29 May 2009

Lots of greats . . .

Today's snippets come predominantly from my paternal side, starting with the wedding of Elizabeth Fordham & John Collier in 1800 at St James, Hemingford Grey.  I don't know much about this couple, other than her parentage, and the fact that she's my great-great-great-great-aunt.  I must put them on the "To Do" list.

And now another wedding - Charles Culpin, my great-great-great-great-grandfather, and Catherine Sutton, nee Watts.  Interesting, this one; Charles was born in 1787, christened in St Ives and married Elizabeth Aspital in 1809.  They produced Mary in 1810, but sadly Elizabeth lost her life in the process, with Mary living only six weeks herself.

There then followed seven Culpin christenings at the Parish Church in St Ives between 1811 and 1821, all children of Charles; then two more children, who weren't christened, in 1823 & 1825, and then Charles and Catherine get married today in 1828 . . . . at St Leonard's in Shoreditch.

In my experience, if a couple marries so far out of the parish, it's because they have something to hide from the locals, so I'd guess that they lived together for all those years without actually letting on that they weren't married.

Anyway, Charles Culpin was, of course, a blacksmith and he died in St Ives in 1852.  Catherine, who had previously been married to Joseph Sutton and produced Joseph Watts Sutton, lived on in the town as "widow and gentlewoman" until 1869.  Chas & Cat are buried together in Broadleas Cemetery, St Ives, with the memorial headstone: "Sacred to the memory of Charles Culpin, who died Sepr 2nd 1852, in the  66th year of his age.  The memory of the just is blessed.  Also  Catherine, his wife, who died Jany 5th 1869 in the 87th year of her age.   She lived a life of faith in God and her end was peace."

And, just to round off today so I can watch Andy Murray with a clear conscience, let me present Miss Margaret Smith, born in 1823 in Chatteris.  She was my 1st cousin 4 times removed, the daughter of Nicholas & Susannah, and the only other thing I know about her is that she was in Slade End, Chatteris, in the 1851 census, working as a farm labourer.

More soon.



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