Eliza Large was ...

Not for the first time (nor the second or third or ...) I have proved that it pays to "advertise" because it so often brings aid from fellow genealogists.  In this instance, I had posted my query concerning Eliza Large (see my previous post, "Who was Eliza Large?") to the newsgroup soc.genealogy.britain because I have found the members of that group to be knowledgeable and always ready to advise and assist.

As usual, the response was positive with several posters offering suggestions to point me towards further research.  Then I heard from professional genealogist Richard Carruthers-Zurowski who hails from West Vancouver, Canada.
Richard explained that he was related to Benjamin Large, the father of Eliza, and he was able to pass on quite a lot of information concerning the Large family that he and his cousin had assembled.  He suggested that - as I had also thought - the Parish Register entry showing Eliza's mother as Mary was an error.  Furthermore, he was able to furnish me with details of the Memorial Inscription on Susanna (Matthews) Large's gravestone which confirmed that she was the daughter of Thomas & Mary Matthews and probably died soon after giving birth to Eliza.

A little later Richard was able to slot the last brick into the wall when he found the Parish Register entry for the marriage of Sarah West to Benjamin Large.  I must express not only my very grateful thanks to Richard for this (and all the information he has provided) but also much admiration because the record was very badly indexed by Ancestry.  I'm going to blame Ancestry for me not finding it, but in truth I have to admit it might have something to do with the fact that I keep forgetting that some of the parishes near to Highworth and where my ancestors' families often resided are actually over the county border in Gloucestershire!

So actually three lessons learned here:  publish your searches and queries to get help from others; keep your searches very broad to account for mistranscriptions, etc; and know your geography!

Richard's blog can be found at http://vademecumgenealogy.blogspot.ca/.  Do look it up.

Until next time ... cheers!

Who was Eliza Large?

My 5th Great Grandfather, Thomas Matthews of Highworth, Wiltshire wrote his will in 1816 and made a bequest to his "Granddaur Eliza Large the sum of two hundred pounds secured by the Note of hand of her father Benjamin Large to be paid her on her attaining her age of twenty one years."   Thomas's daughter, Mary Matthews of Highworth, wrote her Will in 1823 and made a bequest to "my niece Eliza Large".   Thomas's son-in-law, David West who was my 4th Great Grandfather and husband of Elizabeth West, Thomas's eldest child, wrote his Will in 1836 and made reference to his daughter Sarah Large.

There is a Church Register record of a marriage in 1806 in Highworth between bachelor Benjamin Large and spinster Susanna Matthews. Witnesses are Thomas Matthews and Sarah West.  Now, Grandfather Thomas Matthews had 13 children: Elizabeth, Mary, Martha, Thomas, Ann, Ann, Frances, Sarah, Jane, Susanna, William, Thomas & Sophia.  The first Thomas, the first Ann, Sarah & Sophia all died in infancy or childhood and 8 of others are beneficiaries in their father's Will, leaving just Susanna unaccounted for.

There are Baptisms Records from Down Ampney, Gloucestershire for 7 children born between 1807 and 1816.  6 of them have parents Benjamin and Sarah, but the first, Eliza, is said to be the child of Benjamin & Mary.   I cannot find any record of a marriage between Benjamin Large and Sarah West, or a likely birth of an Eliza to Benjamin Large and Sarah.

All the right elements are there in these records, but they don't quite match up!  It's "doin' me 'ead in!"

The Eliza Large born in Down Ampney in 1807 went on to marry Walter Harris, a baker in Highworth.  I have yet to investigate a possibly relationship between Walter and the Richard Harris who married Thomas Matthews' daughter Martha.

There is now, 3 days later, an answer to the question posed here.  Please see my next post, "Eliza Large was ..."

Footnote:  David West's daughter Maria and her husband John Arthur Dodd were my 4th Great Grandparents.  A previous researcher in my family believed John Arthur and Maria were cousins, but I think it is more likely they were 2nd cousins, John Arthur's maternal grandmother being a Hannah West from Coln St Aldwyn's, Gloucestershire.  Hannah's husband was a John Compton:  family rumour has it he was related to Compton McKenzie and Fay Compton.  Great scope for more research on this branch of the family!

Until next time ... Cheers!