Who were their parents?

[kiterunner]

Clara and Rebecca are both names from the Bousfield family but I haven't found a connection between the Bousfields and the surname Cuthbert yet.

[kiterunner]

There is a public tree on Ancestry which has a Henry Cuthbert born 1805 Kent as a half-brother to Rebecca Richings (Bousfield on the censuses etc) and shows him as having a daughter Sophia Minnie Cuthbert born 1828 with her being the mother of Philip and Clara. Will need checking though.

Looks as though Sophia married a James Jones in 1850 and they are together on the 1851 census so unlikely to be her. But she did have a younger sister Jane born about 1830 so I will see if we can rule Jane out too...

There is a Jane Cuthbert marriage in 1851 daughter of Henry William Cuthbert, carman, which doesn't fit with Henry Cuthbert's occupation of shoemaker, but there is a baptism for Henry William Cuthbert at Lewisham in 1804, son of James and Sophia, abode Blackheath, which looks likely to be the right baptism for the Henry who is in that Ancestry tree. So I don't know where they got the idea he was a son of Thomas Richings - maybe they just looked around for a possible Minnie Cuthbert and tried to make it fit into the Bousfield / Richings family? Anyway, back to the drawing board...

[KiwiChris]

Because Clara was a visitor with Rebekah Bousfield in 1861, and not some sort of family member, I am wondering if the references to Philip being a nephew of Octavius Bousfield was more the family friend kind of uncle than a blood uncle.
There is also the issue of Clara's place of birth on that census, she was clearly born in London and not in India, and surely family would know that?

Octavius Bousfield was an important figure in this part of NZ, and Philip Cuthbert Anderson was the first vicar of the local church, so finding a real link between the two families would be wonderful.

I went round and round in circles yesterday trying to find a Bousfield and Cuthbert or Anderson link, without any success.

There is always a sliver of truth in information, so working on what we do have -
No evidence of a marriage for Minnie Cuthbert and Henry Anderson
At baptism, Henry Anderson, India Civil service
Henry Lacon Anderson was in the India Civil Service, although married to someone else.
Henry Lacon Anderson was baptised in India 1817, son of George William Anderson and Caroline, and he married in India 1841. There are no obvious baptisms for children of Henry and his wife in India on Family Search. They don't seem to appear on UK census until 1871.

Philip attended a good school and was well educated - a school teacher before ordination, so someone paid for that.
Clara appears to have married reasonably well, to the son of a clergyman, the register does say that her father was also clergy, but I wonder if that bit is true. The earliest Crockford on line is 1868 and he is not there, could be dead by then of course.

Are they the illegitimate children of Henry Lacon Anderson and Minnie Cuthbert? A number of family trees seem to think so.

[KiwiChris]

Found the marriage in 1813 for the parents of Henry Lacon Anderson, George William Anderson of East India Civil Service married Caroline Pooley. So she is not a Bousfield. LOL

[Mary from Italy]

Originally Posted by Merry

I've not looked at everything as your au links don't work for me.

Just replace the au in the link with co.uk or whichever sub you have.

[Merry]

Thanks Mary. I did try that yesterday, but in the end just searched for the people instead! I have rather lost the will to live with these people for the moment.

[kiterunner]

Erm! I was looking at the National Probate Calendar entry for Rebekah Bousfield who died in 1869 - administration of her estate worth £50 was granted to her son the Reverend George Benjamin Richings Bousfield in 1873, which was no help to us, but I noticed this two entries later:

BOUSFIELD William Cheek. Effects under £800.
17 June. The Will of William Cheek Bousfield late of 12 Eldon-street in the Borough and County of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Gentleman who died 24 May 1873 at 12 Eldon-street was proved at Newcastle-upon-Tyne by Margaret Rebekah Clara Anderson of Eldon-street Spinster the Niece one of the Executors.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageview...8b&pId=4508772

I wonder whether his will would explain exactly how she was his niece?

He was born about 1820, son of William Cheek Bousfield sr and Rebekah.

[kiterunner]

I'm working through the Bousfield siblings from various public trees and found one which has Sophia Louisa Bousfield born 1825 as the mother of Philip and Clara. I don't know whether that's right, but Clara must be Margaret Anderson on the 1871 census, a visitor in Sophia's household (Sophia's married name being Drury):

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageview...58?pId=4417605

[kiterunner]

I don't know where Sophia was in 1851, nor her younger sister Emily. Maybe if we find them in 1851 it might help? But I have to go and eat now.

[Merry]

UK Census Online 1851 census has

Name: Rebecca Bousfield
Age: 58
Born In: 1793
Profession: Annuitant
London

Name: Emily Bousfield
Age: 21
Born In: 1830
London

Name: Sophia Bousfield
Age: 21
Born In: 1830
London

I don't know if these are the right people or if they are all from the same household, but at the moment I can't find them on Ancestry or FMP.