Thread: Bakers in Witham

My Grt grandparents used to come to Witham in essex to visit the Baker family (we think her cousins). and c1940 she moved herself to a village called great Braxted (trinity cottage) (a couple of miles from witham). trying to find out who they were and the connection. I have worked the family history backwards and found some bakers and then the trail goes dead.



my grt grandparents were Nathan William Mansell (1889-1957 Hackney, london) & Catherine Francis Farley (1882-1973. pre braxted they were from east london (Hackney & Homerton)



Nathans mother was Emily elizabeth Baker (born c 1854 Homerton). she was the daughter of Nathan Baker (1823-1885) & Sarah Southcott (1825).



i am presuming the bakers she visited were either siblings of emily elizabeth 1854 or the nieces and nephews. this is what i have found on the family so far:





Nathan william (1823-1885) & Sarah Southcott had the following children:



Nathan william Baker 1849

George H Baker 1851

emily elizabeth 1854 ** my relation.

Daniel Edward Baker 1857

charlotte baker 1859

Mary Baker 1859-1861

Sarah Hannah Baker 1867 - married George Needham in 1894 (ended up in Lyme regis, dorset)

Charles Henry Baker 1869-1878



i have ruled out the girls as it was Baker family, and girls would have taken different name. so it has to be either Nathan William or George H , daniel edward or their children.



Nathan William Baker (b1849) married Jane OATHAM 1875 Hendon. they had 4 children:

Nathan William 1876

Emily Eliz Baker 1878

George H Baker 1879

Jane Baker 1889



dont know anything else on these and know nothing about George H Baker or daniel edward.



the bakers were all stonemasons.

In 1944 at Braxted in my grandparents house there was an old woman who sat behind a curtain in the wall with hair in a bun and a long black dress to the ground with a high collar, , she was estimated to be about age 80. apparently shes the baker im looking for but i cant find her name.



any help would be appreciated.

Hello lisabyrne



Read your Baker tale why isn't it a born BAKER female an elderley spinster Aunt living with the family ( my mothers cousin looked after my spinster gt Aunts)......it could be an elderley relative of the Baker family with another surname who is residing there!



As you have a fairly current address I would suggest a search of the electoral registers covering the address you have.Looking in the telephone directory for BAKERS in the local area you never know there may be someone of the family around. The local newspaper, there may be an obituary



The local Family History Society covering the area can be a font of local knowledge particularly as they were stonemasons, gravestones springs to mind



Elsabels

thank you.

starting at the beginning, yes the old lady may have been a spinster, i thought ruling out the couples and children may have been the best way to start but at the moment cant find any of them really post 1911.



I have been to witham and searched the local records and there are thousands of bakers living in and around Witham, there are about 8 small villages around witham too which also seem to have lots of bakers (none that i could see were stonemasons. I have also searched the graveyards but found no connections to the names I know.



thank you for the records above,this helps me clarify the right family and I appreciate your spending time to look them up.





I am going back to Witham in a couple of weeks and will see if that gets me any leads.



can anyone tell me where I would find the electorial records? would the main library have that kind of record? and is it easy to search?



thanks

lisa

Hello Lisa



You sound a very determined person....www.genuki.co.uk may assist



Electoral rolls are usually held at the local library, as these are archives you may have to make a request for them, I would chack before you go. It is as you see at the 'voting hall' a list of addresses with the registered person.....but you know the address you are looking for so you should mention it when ordering...the library will have an index advising which part of the electoral roll the entry is in. I would search the roads around to see if there are any other Bakers...they used to live near one another.



Also try newspapers, birth marriages and deaths and newsworthy entry's, I have been surprised what I have turned up about my rellies.



A resource I have found that is FREE to search, is at the local Probate office. All wills since 1858 are recorded it costs £5 per copy will but can be worth every penny. just knowing there is a will that you can get later helps, there may be Letters of Administation empowering someone to act in connection with the deceased's estate usually a rellie!



Elsabels



Have you checked the 1911 census?



Looked at the deaths for Essex to see if you can identify

[quote name='Elsabels' date='14 February 2010 - 09:55 PM' timestamp='1266184524' post='214313']





Have you checked the 1911 census?

[/quote]





yes - i have identified some of them, its very hard with such a common name. my searches keep 'time out' ing ! I cant find any of the girls at all.



Nathan william (1849) is widow, with his son George Henry & family in Godstone, surrey. George Henry is a brickmaker and the father nathan a stoneman.

George Henry is with a wife minnie (which i forgot I knew about) and they had 2 children that were born in Forest gate



thanks for your advice on records