“You never get away from that thing in your hometown that it has over you. You don’t outgrow where you come from." – Brian Fallon As a child of a military family, I never had a hometown. We moved every few years to a variety of locations in and out of the United States. The… Continue reading Croydon
Tag: John
New Homes, New Names
First, let me wish all of my readers a Happy Thanksgiving! ******************************************** I recently documented how the numbers of Casbon ancestors living in Meldreth, Cambridgeshire, dwindled, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century.[1] Today I’ll highlight two brothers who left Meldreth in the 1860s. Not only did they leave the ancestral home, but they also left the… Continue reading New Homes, New Names
Going, Going …
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… Continue reading Going, Going …
John Casball, Cordwainer
This record from 1718 caught my eye.[1] 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… Continue reading John Casball, Cordwainer
“Gay Girl,” the Story of Harry and Kate
This story doesn’t have a happy ending. In my last post, introducing the “Chatteris Casbons,” I made brief mention of 13-year old Harry Casbon in the home of his grandmother, Emma Allpress, in 1881.[1] After considerable effort, I found Harry in the 1871 census, also living with his grandmother Emma. The “considerable effort” comes from… Continue reading “Gay Girl,” the Story of Harry and Kate
Chatteris
CHATTERIS, a parish and market town in the hundred of North Witchford, in the county of Cambridge, 26 miles N.W. of Cambridge, and 7 S. of March. It is a station on the Ely and Peterborough railway, and is situated on the river Ouse. Alwina, wife of Athelstan, and niece of King Edgar, founded a… Continue reading Chatteris
Financial Difficulties
We haven’t visited the Peterborough Casbons in a while, so let’s check in on them. For a refresher, this branch of the family arose in the area of Littleport, Cambridgeshire, and over the course of two generations, ended up in Peterborough sometime before 1851.[1] By 1870, the third generation of gardeners consisted of two brothers,… Continue reading Financial Difficulties
Did James Casbon (~1813–1884) Use an Alias in the 1861 Census?
OK, I’ll admit it – it sounds a bit fantastic. But hear me out, it’s not totally crazy. Why would I think this entry from the 1861 census of England might be James Casbon? For starters, here is a little background. James was my fourth great uncle, the youngest brother of my third great grandfather,… Continue reading Did James Casbon (~1813–1884) Use an Alias in the 1861 Census?
Jane, William and Edith, Part 3
This is the third and final post in a series about the children of John Casbon (1779–1813) and his wife Martha (Wagstaff; 1775–1855). Today I’ll focus on Edith, the third child. Edith was born October 9, 1808, and baptized one month later in the tiny village of Whaddon, Cambridgeshire.[1] Whaddon is about 1.5 miles west… Continue reading Jane, William and Edith, Part 3
Jane, William and Edith, Part 2
This is the second post in a series about the three children of John Casbon (1779–1813) and his wife Martha (Wagstaff, 1775–1855). Their second child was William. His birth date is not recorded, but he was baptized in Royston, Hertfordshire on Christmas day, 1805, so he was probably born earlier that same year.[1] William is… Continue reading Jane, William and Edith, Part 2