Opinions would be greatly appreciated.

[Ruthie]

I have been trying to figure out which Mark Marshall is mine....and I can't decide.

Any opinions or suggestions would be great.

What I have so far is.....Margaret Marshall is the daughter of Mark Marshall and Sarah Blades.....she was born in Hemingby 4 January 1789 and died unmarried in 1828.....she had one son my great x2 grand father Thomas Wilkinson Marshall in 1813.

Sarah Blades is Mark Marshall second wife....his first wife was Adversity Brown.

But what I can;t figure out is which Mark Marshall is Maragret Marshall;s father.

Here is a copy of some research I paid to be done on him.



1. SEARCH FOR ISSUE OF MARK AND ADVERSITY MARSHALL FROM THEIR MARRIAGE IN MAY 1765 IN BAUMBER, TO ADVERSITY’S BURIAL IN MARCH 1783 IN HEMINGBY.

HEMINGBY Baptisms & Burials 1765-1783 (M.Fiche 112800201A-2A)
Baptisms 1765-83: no issue found for Mark and Adversity. See below for all Marshall baptisms and burials back to 1730.

BAUMBER Bap. & Bur. 1765-83 (M.Fiche 110600201A)
Bap. 15 Aug 1767, Mark, s.o. Mark & Elizabeth (sic.) Marshall
Other issue of this couple not recorded.

The marriage index lists a marriage between Mark Marshall and Elizabeth Smith on 4 September 1766 in Baumber. The entry was examined and the signature of Mark does not match the signature on the 1765 marriage entry of Mark Marshall and Adversity Brown. Mark and Elizabeth were still having issue in Baumber in 1783. Therefore, this is a different couple.

No issue of Mark and Adversity Marshall found in Baumber.
It is possible that this couple did not have any children.

2. SEARCH FOR PARENTAGE OF MARK MARSHALL
Earlier research found four burials of Mark Marshall in 1802, 1803 and two in 1812. Unfortunately, no ages are given in the parish register prior to 1813, so we do not know how old any of the four were. Mark married first Adversity Brown in 1765 and second Sarah Blades in 1783; at both marriages he was “of Hemingby”. A witness to both marriages was a William Marshall. We can suggest that Mark was born pre-1747. The earlier registers of Hemingby were searched and all Marshalls extracted.

Notes:
1. The data below comes from the Parish Registers (PRs). Entries in square brackets come from the Bishops’ Transcripts (BTs) which were checked from 1730 to 1739; there are some discrepancies between the two sets of records.
2. Prior to 1753, the year began on 25th March. To avoid confusion, the double-dating system is used when recording entries prior to 1753. So, entries from 1st January to 24th March are recorded in both old and new syle, eg. 16 January 1737/8 equates with 16 January 1738 post 1753.

HEMINGBY Bap. & Bur. 1782 back to 1730 (M. Fiches 112800202A-1A)
Bur. 18 Sep 1782, John Marshall
Bap. 30 Jun 1782, Elizabeth, d.o. William & Martha Marshall
Bap. 7 May 1780, William, s.o. Francis & Mary Marshall
Bur. 15 Mar 1780, Mark Marshall (no will found)
Bap. 8 Nov 1778, William illegitimate s.o. Ann Marshall
Bap. 18 Oct 1778, Mary, d.o. Francis & Mary Marshall


HEMINGBY Continued
Bap. 20 Jul 1778, Elizabeth, d.o. Richard & Ann Marshall
Bur. 11 Jul 1776, Elizabeth, w.o. Thomas Marshall
Bap. 11 Nov 1776, Francis, s.o. Francis & Mary Marshall
Bap. 19 May 1776, Ann, d.o. Richard & Ann Marshall
Bur. 14 Jun 1773, Elias Marshall
[Baptisms and burials back to 1769 are listed together in the PR; earlier burials are listed separately – see below]

Bap. 7 Aug 1774, Thomas, s.o. Francis & Mary Marshall
Bap. 18 Apr 1773, Mary, d.o. Richard & Ann Marshall
Bap. 21 Jun 1772, Mark. s.o. William & Mary Marshall
Bap. 1 Jan 1771, Christopher, s.o. William & Elizabeth Marshall
Bap. 5 Feb 1769, Elizabeth, d.o. Elias & Mary Marshall
Bap. 11 Jan 1769, William, s.o. William & Elizabeth Marshall
Bap. 19 Apr 1767, Barnardiston, d.o. Thos & Elizabeth Marshall
Bap. 17 Feb 1765, Willm. s.o. Thos & Eliz. Marshal
Bap. 21 Jan 1765, Willm. s.o. Willm. & Elizab. Marshal
Bap. 12 Jan 1765, Reading, s.o. Mark & Barnardiston Marshall
Bap. 31 Oct 1764, Thos. s.o. Willm & Eliz. Marshal
Bap. 17 Oct 1764, Willm. s.o. Elias Marshall Junior & Mary his wife
Bap. 27 Aug 1761, Hamlet, s.o. Elias Marshall senr. & Mary his wife
Bap. 27 Aug 1761, Jane, d.o. Thos & Eliz. Marshal
Bap. 11 Mar 1760, David. s.o. Wm. & Elizab. Marshal
Bap. 29 Jun 1759, Frances, d.o. Elias Marshal Senr. & Mary his Wife
Bap. 8 Apr 1759, Jane, d.o. Thos & Elizab. Marshal
Bap. 18 Apr 1758, Sarah, d.o. Elias & Mary Marshal
Bap. 13 May 1756, Thos. s.o. Thos. & Elizab. Marshal
Bap. 24 Oct 1753, Robt. s.o. Mark & Isabel Marshal
Bap. 22 Jul 1753, Ann, d.o. Tho. & Eliz. Marshal
Bap. 15 Jul 1753, Mary, d.o. Elias & Mary Marshal
Bap. 5 Nov 1751, Elias s.o. Elias & Mary Marshal
Bap. 30 Jan 1749/50, Francs. s.o. Mark & Isabl. Marshal
Bap. 24 Oct 1749, Willm. s.o. Elias & Mary Marshal
Bap. 22 Jun 1749, Hamlet, s.o. Mark & Mary Marshal
Bap. 6 Dec 1748, Anne, d.o. Will. & Eliz. Marshal
Bap. 27 Apr 1747, Richard, s.o. Mark & Isabel Marshal
Bap. 2 Jul 1745, Hamlet, s.o. Mark & Mary Marshal
Bap. 5 Feb 1744/5, John, s.o. Mark & Mary Marshal
Bap. 28 Feb 1742/3, Mary, d.o. Mark & Isabl. Marshal
Bap. 29 Jan 1740/1, Willm. s.o. Mark & Mary Marshal
Bap. 11 Dec 1740, Tho. s.o. Mark & Isabel Marshal
Bap. 28 Jul 1739, Willm. s.o. Mark & Isab. Marshal
Bap. 15 May 1738, Mark, s.o. Mark & Mary Marshal
Bap. 21 Feb 1737/8, Mary, d.o. Wm & Ann Marshal
Bap. 2 Mar 1736/7, Elias, s.o. Mark & Mary Marshal
Bap. 8 Feb 1736/7, Mark, s.o. Mark & Margt. Marshal
Bap. 25 Aug 1735, Anne, d.o. Wm & Anne Marshal
Bap. 21 Oct 1734, Mark, s.o. Mark & Margt. Marshal (no burial found)
Bap. 7 Sep 1734, Mary, d.o. Mark & Mary Marshal
Bap. 10 May 1734, Hamlet, s.o. Wm & Ann Marshal


HEMINGBY Continued
[Wm Marshall and Mark Marshall churchwardens in 1734]
Bap. 20 Sep 1733, Wm. s.o. Mark & Mary Marshal
Bap. 28 Sep 1733, Mark, s.o. Willm Marshal Senr.
[Bap. 28 Sep 1733, Mark, s.o. Wm & [blank] Marshall]
Bap. 2 Feb 1731/2, Tho. s.o. Wm Marshal
[Mark Marshall churchwarden in 1731]
Bap. 1 Nov 1730, Mark, s.o. Will & Anne Marshal
[Wm Marshall churchwarden in 1730]
Searched back to 1730.

Mar. 14 May 1750, Elias Marshall & Mary Fenwick

Burials 1768-1730
Bur. 18 Dec 1768, Mark Marshall (no will found)
Bur. 17 Nov 1768, William, s.o. Wm. Marshall & Elizabeth his wife
Bur. 24 Nov 1767, Thomas, s.o. Mark & Isabel Marshall
Bur. 20 Sep 1765, Elias Marshal Senr.
Bur. 15 Mar 1765, Reading Marshal
[19 Aug 1763, Mary Marshall – not found in PR]
Bur. 19 Sep 1761, Willm Marshal senr. (see his will below)
Bur. 5 Apr 1761, Hamlet Marshal
Bur. 2 Jul 1760, Jane Marshal
Bur. 15 Mar 1745/6, Richd. & Robt. sons of ye same (Mark & Isab. Marshal)
Bur. 14 Mar 1745/6, Mary, d.o. Mark & Isab. Marshal
Bur. 19 Jun 1745, John, s.o. Mark & Mary Marshal
Bur. 11 Aug 1738, Mary, d.o. Wm & Anne Marshal
Bur. 16 Jan 1737/8, Mark s. of [blank] Marshal
[Bur. 18 Jan 1737/8, Mark, s.o. Mark Marshall]
Bur. 26 Nov 1734, Willm. s.o. Mark & Mary Marshal
Bur. 20 Sep 1733, Mary W. of Mark Marshal
Bur. 20 May 1733, Mary, d.o. Elias & Mary Marshal

Burials were searched back to 1730.

MARRIAGE IN LANGTON BY HORNCASTLE (BTs: M. Film 4/450)
11 Dec 1733, Mark Marshal (Widower) of the Parish of Hemmingbee (sic) and Mary Elvin singlewoman of the Parish of Bomber (sic Baumber)

N.B. This marriage in Langton was found in the marriage indexes. The PRs prior to 1753 have been lost. There are Bishops’ Transcripts (BTs) for the early period and the marriage was found there.

COMMENTS ON THE HEMINGBY ENTRIES
Five baptisms of Mark Marshall were found in Hemingby between 1730 and 1738.

Bap. 1 Nov 1730, Mark, s.o. Will & Anne Marshal
Bap. 28 Sep 1733, Mark, s.o. Willm Marshal Senr.
Bap. 21 Oct 1734, Mark, s.o. Mark & Margt. Marshal
Bap. 8 Feb 1736/7, Mark, s.o. Mark & Margt. Marshal
Bap. 15 May 1738, Mark, s.o. Mark & Mary Marshal


The 1733 baptism names William Marshall senior as the father. This might have suggested that William, the father of Mark who was born in 1730, was the son of William senior. However, later research showed that this could not be the case (see William senior’s will below and page 5). No burial was noted for Mark born 1730 or Mark born 1733; later research showed that Mark, born 1733, certainly survived (see William senior’s will below).

Then there are two Marks, sons of Mark and Margaret, baptised in October 1734 and February 1736/7. No burial was found for the child born in 1734, but as there was only one couple called Mark and Margaret in Hemingby, it would appear that the first child died young. There is a burial of Mark Marshall on 18 Jan 1737/8. In the PR, the father’s name is blank, but in the BT it is given as Mark. As the next Mark, the son of Mark and Mary, was born after this date, it appears that this child must have been the son of Mark and Margaret Marshall.

Lastly, there is the baptism of Mark, son of Mark and Mary, baptised on 15 May 1738. No burial of a Mark Marshall child was found after this date, so it looks as though he survived.

So, there are three possible baptisms of Mark Marshall: the son of William and Ann, born 1730, the son of William senior (and Ann), born 1733 and the son of Mark and Mary, born 1738.

We do not know if Mark and Adversity Marshall had any issue. But Mark and Sarah had at least six children in Hemingby after their marriage in 1783, viz. Mark, Henry, Margaret, Elizabeth, Elizabeth and Mary. They did not have any son named William, or a daughter named Anne. The daughter Margaret might have suggested that Mark or Sarah’s mother was named Margaret. But the PR and BT of Hemingby indicate that Mark and Margaret’s two sons named Mark, died (although only the burial of the second Mark was found).

[Ruthie]

Part 2

*

WILLS
Only one Marshall will has been found in Hemingby:

LCC WILL 1761/116
William Marshall of Hemingby Yeoman [Dated 16 September 1761]
Wife Ann Marshall whole and sole Executrix...
to my Son William Marshall One Guinea...
to my Son Elias Marshall One Guinea...
to my Son John Marshall Fifty Pounds...
to my Son Mark Marshall Fifty Pounds...
to my Son Thomas Marshall Fifty Pounds...
to my Daughter Ann Marshall Fifty Pounds...
to Susanna Daughter of my Late Son Hamlet Marshall Five Pounds to be paid her at ye Age of Twenty One.
[Signed Wm: Marshall]
Witnesses: Wm Pennington, Wm Pennington Junr:
[Proved 19 October 1761 by Ann Marshall]

According to the Hemingby register, William Marshall senior was buried on 19 September 1761, three days after making his will.

4.
The following baptisms and marriage come from my search of the Hemingby registers back to 1730 and the IGI prior to 1730:

8 Aug 1723, William, s.o. William & Jane (sic) Marshall, Hemingby
29 Sep 1724, Elias, s.o. William & Anne Marshall “
22 Jun 1727, John, s.o. “ “ “ “
1 Nov 1730, Mark, s.o. “ “ “ “ (a query over this child’s parentage)
2 Feb 1731/2, Thomas, s.o. “ “ “ “
28 Sep 1733, Mark, s.o. Willm Marshal Senr.
10 May 1734, Hamlet, s.o. “ “ “ “
25 Aug 1735, Ann, d.o. “ “ “ “

Mar. 8 Aug 1758, Hamlet Marshall & Susanna Hubbort, Hagworthingham
Bap. 14 Sep 1760, Susanna, d.o. Hamlet & Susan Marshall, Hagworthingham

The will tells us that both William and Mark were sons of William Marshall senior. BUT, if the son William was baptised in 1723, he could not have been having issue in 1730 when Mark, son of William and Ann was baptised.

We know from the register that Mark, son of William Marshall senior, was baptised in 1733, so he could not be the Mark who married Mary Elvin in 1733. But, this Mark could still be the one who married Adveristy Brown in 1765. Unfortunately, William names only one grandchild, the daughter of William’s late son Hamlet (who was buried 5 April 1761).

WILLIAM MARSHALL THE WITNESS TO BOTH MARRIAGES OF MARK MARSHALL
If you look at the two marriage certificates, William Marshall was witness to both. The signatures of William Marshall are very similar, suggesting it was the same man. As the marriages were eighteen years apart, this witness could well have been a brother of Mark.

I tried to find a marriage of William Marshall, with the hope of locating his burial after 1812, with an age. However, after examining every possible marriage in the Horncastle and Bolingbroke Deanery marriage indexes, I was unable to find a marriage with a matching signature. From 1760 William and Elizabeth were having issue in Hemingby and in 1772 William and Mary had a son named Mark in Hemingby. I have not found a marriage for William and Elizabeth, but an examination of a marriage of William Marshall and Mary Raysin in Baumber in 1772 found that William made his mark, but did not sign the certificate.

In conclusion, I have not been able to identify William Marshall the witness to Mark Marshall’s marriages, but he could have been a brother.


THE MARRIAGES OF MARK MARSHALL SENIOR
Mark Marshall was married to Mary, who was buried on 20 September 1733, the same day her son William was baptised (this son was buried 26 November 1734). Mark then married Mary Elvin in Langton by Horncastle on 11 December 1733 (see page 3) and went on to have at least seven children, including Mark born 1738.

I have searched the marriage indexes for Mark’s first marriage to Mary, without success.




5.
CONCLUSION
Because there are three Mark Marshall baptisms in Hemingby within a few years of each other and because we do not know the age of Mark, the husband of Adversity and Sarah, it has not been possible to identify Mark’s parentage with any degree of certainty.

The only possible clue has been the naming pattern of the children of Mark and Sarah Marshall. They had children named Mark and Mary, but not William or Ann. However, this cannot be seen as providing a definite link to the parentage of Mark Marshall.

Mark and Mary Marshall also had a son named William, baptised in January 1740/1 who may have been the witness to the two marriages of Mark Marshall. But the name is too common to be very helpful.

[kiterunner]

It's a lot to try to take in, Ruthie! One thing that occurs to me is that if a Willam Marshall was churchwarden at one time, he may have witnessed a lot of marriages, not necessarily of close relatives.

[Ruthie]

I know it is a lot to take in.

I think the short version is ...it is one of these........I have been working on it for two years so far....and I swing back and fowards between the one born in 1730.....and 1738....but I dont really know.


Bap. 1 Nov 1730, Mark, s.o. Will & Anne Marshal
Bap. 28 Sep 1733, Mark, s.o. Willm Marshal Senr.
Bap. 21 Oct 1734, Mark, s.o. Mark & Margt. Marshal
Bap. 8 Feb 1736/7, Mark, s.o. Mark & Margt. Marshal
Bap. 15 May 1738, Mark, s.o. Mark & Mary Marshal

[Olde Crone]

Ruthie

I think one of the most difficult things in genealogy is having to accept sometimes that there IS no answer.

I have similar situations in my tree and, as far as I can, I compile trees of all the records, or if that is not possible, I make what I call a composite record, which would be headed up John and Mary, say, and then all children born to a John and Mary, knowing that there was more than one couple involved. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't.

But as I said, sometimes there is no answer.

OC

[Phoenix]

The sort of routes which might provide an answer are not the way to go if you are using a paid researcher as they are time-comsuming.

Look at all the wills for the village, in case Mark Marshall is mentioned in other wills
ditto for land documents, to see if he signs as witness anywhere
ditto manorial records, to see if he signed those, appeared on rent rolls, transfered land etc
ditto land tax assessments, to look for the name changes
As OC says, sometimes we simply cannot go any further. The great Michael Gandy (appeared on WDYTYA, writes books, lectures etc) has two burials in a village, father & son, but no means of telling whether Dad died of grief after son's death, or if father died first. And it's no comfort to know that the vicar knew which one was which!

[Merry]

Did the parents of either of Mark's wives leave a will?

I think you have done brilliantly to take a name like Marshall back to before 1800. Most of my lines get stuck immediately I have someone who didn't live to 1851! (though I have got my Smiths back to about 1720!!)

[Olde Crone]

Just a thought - no monumental inscriptions?

OC

[Ruthie]

Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions.

Unfortunately there are no Monument incriptions.....nor wills for Mark Marshall nor his wife.

So as suggested I will look into all of the options for who is Mark Marshall and see if tracing the siblings gives me any clue.

[Ruthie]

I was just looking at Freereg for births of Mark Marshalls in Hemingby.....and I found one born in February 1734 to William Marshall.....and I can't see a death.

Do you think it is possibly and error....or my researcher has missed this one.

[Merry]

I should think it's impossible to guess without seeing the register!

Do you know whether the FreeREG entries from the PRs or BTs etc? They don't always match exactly.