The Exploring Family History Tutorial

Session 2

What happened to Francis Lewin and his family?

Contact made and information exchanged

Task: Examine the information from Shaun Morley

(morley.shaun @t btopenworld.com)

The initial exchange shows that while Shaun knew that Francis Lewin came from St Albans but had not researched the Hertfordshire connection. This means that virtually all the information in the tutorial is new to him.

This part of the tutorial is really only concerned with Francis Lewin and his immediate family and Shaun provided the following additional information.

Francis's Marriage: When I found the Sarah Robbins marriage to Francis Lewin I was a little suspicious, as I had noticed that it was a family tradition that sons had the surname of their mother as a middle name. Francis and Sarah's son Charles Abbots Lewin therefore made me dig deeper. I found on Ancestry.com a marriage in Pallot's Marriage index, a Sarah Abbots married Richard Robbins on 4/1/1811 at Leamington Priors, a village adjacent to Bishop's Tachbrook where she later married Francis Lewin.

When someone had a middle name which is a surname there will be a reason for it - and finding out why may well provide further relevant family information.

I haven't checked details but a Richard Robbins was buried at Lillington St Mary, Warwickshire (on the outskirts of Leamington Spa) on 12 June 1813. (National Burial Index)

Occupation: On 20/4/1819, in the parish register of Honingham, Francis is shown as a Miller  of Honingham at the time of the baptism of his son, William.

Sarah Lamprey Lewin:  Lamprey was Sarah's Grandmother's maiden name.
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Occupation Francis also features in Robson's Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1839. He was a Maltster of Mattishall.

Result of Investigation

In this case the overlap between the information I had, and the information Shaun had was comparatively small - and our findings fitted well. It should be realised that this is not always the case. 

A Further Contact in July 2006

A Researcher of the Robbins family tells me I am researching Robbins in Warwickshire and nearby counties and can confirm that Richard Robbins, first husband of Sarah Abbotts, was the one who died at the age of 27 in 1813.  According to the inscription on his parents' tombstone at Lillington, he died on 7 Jun 1813.  The stone also commemorates an infant son of Richard Robbins & Sarah Abbotts, called Thomas, baptized 22 Jul 1812 at Bishop's Tachbrook, Warks. Richard & Sarah married by licence at All Saints, Leamington, at which time Richard was described as "of Bishop's Tachbrook".  Richard was baptized on 1 Mar 1786 at Lillington.  It may be of interest to note that members of the family to which Richard belonged were also millers.

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