I’ve found two potential marriages for my 3x great grandfather. Which is the right one?
QI inherited a jug given by (William) James Curtis, my great great grandfather (born c1820), to Lucy Dennis, his future wife. James died aged 30. His death certificate names him as William a “mariner”, the cause of death “apoplexy”, and he died on 18 November 1849 “off the north forland on board the schooner John Weavel of Hastings”.
His father was also called James. I found two possible marriages for James senior, one to Elizabeth Quilter in Abberton in 1813 and one to Sarah Bibby in Abberton in 1818. In the 1841 census, I found a James Curtis, aged 53, living with William and Susannah Quilter in Hythe Street, Colchester, where Lucy Dennis lived.
How can I find out more? June Curtis
AIt’s worth pursuing James’ death. “Apoplexy” meant he suddenly collapsed and died without an obvious cause, such as a blow to the head. Was there an obituary or death notice in a local or regional newspaper?
Merchant Navy records may help. The crew list for the ship John Weavel should tell you James’ name, age, place of birth, role and previous ship served on. It should also record the details of his death, often in a separate log attached to the crew list. Hastings was not a place for registering crew lists so the John Weavel’s papers could have been deposited at nearby Rye. If you can visit The National Archives (TNA) at Kew, look in series BT98/2018. However, Lloyd’s Register of Shipping shows the John Weavel was a Londonregistered ship in 1846. So you could also search in London registrations for the crew list (BT98/1962).
You should also investigate whether James senior married Elizabeth Quilter and then Sarah Bibby after Elizabeth died. Also look into whether William and Susannah Quilter, with whom James was residing in the 1841 census, were the parents of Elizabeth. When James married Sarah, was he described in parish records as a widower? Were any Bibby family names given to
James Curtis’ descendants, or the surname Bibby ever taken as a middle name?
You also need to find out what happened to Lucy when James died in 1849. If she claimed relief from the parish, then James will likely be identified. If she remarried, were connections with your Curtis ancestors preserved? Does Lucy appear in censuses after James’s death in 1849 and, if so, who is she living with?
Exploring these and other details will help you build up a picture of what was happening. Simon Wills