Parents of Elizabeth and Charles Bray

[Merry]

Oooh, on FMP there's an administration of the estate of (yet another!) Jonathan Bray, who died in (or the admin was dated) in 1813. The person dealing with the estate was another Johnathan Bray (yours??) ribbon manufacturer of Cov and his signature matches one I saw somewhere else a little earlier today!! I think it was a witness to the marriage of James Bray to Sarah someone, but I don't have time to look again now.

The dec'd man's widow was called Ann (noted on the administration)

So, if this is your Jonathan, his sig is not particularly like the sig on the 1815 marriage. I guess he doesn't have to be administering the estate of his father - it could be brother, uncle etc. Need to see the age of the dec'd to get a handle on that.

I can't find a burial at the moment.

[kiterunner]

Originally Posted by Merry

Nothing to do with what you are looking for now, but do you know why the burial record for Jonathan says "Copied out and sent to the register office May 20th 1855 James Bray"? Just me being curious!

If you browse through, it says the same at the bottom of other entries too. It might not relate to the particular entry where it appears but maybe noting that that is where they were up to with the copies?

[kiterunner]

I always take what it says on Find a Grave with a pinch of salt, but it has Jonathan Bray marrying Elizabeth Bray 21 Oct 1803. Ancestry doesn't seem to have an image for this marriage record but does have a transcription of the marriage licence record in the Staffordshire marriages:

Name: Jonathan Bray
Marriage Banns Age: 21
Marriage License Age: 21
Record Type: Marriage License
Birth Date: 1782
Residence Place: Offchurch, Warwick
Marriage Banns Date: abt 1803
Marriage License Date: 21 Oct 1803
Marriage License Place: St Michael, St Michael, England
Spouse: Elizabeth Bray
Occupation: Farmer

Edit - it seems that the image for this is on FMP plus there is another entry for Jonathan Bray on there, for 1804. I haven't viewed them.

[kiterunner]

Also from Find a Grave, there is a photo of what is supposed to be a memorial to the daughter Ann. I can't read the image but their transcription says
In the memory of
ANNE BRAY
Eldest daughter of the late Jonathan Bray Esq
of Coventry
Who died November 21st 1845
Aged 41 years

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/28853824/ann-bray

[kiterunner]

And this is the burial which Find a Grave says is Jonathan's wife Elizabeth:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageview...05&pId=3127842
Buried 21 Dec 1819 age 39. If Helen was born in 1819 and was the youngest child, I guess that would fit.

[Merry]

lol OK, thanks kiterunner. I was imagining sone sort of dispute!!

Not sure who this is yet:

Oracle and the Daily Advertiser 16 August 1808 (FMP image)

Partnerships Dissolved

Jonathan Bray and Mary Ann Smith, Coventry, silkman, March 5, 1808.

Back to that 1813 administration. I didn't look at page 2 before. This tells me that the relict, Ann Bray, had died before she could administer the estate of her husband and that is why JB was doing it instead, so the dec'd JB may have died some time before and Ann should have perhaps died more recently. Also, JB dec'd was a butcher. I've seen other entries for people called JB will butcher as part of the info. *wonders what they were* lol

[kiterunner]

Baptism dates of children at St Michael, Coventry, parents Jonathan and Elizabeth:

James 20 May 1806
Elizabeth 21 May 1807
Mary 3 Jun 1809
Charles 22 Feb 1811
William 15 Apr 1812
Henry 12 May 1815
George 18 Sep 1816
Helen 14 Dec 1819.

But I couldn't find Ann(e) and Emily.

[Merry]

Oh, I didn't look back far enough! The original administration documents for JB dec'd, butcher, relict Ann are back in 1788!!

[Merry]

And his widow, Ann's will was proved in 1792 (FMP image)! She leaves 'everything' to her daughter Sarah Bray and her only son, Jonathan Bray!! She doesn't seem to say anyone is a minor. I have to admit to skim reading because I just wanted to see if a Jonathan was in the beneficiaries.

I will look closer later.

[kiterunner]

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography says that Charles was "the son of Jonathan Bray (1775/6–1835), a wealthy ribbon manufacturer, and his first wife, Elizabeth."