Delving into the family history on and off for about 20 years has left me hopelessly addicted to the following clues, hunches and inevitable red herrings that are all needed to piece together the bare chapters of someone's life. Unable to resist people's 'brick walls' or an innocent query re the origin of grandparents and those before, there's nothing better than trying to find the unfound.
This is my sudoku, my multilevel crossword, my jigsaw where most of the pieces are missing and there's definitely no picture to start from.
So - to satisfy this addiction, each week I intend to choose someone at random from the 1881 census (checking that their story hasn't already unfolded on ancestry.co.uk) and uncover, piece together what I can from internet sources their untold story.
The puzzling and the unfolding story will be told in this blog.

Thursday, 2 August 2012

Second protagonist - James Harman (Futter)

It looks like James altered between Harman and Futter with Elizabeth then using both names after he died.
Did the children use Harman or Futter once they left home?
According to the censuses there were:
James born about 1840 in 1841 census
Henry born about 1843 in 1851 and 61 censuses
James born about 1844 in 1851 census
Elizabeth born about 1847 in 1851 and 61 censuses
Thomas born about 1850 in 1851 census
Benjamin born about 1852 in 1861 and 71 censuses
John born about 1854 in 1861 and 71 censuses
Paul born about 1858 in 1861, 71 and 81 censuses.

 Futter children registered in Flegg are:
  • James 1841  - one of the James born 1841 was son of Stephen and Mary Futter living in Martham 1851
  • James  1841  - one of them has a baptism on familysearch in Martham with parents James Futter and Elizabeth Dowe
  • Elizabeth  1842 - daughter of John and Mary Futter living at Somerton 1851 and 1861
  • Henry 1842 
  • James 1844 - apprentice to Joseph Ware, miller, in Martham 1861
  • Rebecca 1844 -  daughter of John and Mary Futter living at Somerton 1851 and 1861 
  • Anne Elizabeth 1845 - granddaughter of Willliam and Maryann Futter living in Martham 1851 and 1861
  • William 1845 -  son of Stephen and Mary Futter living in Martham 1851 
  • Henry 1846 -  grandson of Stephen and Mary Futter living in Martham 1851 
  • Susanna 1848 -  daughter of John and Mary Futter living at Somerton 1851 and 1861 
  • Harriet Harmen 1849 -  baptism on familysearch at Yarmouth with parents James and Elizabeth  Futter   
  • Jane 1849 
  • Benjamin Harman 1851 -  baptism on familysearch at Yarmouth with parents James and Elizabeth  Futter  
  • John Harmen 1853  -  baptism on familysearch at Yarmouth with parents James and Elizabeth  Futter   
  • William  1853 
  • John 1855
  • Paul 1856 
  • Rebecca Elizabeth 1858
Underlined are the possible children from the censuses but we're still missing Elizabeth and Thomas and there's no Harriet in the censuses. Obviously birth certificates would confirm the possibilities and explain some of the quandaries but that source is out of the scope for this puzzle.

Searching for possible deaths for these children on ancestry, interesting entries in the probate index turned up:
Henry Harman Futter of Upton Norfolk died 25 October 1912, Administration 5 March to John Harman Futter retired coal merchant. (Henry was born about 1884 so maybe a son of John?)
Paul Harman Futter of 12 Churchill Road Great Yarmouth died 9 October 1915, Administration 10 Nov to Paul Harman Futter merchant's clerk. (Death registration gives birth about 1857)
John Harman Futter of Upton Norfolk died 2 Sept 1916 Probate 25 Sept to Ann Futter widow (Birth about 1854)
Benjamin Harman Futter of 180 Palgrave Road Great Yarmouth died 16 Dec 1930 Probate 26 Feb to Benjamin Harman Futter garage proprietor. (Birth about 1851)

Further investigation tomorrow.....

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