Who Do You Think You Are - Olivia Colman 9th Jul

[Blaquiere Talbot]

Even more shocking: "Sarah Hollowell married Thomas Ajax Anderson in Colombo, Western Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka, on May 4, 1807, when she was 13 years old". Poor kid!

[kiterunner]

Again, not uncommon in that area at that time.

[Blaquiere Talbot]

He married the babysitter!

[Olde Crone]

I have two females in my tree married at 13, one in India to a man 35 years her senior, the other a farmer's daughter in Cheshire married a 14 year old and she was already pregnant. They stayed together for more than 50 years and had 12 children.

OC

[Blaquiere Talbot]

I am still on the trail of my mysterious and exotic 3rd great grandmother Seraphina Donclere. Sadly the name “Donclere” does not appear anywhere else in the world. It appears to be a unique “one off” so my preference is to agree with those suggesting the name is really “Clere” with the honorific “Don” tacked on the front as practiced by Portuguese Burghers in Ceylon. Now the name “Clere” although originally Norman French had, by the time of Seraphina, been spread throughout Europe and, with the Napoleonic Wars, spread even further by regular and mercenary soldiers, sailors and traders throughout the known world. For example when Seraphina first met her “spouse” Lt-Col Dunbar James Hunter he was out of Ceylon and in India at the capture of Seringapatam in 1799. Amongst the captives would have been many mercenaries from all over Europe (including 500 French) in Tipu Sahib’s multi-racial army with their wives/widows and daughters. On the British side there were also Portuguese regiments with their families. Could Seraphina be from one of these? There is however one tantalizing later clue which might support the Portuguese origin theory. In the difficult to read codicil to the will of Seraphina’s youngest daughter Harriot Elizabeth Slessor, dated 1832, it states - I think - “£50 must be given to my daughter Louisa de Soza towards procuring a pension in a convent in Portugal”. (Note: Yet another mystery I can find no other reference to a “Louisa de Soza”!

[kiterunner]

In another part of her will the name is spelt De Souza. By the way, it is my transcription that you are quoting when you say that you think it is what it says.

[Merry]

In the difficult to read codicil to the will of Seraphina’s youngest daughter Harriot Elizabeth Slessor, dated 1832, it states - I think - “£50 must be given to my daughter Louisa de Soza towards procuring a pension in a convent in Portugal”.

The 1832 will is not that of Seraphina's daughter though, is it? Seraphina's daughter, Harriot, didn't die until 1887. The 1832 will is for Seraphina's partner's mother, Harriot Elizabeth Slessor, nee Bristow. So, on your Talbot tree you need to remove Louisa De Soza from the list of children for Harriot Elizabeth Slessor and consider whether Louisa Maria Slessor b 1775, dau of John Henry Slessor and Harriot Elizabeth Bristow, is the same person as Louisa de So(u)za.

EDIT: a couple of Ancestry tree owners have probably sourced material from here:

https://pt-m-wikipedia-org.translate...n&_x_tr_pto=sc

[Merry]

There's an entry for the marriage of Sophia Matilda Slessor to James Walsh, 05 Nov 1803, in the Portugal Marriage Index 1670-1910 on FMP, but I don't see an entry for her sister Louisa.

[Blaquiere Talbot]

Oh dear I am getting in a muddle.
1: Kiterunner: I was reading the original. I have misplaced the transcript please repost.
2: Merry: Thanks for the correction.

[Blaquiere Talbot]

OK got it:

Pedro António Machado Pinto de Souza Canavarro 1º barão de Arcossó Marriage to Louisa Maria Slessor 23 February 1802