Joseph Standfast Smith - Page 2 - Genealogists' Forum

#11 22-09-17, 19:38

Oops, just looked at the newspapers again and Joseph Standfast Smith is a carver / stonemason there!

Merry · #12 22-09-17, 20:01

Oh, I see what you mean. I think the man with your Caroline is definitely JSS b Brompton Kent 1808, but as you say, is the man with two wives in Bristol the same person?

Merry · #13 22-09-17, 20:14

There are other Standfast Smiths around Bristol.

Standfast Smith PCC will 1774 Bristol

Thomas Standfast Smith m 1805 Bristol

Thomas Standfast Smith Index To Death Duty entry 1807 Bristol

Merry · #14 22-09-17, 20:44

In 1804 a Thomas Smith married Catherine Standfast in Bristol

#15 22-09-17, 21:08

Thank you, Merry

Merry · #16 22-09-17, 21:09

Turns out that marriage was 1704, not 1804

Merry · #17 23-09-17, 07:27

Joy, I agree with you, that the Bristol Joseph's occupation doesn't sit comfortably with Caroline's partner being a stone carver. If the Bristol Joseph isn't the same man then what happened to him and Caroline Berry? I have done quite a lot of searching but not found anything. If there were two John Standfast Smith of very roughly the same age then not finding a death for either of them including their middle name seems surprising!

I know Caroline Sadd's first child was Mary b in Lambeth so we know she was in London at that date and that she and Joseph were still in that area in 1841.

I did see this birth reg:

SMITH, JOHN mmn BARRY
GRO Reference: 1838 M Quarter in THE WHITECHAPEL UNION Volume 02 Page 408

I looked over the following eight or so years looking for other Smith/Barry registrations but found none. I looked for other Smith/Barry marriages - there were not many and those where the sexes were the right way round were not near London (but nor was the marriage of JSS and CB!). Of course it's very likely this birth is a complete red-herring for numerous reasons. I haven't been able to establish anything on this John Smith on any other records yet.

Merry · #18 23-09-17, 07:42

wondered if this marriage could be connected in some way? (ok, so 99% not likely to be!!)

Name: Sarah Smith
Gender: Female
Marriage Date: 6 Sep 1829
Marriage Place: St. James Parish, Bristol, Gloucester, England
Spouse: John Barry

I don't have time to check the GRO indexes/census etc now, but if you do and you see Barry/Smith births in Frome Somerset they might be the children of James Barry and Susan Smith who married there in 1837!

Imagine if that Sarah Smith above came from Brompton Kent!! lol

I wonder if Kate's CD would tell us John Barry's occ as that might help find him later.

Merry · #19 23-09-17, 08:40

Joy, have you any baptisms for the children of Joseph and Caroline? I couldn't see any and wondered if they were non-conformist, or just didn't have their children baptised, possibly because they were not married! Are there any clues in the following generation?

Merry · #20 23-09-17, 09:01

I saw there's a John Barry b 1808/10 with wife Eliza in 1841 and 1851 and a widower in 1861. Died in 1864. Census and probate entry has him as a merchant/fruiterer.

In 1841 there are two children with him. Emma aged 13 and John Aged 11 (Emma is 21 on the next census, but I'm going for the 1841 being more accurate). I looked for baptisms for the children but couldn't find anything for the children of John and Eliza. I did however find a bap for John Barry on 26 Dec 1830 at Bristol, St Mary Redcliffe, parents John and Sarah. Annoyingly I couldn't see a bap for Emma. Of course, if she was 13 she should have been born before the 1829 marriage (if these people are connected!).

Having said the above, I don't see a burial for Sarah Barry, though there is a marriage in the first half of 1837 (!) for a John Barry to Eliza Keer which could be the census couple.

In any case, I feel like there's a massive number of red herrings surrounding all these people. Have to go and do other things now, but will have a think at the same time.............