge)

Harriet Ann (“Ann” in the 1841 census): born 4th quarter, 1838;[6] buried August 15, 1850, age 11.[7] Her death explains her absence from the 1851 census.

Mary: born 1st quarter, 1841.[8] Orphaned at age 10, she survived to adulthood. Her immigration to the United States and subsequent marriage to William Slocum is described in “From England to Indiana, Part 8.”

Hannah (not in either census record): born 4th quarter, 1842;[9] buried June 6, 1848, age 5.[10]

Emma: born 4th quarter, 1844;[11] buried April 9, 1852, age 7.[12]

Detail from Parish of Meldreth, Bishop’s transcripts for Meldreth, 1599-1862, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-NXZK?mode=g&i=287&cc=1465708&cat=1108704 : accessed 28 February 2017) (Click on image to enlarge)

Adapted from The Board for Certification of Genealogists http://www.bcgcertification.org/resources/standard.html

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Church of England, Parish Church of Meldreth “Bishop’s transcripts for Meldreth, 1599-1862” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-NF4Z?i=236&cat=1108704 (Click on image to enlarge)

From Melbourn Bishop’s Transcripts, Marriages 1769 (Click on image to enlarge)

Meldreth parish registers, Baptisms 1743. (Click on image to enlarge)

Burial record of Anne Casbull 1773 (Click on image to enlarge)

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Burial record of the second John, June 7, 1778, in Meldreth, John Son of Thomas and Jane Casbon 7th. (Click on image to enlarge)

You can clearly see the grain of the parchment in this image (Click on image to enlarge)

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Meldreth Bishop’s Transcripts, Burials 1831. (Click on image to enlarge)

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“Happy Times: Straw-Plaiting near St. Albans”[12] This engraving, based on a watercolor painting,
appeared in The Illustrated London News in May, 1853. (Click on image to enlarge)

Church of England, Parish Church of Meldreth “Bishop’s transcripts for Meldreth, 1599-1862” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T9-NF4Z?i=236&cat=1108704
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Burial record of the second John, June 7, 1778, in Meldreth, John Son of Thomas and Jane Casbon 7th.
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