22 February 2009

Happy Birthdays to . .

Loads of birthdays to catch up on so I'll be brief:- Henry Crane, 1st Cuz 6 times removed, was born on 18th February 1797 in Exning near Newmarket; Mary Wright, 4th cuz 7 times removed, was born on the same day in 1738 in Stretham and died in November of the same year.

Slightly less brief:- Nancy Irene Culpin, born 20th February 1907 in St Ives and much closer in terms of relationship - 1st cuz twice removed (her father was my great-great uncle) and I do know a fair bit more about her. However, she has children still living so I shall say no more.

Same name, next door county - Ernest John Culpin (6th cuz twice removed) was born on 18th in Manea in 1889. He went on to marry Lily Bent in the village in 1914 and they had at least two sons, having moved to St Ives. This confused me mightily for months until I was able to sort him out from my "main" St Ives Culpins.

Back to Cambs, remaining on the 18th - Phebe Bigley was born in 1824 in Chatteris, one of many children of John & Mary (nee Smith). She married Edward Wade in 1849 and they went on to have six children in the next ten years. I last saw the family in the 1871 census in Chatteris and I plainly need to go and look for more info on them!

Hemingford Grey 1870 saw the birth of Henry Fordham on 20th February. The son of John and Mary Ann (nee Skinner) he grew up to be a solicitor's clerk, still living in the village but, I guess, working in St Ives which is just a moderately short walk away.

Pause for breath . . . . right, moving on to yesterday in 1870 in the homestead - Tuddenham St Mary, in Suffolk, Arthur John Mace Sparkes was born to William & Agnes. Well, I say William was his father but I just assumed that - he was born before his mother married William but I think the name rather points to his parentage! The last view I had of him was in the 1891 census when he is a railway porter but in the Eastern Hospital in Hackney as a patient. No idea what was wrong with him - no census is that detailed, but I think he survived; at least, I haven't found a death registered yet!

Yet another Culpin - my great-great uncle John Arthur Whatford Culpin, son of Charles & Sarah (nee Whatford), born today in 1853 in St Ives. He grew up to be a carpenter, lived just up the road from me in 1871 and then married Mary Ann Susan Moule in 1880 in Trumpington. They then moved up to Stamford, in Lincolnshire, where their two sons were born. Mary died in 1882 and he remarried - rather quickly, it has to be said, but he did have two young children to look after - in 1884 to Sarah Jennings. Last seen still in Stamford in 1901.

Getting even closer to home, although nothing beats John for "just up the road-ness", Gertrude Ann Murfitt born today in 1873 in Ely and, finally, even closer, Joseph Wolf, born today in 1833 in Girton - about two miles away as the crow flies.

That's it, I've run out of birthdays to catch up on; just a few marriages to think about for tomorrow's entry!!!

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