Google, google and google again!

[Merry]

I have had Mary Maynard on my tree for about 15 years. She was a dau of my 4xg-grandfather and was probably born at Kempston, Beds. She married James Whiteman in 1764 and had some children, but I only knew of the ones who had died as they appeared in the C of E burial register; there were no baptisms for any of them. Mary's husband, James, died in 1773.

I found someone called David Whiteman b abt 1767, who lived long enough to be on the 1841 and 1851 censuses in Woburn, Beds and pencilled him in as their son as David is a common name in the family and his place of birth, Kempston, fitted. I felt I couldn't ink him in without making some further connection.

When the LMA records were added to Ancestry I discovered in 1784 Mary Whiteman has remarried to the widowed husband of her sister, one William Nichols. I thought it likely they returned to his home town of Woburn and looked for burials for them. I couldn't decide on a definite for William Nichols as there were too many to choose from, but did find a possible match for Mary in 1806. I couldn't guarantee this burial as there was no age recorded.

Today, I was watching the Morecambe and Wise 1976 Christmas Special (very funny, but as I've seen it once or twice before I was googling randomly at the same time) and tapped in "David Whiteman" Woburn and one of the results was this:

http://www.bedscc.gov.uk/communityan...innwoburn.aspx

David Whiteman ran The Windmill Inn in Woburn from 1807 to 1824 and before him were William Nichols (I guess he died then, as there's a burial to fit in Nov 1787) and then Mary Nichols who died in 1806 and a nice picture of her probate inventory!! Now I just need to get hold of her will

Result!!