Our Bailey Heritage
Part 3
10 BAILEY
[Pedigree charts #1, 2 & 3]
To follow our Bailey family, we must temporarily leave Sussex County.
Our story begins somewhere in Hampshire County, on the western boarder
of Sussex. Before the Norman conquest of England, Hampshire was part
of the Kingdom of Wessex. Alfred the Great's court was at Winchester, a
city which is located about ten miles north of Southampton, the County's
largest. The "New Forest" just west of Southampton, was a favorite
hunting ground of Kings in the early history of England. It was here that
King William II, the son of William the Conqueror, was shot by an arrow
while hunting, which led to the reign of his younger Brother, King Henry I.
About half way between Southampton and Chichester lies Portsmouth
Harbour. This is a major port and over the years has become primarily a
military harbor. Today the Royal Navy Gunnery School, a Submarine base
and a torpedo training area all surround Portsmouth Harbour. In addition,
Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory, is permanently moored here.
On the north side of Portsmouth Harbour lies the town of Portchester where
King Henry II built a castle inside some ancient Roman ruins. The entire
Hampshire coastline has been the scene of a great deal of military history
right down to, and including, the Second World War. This area was badly
damaged by bombs during the War. It was also the area from which the
Normandy Invasion was launched on D-day in 1944.
Our Baileys had their roots in the general area around Portsmouth. There
were so many Baileys within the southeast corner of Hampshire County that
we have a difficult time tracing our family back very far.
William Bailey was our earliest identifiable ancestor. He was born
about 1744-48 somewhere near Portsmouth. Several William Baileys
were born around the same time and area making it virtually impossible to
identify which one was our William.
44
Our William Bailey married Mary ________ sometime around 1780. Their
oldest son was also named William and was born about 1781. In the 1841
census William Jr. was living with his Mother, Mary Bailey, in Pagham. His
age was rounded off to 60, but that seems to be fairly close to his real age.
His Mother's age was also rounded off to 80 but we believe she was born
sometime around 1757 (according to her burial record).
William and Mary Bailey moved to Wymering, Hampshire County and had a
son named Joseph in early 1783. They took this baby to St. Andrew's
parish at Farlington, Hampshire to be christened on 16 Mar. 1783.
Farlington was only a couple miles from Wymering and they may have gone
there since Joel, Joseph, Elizabeth and Sarah Bailey lived in that parish.
We think these individuals may have been brothers and sisters of our
William Bailey.
45
This little boy, Joseph Bailey, was our ancestor. In his later life he told the
1861 census taker that he was born in Wymering, Hampshire County.
Wymering is a very small parish on the north side of Portsmouth
Harbour and just east of Portchester. Farlington, the parish where young
Joseph was christened, is due north of Portsmouth and about two miles
east of Wymering. The Bailey family remained in this area for a short time
but long enough to have their next son, Charles, christened in the same
parish on 22 May 1785.
Shortly after the birth of this child (1785-86) William and Mary moved to the
farming community of Rose Green, about two miles north of Pagham, in
Sussex County. This was a move of less than twenty miles. Why they
moved is unknown. (There was another Bailey family in the Pagham area,
although we believe this other family was from Oving and we know of no
relationship between them.)
As residents of Rose Green they belonged to the Pagham parish. There
we find the records of the christenings of the last seven children, as well as
some of their marriages and burials [GS: 918,478]. We believe William
and Mary Bailey had the following children:
Name Christened Parish
William abt 1781 Hampshire Co.
* Joseph 16 Mar 1783 St. Andrews, Farlington
Charles 22 May 1785 St. Andrews, Farlington
Mary 6 Apr 1787 Pagham, Sussex
Charles 28 Jun 1789 Pagham, Sussex
James 19 Jun 1781 Pagham, Sussex
John 8 Dec 1793 Pagham, Sussex
Elizabeth 8 May 1796 Pagham, Sussex
Martha 31 Mar 1799 Pagham, Sussex
Harriet 1 Jan 1801 Pagham, Sussex
[Note: There is some confusion about the two Charles' listed above. We
find a christening record in the both parishes for a Charles. Normally, the
appearance of a second child of the same name within one family indicates
the death of the older child. However, in later census records for Pagham,
Charles told the census-taker that he was born in Hampshire County and
his age indicates that he was born about 1785. In-other-words, the older
Charles is the only one found in Pagham census records.
46
This leads us to speculate that there was really only one Charles in the family
(the older one who was born in 1785 in Hampshire County). However, we
think he may have been baptized at an early date just before the family moved
to Pagham. A few years later, the Pagham parish priest may have asked the
parents if he was baptized and if they couldn't remember specifically, the
ordinance may have been performed again, "just to make sure". If so, he
was about four years old when he was christened for the second time.
This is the only explanation we can think of but we have shown him here as
two different people since we really don't know the story and have found
records for two baptisms.]
William, Sr., the father of this family, farmed in Rose Green until his death.
He was buried in Pagham parish on 10 June 1821. The parish register
indicated that he was 73 years old at his passing. That would mean he
was born about 1748.
The 1841 census was the first conducted in England. In that census, they
recorded the correct ages of minor children but the ages of all adults were
rounded to the nearest 5 years. In the Pagham census of Sussex County,
Enumeration Dist. #9 in Rose Green, page 1, [GS: 474,674], we find the
following:
Name Age
William Bailey 60
* Mary Bailey 80
Eliz.th Bailey 45
William Bailey (Jr.) was living in the same home with his Mother, Mary
Bailey, age 80; and his sister, Elizabeth Bailey about age 45. We have no
record of Elizabeth ever marrying and the above census record seems to
confirm that.
William had previously married Emily Richards Suter of Pagham on 11 Oct.
1817. At that time, William Jr. would have been about 36 years old. His
bride had been married before to a Mr. Suter. Seven years later there was
a burial of an Emily Bailey (age 36) of Rose Green. She was buried in
Pagham on 1 Aug. 1824. This would mean that she was born about 1788
and was seven years younger than William Jr. We know of no children for
this couple.
47
The Mary Bailey, listed above at age 80, was the mother of our Joseph
Bailey. At the time of the 1841 census, she had been widowed for 20
years. She lived for another 10 years and died shortly before the 1851
census taker came around. She was still living in Rose Green at the time
of her death. She was buried in Pagham on 20 Mar. 1851. The register
indicates that she was 93 years old at her passing. From this we learn that
she was born about 1757.
Joseph Bailey, the son of William Sr. and Mary Bailey, was born in
Wymering, Hampshire County, as previously discussed and he was
christened in the St. Andrews parish in Farlington. He was just a young lad
when the family moved to Pagham where he spent most of his life.
On 14 Oct. 1807, Joseph married Mary Edwards, the daughter of James
and Susanna Edwards of Pagham. They made their first home in
Lagness, another small farming community within the Pagham parish.
Joseph farmed here until 1821-22. He then relocated his family to
Nytimber, just north of Pagham. Joseph and Mary (Edwards) Bailey had
nine children christened in the Pagham parish [GS: 918,478]:
Name Christened Spouse Married at
Harriet 9 Aug 1808
* Joseph 17 Apr 1814 Sally Horner Pagham
Henry 4 Aug 1816 Mary Bulbeck Pagham
Lot 11 Oct 1818 Emily Crees Pagham
Stephen 10 Sep 1820
George 20 Apr 1823 Sarah Gardner Pagham
Mary 9 Jul 1826
James 24 Aug 1828 Fanny Hampshire Pagham
Anne 10 Oct 1830
The children came along about every two years in this family. The obvious
gap between the first two children seems to indicate two miscarriages in this
family. Just over two years after the last child was born, the Mother, Mary
Edwards Bailey, passed away in Nytimber and was buried in Pagham on 26
Jan. 1833. As was so common back then, it seems most likely that she
died while giving birth to another child. If so, the child was also lost as
there was no record of a christening.
48
Eight years later, when the 1841 census was conducted, this family was still
living in Nytimber. Many of the older children were grown and gone but, on
page 11 of the Pagham census, we find the following family. Joseph was
listed as an "Ag laborer". He was a widower but three of his children, a
daughter-in-law and a grandson were living with him:
Name Age
* Joseph Bailey 55
Emely Bailey (wife of Lot) 20
Mary Bailey 15
James Bailey 12
Lot Bailey 20
Alfred Bailey (son of Lot) 2
The 1841 census taker was not too accurate in recording the place of birth
of all the inhabitants. He listed everyone as being born in Sussex County.
We know that is not correct. In 1851 the census taker did better but it was
still not totally accurate. He listed Joseph as being born in Pagham. We
find Joseph on page 8 of the Pagham census. He was still living in
Nytimber and farming as an "Ag laborer". His youngest son, James was
still single and farming with him [GS: 193,557]:
Name Relation Condition Age
* Joseph Bailey head widower 68
James Bailey son unmarried 22
The 1861 census is more informative. Joseph, then listed as a 77 year old
widower, was boarding with a family in Village Street in Nytimber. His job
was as an "Almsman" and an Ag laborer. His duties as an Almsman may
have been to collect money for the poor, which may have included himself.
This time, Joseph told the census taker that he was born in "Wimmering",
(Wymering) Hampshire County [GS: 542,672].
Joseph died the following year in West Hampnett, a small village next to
Nytimber and in the Pagham parish. He was buried on 1 Apr. 1862 at 79
years of age.
49
Joseph Bailey II was born in Lagness and christened in Pagham parish
on 17 Apr. 1814. He was almost 19 years old when his Mother died in
January 1833. Later that year he married Sarah "Sally" (Horner) Binstead
on 7 Dec. 1833. (Their marriage record does not give her maiden name.)
Sally Horner had previously married Thomas Binstead but he died leaving
her a young 26 year old widow in 1832. She had five children by her first
husband. (See Chapter 9 for more on the Horner family.)
At age 19, Joseph took on a great responsibility with a new wife and her
children by her previous marriage. At least two of her five children had
died by the time she married Joseph. It was not long after their marriage
that a child of their own was on the way. Between the years of 1834-48,
they had at least seven children of their own (perhaps 8). Their first four
children were born while Jospeh and Sally were farming at Nytimber. They
were christened in the Pagham parish:
Name Christened Buried Place
Benjamin 29 Jun 1834 24 Aug 1841 Pagham
Helen "Ellen" 1 May 1836
Joseph III 14 Aug 1838 29 Aug 1841 Pagham
* Daniel 14 Jun 1840
It was just one year after the birth of this fourth child that the first census was
conducted in 1841. At that time, this family was living in Nytimber
[Pagham, Enumeration Dist. # 9, page 12; GS: 474,674]. Again, this was
the census where the ages of all adults were rounded to the next 5 year
increment. Joseph was listed as an "Ag laborer", born in Sussex.
Name Age
* Joseph Bailey 25
* Sally " 35
Benj.n " 7
Joseph " 3
* Daniel " 1
Ellen " 5
Fanny Binstead 13
50
The Fanny Binstead listed above was a daughter of Sally Horner Binstead
Bailey, by her first husband. We don't know where her other children were.
Her son, William, lived and raised a family in Pagham. Her youngest child,
Henry, died in 1832, just six months after his father. Her second to the
youngest, Harriett, would have been just 11 years old at the time of this
census. The fact that she was not living with her mother and is not
mentioned again, leads us to suspect that she too had died. Sally's oldest
son, Thomas, would have been almost 17 years old and we don't know
what became of him.
Our ancestor, Daniel Bailey, was just learning to walk at the time of this
census, which took place on 8 June, 1841. Just two months later, the two
oldest boys in this family, Benjamin and Joseph III both died and were
buried in Pagham in August.
Early in 1842, Joseph and Sally had yet another child. Eliza was born in
Pagham but the family was in the process of moving from the area so she
was not christened until they located in their new home in Selsey. One can
imagine that with all the sickness and death this family had endured,
especially Sally, they were glad to move on to a new location and hoped for
a better future. Selsey is a beautiful spot on the beach of the
southern-most tip of Sussex County. It was a move of about four miles
from Nytimber. Two of their children were christened in the Selsey parish
[GS: 919,098]:
Eliza Bailey 21 Aug 1842
Mary Jane Bailey 1 Sep 1844
The family then moved again. About five miles north of Selsey and only
about two miles west of Nytimber, is the village of Sidlesham (pronounced --
Sigh-del-shum). The Sidlesham parish register contains the christening of
one child for this family [GS: 919,100]:
Stephen Bailey 24 Dec 1846
There is another interesting entry in the Sidlesham parish records. On 31
Mar. 1852 there was a burial for a Charles Bailey, age 4 years, of
Sidlesham. The only Bailey family that would have a young son of that age
would be our Joseph and Sally Bailey who were living there at that time.
51
If young Charles was four years old in 1852 then he would have been born
about 1848, or about two years after the last known baby in this family. We
find no christening record for him however. Even more puzzling is that the
1851 census took place when young Charles would still have been alive
and about three years old. We find the Joseph Bailey family listed in
Sidlesham but there is no Charles included in the family. We will not list
him here as part of the family either but we wonder if he was another one of
Joseph and Sally's babies and if they had one more heartbreak when this
baby died.
Joseph and Sally seem to have finally found some measure of peace.
They were close enough to visit their families back in Pagham but had a life
of their own in Sidlesham. They both were still living there when the 1881
census was taken. By then, Sally was 75 years old and Joseph was 67.
Sally died sometime between 1881-85. Joseph was buried in Sidlesham
on 1 Oct. 1885 at the age of seventy one.
Daniel Bailey was born in Nytimber and taken to the Pagham parish to
be christened on 14 June 1840. He was the fourth child born to Joseph
Bailey and Sally Horner. He was only 2 years old when the family moved
to Selsey and he was about 5 when they moved to Sidlesham. He went by
the name of "Dan" throughout his life. When he was old enough to seek
his fortune in the world, he worked his way around Chichester Harbour to
the hamlet of Chidham. This tiny spot is on a peninsula that extends
southerly into Chichester Harbour and is about five miles west of the city of
Chichester. Here Dan met and married Ruth Sparks on 4 Sep. 1859.
Ruth Sparks had a close relationship with her brother James Sparks and
their lives and families remained close. This brother, James, and his
fiancée, Martha Maria Hutchins, were the witnesses at the wedding of Dan
and Ruth (Sparks) Bailey. After the wedding, Dan and Ruth returned to
Sidlesham and began farming near his parents. Their first two children
were christened in Sidlesham [GS: 919,100]:
Name Christened Buried
Sarah Jane Bailey 12 Feb 1860 28 Aug 1862
Daniel Bailey 29 Sep 1861
52
The 1861 census for Sidlesham, was conducted on 13 Apr. 1861, prior to
the birth of the second child [GS: 542,672]:
Name Relation Condition Age Birth
* Dan Bailey head married 20 Pagham
* Ruth Bailey wife married 22 Chidham
Sarah J. dau. 1 Sidlesham
Just five months after this census, their second child was christened in
Sidlesham. Within a year after that, their little girl, Sarah Jane died and
was buried there.
It seems that Ruth, like her Mother-in-law, didn't want to remain there after
the death of her little girl. Her brother, James Sparks, had moved to
Portsmouth, Hampshire. Dan and Ruth Bailey decided to follow him there
and seek a new life in the city.
53
In 1863, they located at #15 Kettering Terrace in the town of Landport in
Portsea, a suburb of Portsmouth. They were members of the All Saints
parish. Here they had at least four more children christened:
Name Christened
William Bailey 20 Mar 1864
Emma Jane Bailey 4 Feb 1866
* Joseph Bailey 11 Dec 1870
Kate Bailey 11 Dec 1870
While it appears that Joseph and his sister, Kate may have been twins, this
is incorrect. Joseph was actually born on 1 Feb. 1868 but his parents
didn't take him to be christened until his little sister was born and these two
children were christened together.
In the 1871 census for Portsea, Hampshire County, All Saints parish,
Enumeration Dist. #10, sub-dist. Kingston, page 3, [GS: 827,775] we find
our family still living at #15 Kettering Terrace. Dan's occupation is difficult
to read but he was some kind of a laborer. Most work in that area was
connected to the maritime work at the docks:
54
55
1871 Census:
Name Relation Condition Age Birthplace
* Dan Bailey head married 30 Sidlesham
* Ruth Bailey wife married 31 Chidham
Daniel Bailey son 9 Sidlesham
William Bailey son 7 Portsmouth
* Joseph Bailey son 3 Portsmouth
Kate dau 1 Portsmouth
From the above we see that not only are they missing the oldest daughter,
Sarah Jane, who died back in Sidlesham, but they are also missing Emma
Jane, who would have been about five years old at this time.
This census record is the last record we have found of this family. With
little Kate being only one year old, and the parents in their early thirties, they
probably had additional children not known to us at this time. However, we
searched the 1881 census and the family had moved from the area. We
don't know where they moved next, what other children they may have had,
or what became of any of them except for their son, Joseph. We also
wrote Portsmouth/Portsea to search the records of the old All Saints parish.
They were unable to find any further mention of this family (christenings,
marriages or burials) other than what is shown above.
Joseph Bailey was born was born 1 Feb 1868 in Kingston, Portsea,
Hampshire County. [This date was recorded in his wife's family Bible, as
well as documented in the above birth certificate.] He was almost three
years old when he was taken to the All Saints parish in Portsea, with his
younger sister, Kate, to be christened on 11 Dec. 1870 [Letter from
Portsmouth City Records Office, dated 27 Jan. 1993.]
Sometime in his youth, before 1881, Joseph moved away from
Portsea/Portsmouth with his family. His parents had moved there to be
closer to his Mother's brother, James Sparks and his family. James
Sparks moved to Southwick, Sussex Co., then to London for a short time,
and then back to Littlehampton in Sussex Co. Perhaps the Baileys
followed them to that part of Sussex County. We know that Joseph grew
up knowing his cousin, Sarah Sparks, the daughter of James and Martha
Maria Hutchins Sparks. We have a photo of them taken in Littlehampton,
Sussex County just a few months prior to their marriage.
57
Joseph took a job in London as a train conductor. He was living in
Battersea, in Wandsworth district, across the Thames River to the south of
Westminster when he was married to his first cousin, Sarah Jane Sparks,
on 16 Feb. 1889. They continued to live in London, where their first two
children were born:
Name Birthdate Birth place
Joseph Reginald Bailey 23 Nov 1889 Kentish Town
Fredrick William Bailey 11 Sep 1891 Malden Road
Joseph then changed jobs. He became a steward on a ship that sailed
from London to Southampton and on to Liverpool; then back to London via
Southampton again. Joseph realized that he could see his family twice as
often if they lived in Southampton as he would if he lived at either terminus.
In about 1892, he moved his family from London to Southampton, where
they found a residence in Woolston, on the east side of the River directly
across from Southampton. Here, their last two children were born:
Name Birthdate Birth place
Leonard Harold Bailey 29 Dec 1893 Woolston, Hamp.
* Lillian Florence Bailey 27 Feb 1896 Woolston, Hamp.
We are not certain what became of Joseph Bailey after that time. The
children of Lillian Florence Bailey understood that Joseph was lost at sea
when his ship went down sometime around the turn of the century.
However, the descendants of Leonard Harold Bailey had the family Bible of
Joseph's wife, Sarah Jane Sparks Bailey. In it was a note that Joseph died
in New York Harbor in 1917. If that is the case, then Joseph and his wife
did not live together for some time as she raised the children alone from the
time Lillian was about three years old. (More will be given on this family in
the Sparks genealogy in Chapter 16.) This Lillian Florence Bailey was the
grandmother of Bette McDonald Nebeker and was well known by her.
59
11 HUTCHINS
[Pedigree chart #1]
The first record found of Thomas and Ann Hutchins (or Hutchings)
is for the christening of their son Thomas Hutchins in the St. Pancras parish
of the Church of England in Chichester, Sussex, England on 29 June 1789
[GS: 504,431]. We find no record of the marriage or birth of Thomas or
Ann but, we presume they grew up somewhere near the Chichester area.
Chichester is the largest city in western Sussex County and it is a very old
town with a lot of history. Anciently this area was occupied by the Regni
tribe before the Romans conquered "Britannia" and built their new town of
Noviomagus on the same site.
Following the Romans, the Saxon chief, Aella gave this ruined city to his
son Cissa. It is believed that the city derived its name from "Cissa's
chester" (or Cissa's castle) which over the years became Chichester. The
words: chester or caster (both of which are common endings of English
town names) meant "castle" or fortress.
From the hills along the South Downs, one can look down on Chichester
amid the fertile fields, marshes and wetlands along the eastern end of
Chichester Harbour. Bishop Ralph, a Norman, began to build the old
cathedral here around 1091. Its spire rises 277 feet high. Still today, long
stretches of the original Roman wall can be seen around parts of the old
city.
It was in this area that we have our Hutchins (or Hutchings) family roots.
Within four years of the birth of their first known child, Thomas and Ann
Hutchins had moved from St. Pancras to a neighboring parish, St.
Bartholomew, but still in the city of Chichester. Here they had three more
children christened. We know of only four children for this family:
60
Name Christened Parish in Chichester
* Thomas Hutchins 29 Jun 1789 St. Pancras
Elizabeth Hutchins 28 Sep 1793 St. Bartholomew
William Hutchins 18 Nov 1795 St. Bartholomew
Ann Hutchins 1 Jul 1798 St. Bartholomew
[A Thomas and Elizabeth (Briant) Hutchings (Huchings, Hutchens) family
was living in Selsey and Sidlesham parishes in the 1760s. They had a son
named Thomas who was baptized in Selsey on 31 Jan. 1768. This was
just 19 years before "our" earliest Thomas had his first known child
baptized. However, this is just a wishful possibility and there is currently no
way to connect the Sidlesham Hutchings with our Thomas in Chichester.]
At this point, all we know of this first generation is that a Thomas and Ann
Hutchings had at least four children who were baptized in two different
parishes in Chichester. They may have had additional children unknown
to us at this time. Other than the registers kept by the various parishes
there were virtually no records of family relationships.
Thomas and Ann’s oldest son, the young Thomas Hutchins (his name is
variously spelled but most often without the "g") grew up in Chichester during
the period of time that King George III was fighting bouts of insanity, the
French were rebelling against their monarchy and the Napoleonic wars were
devastating Europe. To what extent these events involved him is not known
but all of Europe was affected and it is very possible that a young man of
fighting age may also have been taken far from his home.
If events, such as military service, did not interfere, it was common for a
young man to marry in his early twenties. We find no record of any
marriage for Thomas at that time but we do find a record of a christening of
a baby boy named Thomas Hutchings, who was the son of a Thomas and
Elizabeth Hutchings in "St. Peter the Lesser" parish in Chichester on 15
May 1811 [GS: 504,431]. We can't be certain that the young father was
our Thomas Hutchings but the place and date make it a possibility. We
find no more mention of the wife, Elizabeth, nor of the baby. Whether they
died due to some epidemic or what became of them is left to speculation.
We find no record of any other children by this Thomas and Elizabeth.
61
Assuming this man was "our" Thomas Hutchins, he soon found himself a
single man again after the early death of his wife, Elizabeth. Thomas had
to make a new life for himself. Being close to the sea, one wonders if
perhaps he may have joined the navy. In his area it was not uncommon for
young men to take up the life of a sailor.
No further mention is found of him for the next 24 years, or until the
christening of a daughter, Henrietta Hutchings on 17 Feb. 1835 in "St. Peter
the Great", Subdeanery, Chichester. The baptismal record shows that the
baby's mother was named Mary. The family lived in the West Lane street
and the father, Thomas, by then was a baker by trade [GS: 1,468,999. p.79].
On 31 Jan. 1837 this couple had another daughter baptized in the same
parish. This girl received the name of Martha Maria Hutchings and
was our ancestor [GS: 1,468,999, p.113].
Within the following two years the family moved to the St. Martins parish in
Chichester where another daughter, Emma Jane was baptized on 10 Nov.
1839 but sadness struck this family eight months later when this little girl
was buried in the same parish on 7 July 1840 [GS: 1,468,998, p.24, 18].
In the 1841 census, our family was living at #1 Shamble Alley in the St.
Martins parish of Chichester, Enumeration District #5 p.7, [GS: 464,164]:
Name Age Occupation Where born
* Thomas Hutchins 50 baker Sussex
* Mary 25 Sussex
Harriett 6 Sussex
* Martha 4 Sussex
It is obvious that Thomas was quite a bit older than his wife. This lends
support to the presumption that he probably had an earlier family. The
ages of the parents are not exactly correct but were rounded to the nearest
five year increment. The birthplace of the Mother is also wrong (as we will
see in the 1851 census). The oldest daughter was listed here by the
nickname of Harriett, although her real name was Henrietta.
62
The 1851 census finds them still living in the same location although the
house number was then given as #24 Shamble Alley. The other
information provided appears to be more accurate than the previous census
[GS: 193,558 p.25]:
Name Age Occupation Where born
* Thomas Hutchings 62 laborer Sussex, Chichester
* Mary 37 Portugal (British Subj)
Henrietta 16 Sussex, Chichester
* Martha 14 Sussex, Chichester
George 9 Sussex, Chichester
Edward 7 Sussex, Chichester
Caroline 5 Sussex, Chichester
Clara 2 Sussex, Chichester
Sophia 3 mos Sussex, Chichester
From the 1851 census we see that Thomas Hutchings, the father, was born
in Chichester about 1788. The only Thomas Hutchings (including various
spellings of the name) who was baptized in Chichester in that time frame
was our Thomas Hutchings, the son of Thomas and Ann Hutchings who
was baptized there in 1789, as discussed above.
His wife, Mary, shows her place of birth as Portugal with the added
comment that she was a "British subject". We don't know whether this
means she was born a British subject while her parents were living in
Portugal, or whether she become a British subject after moving to England
and perhaps after marrying her husband, Thomas Hutchings. No record of
their marriage has been found in Chichester. They could have married in
Portugal.
[There is a record of a man by the name of “Thomas Hutchings” marrying a
“Mary French” in Portsea, Hampshire at about the same time that this couple
may have married. There is some tie of our family to the Portsea area but we
cannot prove that that Thomas and Mary were the same as our Thomas and
Mary.]
63
So far we have been unable to find this family in either the 1861 or 1871
census in any parish in Chichester. We are not sure where they moved or
if they had any other children in the family. It seems likely that the Father,
Thomas, may have died before the 1861 census (by then he would have
been 72 years old) and Mary probably moved her family closer to some of
her relatives.
In the St. Martins parish in Chichester we find the baptisms of each of the
five youngest children with the exception of Edward. Perhaps Edward was
baptized in another parish but it is obvious from the census record shown
above that Edward was a member of this family. The St. Martins baptismal
records list the following children [GS: 1,468,998]:
Name Christened
George Henry Hutchings 17 Oct 1841 p. 26
Caroline Hutchins 29 Mar 1846 p. 31
Clara Elizabeth Hutchins 3 Dec 1848 p. 32
Sophia Hutchins 19 Jan 1851 p. 35
As mentioned above, after their disappearance from Chichester, the family
may have moved to the area of Portsea/Portsmouth, in Hampshire county.
We have a record of the marriage of their daughter Martha Maria Hutchings
to James Sparks in St. Marys parish in Portsea on 21 April 1860. We also
find the names of other Hutchins or Hutchings there with names similar to
those of our family. However, with such common given names we cannot
be certain that these are the same people.
In the 1861 census [GS: 542,674 p.28] for the "All Saints" parish in
Portsea, borough of Portsmouth, town of Landport in Hampshire county, we
find the newly married couple:
Name Age Occupation Where born
* James Sparks 29 blacksmith Sussex, Chidham
* Martha M. Sparks 26 beefshaker Sussex, Chichester
64
Martha's occupation is difficult to read in the census but appears to be that
of a "beefshaker". It is not clear what that job was. It is possible that her
duty was to shake the curing salt off of the beef hides at the slaughterhouse.
If so, this was a very difficult job. Not only was it very physically demanding
but it would also have been nauseatingly smelly.
We find her listed with her children in the 1871 census in Southwick, New
Shoreham, Sussex but at that time Martha M. (Hutchins) Sparks was shown
as the head of the household with no mention of James. We're not sure
where he was at that time but he may have had a job away from home. In
the 1881 census they were living in Wick, near Lyminster and
Littlehampton, Sussex County.
We're not sure when or where Martha Maria Hutchings Sparks died. Her
grandson, Leonard Bailey, came back to that area at the end of World War I
to visit some relatives he hadn't seen since he was a young boy. Here in
Worthing, near Littlehampton, he found a wife, Edith Stanford, and they
were married in 1917. His grandmother may have been the one he was
visiting in that area. If she was still living, she would have been eighty
years old in 1917. (More on Martha Maria Hutchings' family will be given in
Chapter 15 in the Sparks genealogy.)
65
12 NASH
[Pedigree charts #1 & 7]
Westbourne is both a town and a parish on the very western edge of Sussex
County. It's about seven miles west of Chichester and within ten miles of
Portsmouth, Hampshire County. Westbourne parish is a large one that is
located on the northern rim of Chichester Harbour. It boarders on two
small parishes to the south: West Thorney and Chidham. Both of these
small parishes lie on peninsulas that extend southward into Chichester
Harbour. Each of these parishes is important in tracing our family history.
In the Westbourne parish we find the christening records for five children of
Stephen and Sarah Naish (or Nash). Since we have not found the
marriage record for this couple, we do not know if they had other children
before their arrival in Westbourne. Nor do we know where either of them
came from before they lived here. The parish record lists the following
christenings for this family [GS: 919,103]:
Name Christening
Rebeckah Naish 26 Dec 1757
Stephen Naish 24 Feb 1760
* James Naish 3 Jan 1762
Elizabeth Naish 26 Dec 1763
Flora Naish 3 Dec 1769
Nothing else is known of this family at this time except that their son,
Stephen Naish (Jr.) was married in Westbourne parish to Mary Petty on 26
May 1782. The family probably remained in the area throughout the rest of
their lives.
In the same parish record, we find the baptisms for a Stephen and Mary
Naish in 1774 and 1780. These occurred before the marriage of Stephen
Jr. and we wonder if Stephen (Sr.) might have had a second family. We
have not found a record for such a marriage, nor for a burial of his first wife,
Sarah.
66
James Naish grew up in Westbourne but as a young man he met Mary
Stone and they were married on 12 Oct. 1783 in West Thorney, the parish
just to the south, on a peninsula in Chichester Harbour. We have tried to
trace Mary's ancestry but we found a Mary Stone christened in Slaugham
and another in Felpham parish at about the same time (about 1763).
There may well have been others by that same name. Without more to go
on we have not been able to determine where our Mary Stone came from.
After their marriage, James and Mary returned to Westbourne and the
following ten children were christened there:
Name Christening
James Nash 10 Mar 1784
Mary Naish 19 Jun 1785
Ann Nash 15 Nov 1787
William Nash 30 May 1790
George Nash 12 Nov 1792
* Sarah Nash 8 Mar 1795
Elizabeth Nash 14 May 1797
Jenny Nash 14 Aug 1799
Ann Nash 31 Jan 1802
Emma Nash 30 Jun 1805
The oldest child, James (Jr.) lived only a few days. He was buried on 20
Mar. 1784. Their third child, Ann, lived for only a year and a half. She was
buried in Westbourne on 19 May 1790. It appears this family may have
had another baby boy who they names James. This infant may not have
lived long enough to be christened as we find no record of that in the parish.
However, we do find a burial record for another James, the son of James
and Mary Nash on 22 Apr. 1803.
Sarah (Jane) Nash presents a bit of a question mark in our research yet
we are confident we have the right person. At her baptism (shown above)
she was listed only as "Sarah Nash" but we are confident this is the same
person who, throughout her life, went by the name of "Jane". She grew up
in Westbourne where she met and married James Sparks (Sr.) on 8 Dec.
1818. In her marriage record her name was given as "Jane Nash".
67
After their marriage this couple seems to have moved briefly to Binsted
parish. Here their first child, Maria Anne Sparks was born but instead of
christening her there, they returned home to have her baptized near their
families in Westbourne parish on 3 Oct. 1819. The record contains a note
that the family was from Binsted [GS: 919,103].
At some point between 1820-29, the family then appears to have moved to
Chidham. This is the town where James Sparks grew up and where his
family still lived. Again, this is just south of Westbourne, on another
peninsula in Chichester Harbour. The parish records for Chidham have
some large gaps and we are sure this family had some children during this
decade but we have been unable to identify them because of the missing
information in the parish register.
The first British census was conducted in 1841. At that time this family was
living in Chidham. We will provide more detail in Chapter 15 with the
Sparks genealogy but here we will only cover the wife, Jane Sparks. In
1841 the ages of the adults were rounded to the next five year increment, as
previously mentioned. Jane was shown as being 45 years old and born in
Sussex County. Along with her husband, James Spark(e)s, four children
were listed ranging in ages from 12 down to 2 [GS: 474,674].
The 1851 census is much more helpful. Here Jane was listed as a widow,
and the head of the household. She was 56 years old and said she was
born in Westbourne, Sussex. Five children were still living with her ranging
in age from 17 down to 9 [GS: 193,560].
The 1861 census agrees with the age shown above by listing her as a 66
years old widow who earned her livelihood as a "Charwoman" or a chore
woman, keeping house and performing other odd jobs to maintain the
homes of others. One unmarried son was still living with her and working
as an "Ag laborer". However, in this census she was shown as being born
in Binsted. No other census records were found for her and she may have
died between 1861-71, and probably in Chidham.
68
From the information provided in the above census records, we knew that
"Jane" was born about 1795 in either Westbourne or Binsted. (It should be
remembered that this family lived in Binsted for a short time after their
marriage. It could be that she misunderstood the question and told the
census-taker where they lived just before coming to Chidham.)
We searched both parishes and found nothing in Binsted that came close to
our "Jane Nash". In Westbourne, however, we found the Nash/Naish
families shown above, including the christening for a "Sarah Nash" on 8
Mar. 1795. The time and place was right but the first names did not quite
match.
We then noticed that this woman had two granddaughters named "Sarah
Jane" and we began to suspect that her name was also Sarah Jane.
At her christening, only her first name was recorded but as she grew, we
believe, she may have chosen to use her middle name instead. There is
still an element of speculation in this but we feel confident that our "guess"
is correct.
We looked next at the names she gave to her children. It was common to
name children after one's own brothers and sisters. Remember that we
have a gap of ten years in her family and do not know all the names she
gave to her earlier children.
James Naish's Children Jane Nash Spark's Children
James Maria Anne
Mary Mary
Ann James
William George
George Ruth
Sarah Emma
Elizabeth
Jenny
Ann
Emma
Most of the above names were fairly common, except for Emma. But even
with such common names, these two lists match up surprisingly well. This
does not prove Sarah Nash and Jane Nash were the same person, but we
feel confident they were.
69
13 SANDFORD
[Pedigree chart #6]
Slindon is a parish on the north side of Walberton and Binsted parishes.
Here lived Robert Sandford and Elizabeth Voke. We're not sure
where they came from before arriving here but both of them would have
been born about 1690. Our first record of them is for their marriage on 6
Sep. 1712 in Slindon. The following children of this couple were christened
in this parish [GS: 919,094]:
Name Christening
Mary (dau) 1 Aug 1714
* Sarah (dau) 21 Feb 1718
Jane (dau) 16 Dec 1721
Ann (dau) 22 Jan 1723/4
Jone (dau) 28 Sep 1725
William (son) 16 Dec 1728
Susan (dau) 15 Aug 1730
The last child, Susan, lived only about three weeks and was buried in
Slindon on 6 Sep. 1730. The mother, Elizabeth Sandford, also appears
not to have been able to recuperate from the effects of this last birth. She
was buried two months later, on 12 Nov. 1730 in Slindon.
The Father, Robert Sandford, married a second time but we don't know
where. His next wife's name was Mary _________ and they married
sometime between 1731-33. They too made their home in Slindon where
the following children were christened:
Name Christening
Hannah (dau) 4 Apr 1734
Martha (dau) 15 Jul 1736
Richard (son) Mar 1737/8
Thomas (son) 2 Dec 1739
Abraham (son) 27 Jun 1742
70
Little else is known of this family other than the above information. Robert
Sandford would have been in his early fifties at the time of the birth of this
last known child. He probably remained in Slindon for the rest of his life.
Sarah Sandford, the second daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Voke)
Sandford, was christened in Slindon on 21 Feb. 1718. While she grew up
in this area with her other sisters and one brother, she had moved to
Chidham by the time she was 21 years old. Here she met and married a
young man named Henry Wakeford III on 9 Oct. 1739 [GS: 919,103]. He
was probably a cousin of hers since his mother was a Mary Sandford, who
married Henry Wakeford II in Rumboldswyke parish, near Chichester on 20
July 1714 [GS: 504,434]. Two young children were born to Henry III and
Sarah Sandford Wakeford and christened in Chidham:
Henry Wakeford IV 10 Jul 1740
Thomas Wakeford 28 Jan 1741/2
Her husband, Henry Wakeford, then died and was buried there on 22 July
1742. For two years she raised her two boys alone. Then she met
George Sparks Jr. He had recently moved to Chidham from Catherington,
Hampshire County. They were married in Rumboldswyke parish on 16
Sep. 1744. [Rumboldswyke was on the south side of Chichester and
Chidham parish was a subordinate parish connected to it.] Her name was
recorded as "Sarah Wakeford" in the parish register at the time of this
wedding. This couple had six children christened in Chidham:
Joyce Sparks 23 Dec 1744
* George Sparks III 2 Nov 1746
William Sparks 10 Feb 1748
Mary Sparks 27 Jan 1750/1
John Sparks 31 Oct 1753
Robert Sparks 11 Apr 1756
Sarah Sandford Wakeford Sparks lived to see both of her families raised.
She outlived her second husband by 19 years and died in Chidham at the
age of 69. She was buried there on 22 Oct. 1787. (More will be given on
this family in the Sparks genealogy in Chapter 15.)
71
14 DIAPER
[Pedigree chart #6]
For our earliest known Diaper and Sparks ancestors, we will again return to
Hampshire County. The parish of Burlesdon is about four miles southeast
of Southampton. Here we find the first reference to our Diaper ancestors
when Richard Diaper married Mabel Warner on 25 May 1687 [GS:
1,595,838 & 538,936]. {In the IGI (International Genealogical Index), this
marriage was incorrectly recorded as 1607 but in going to the original parish
record it is obvious that the date was actually 1687.}
The fact that they were only married here and then immediately began their
family in South Stoneham parish, just to the north, may indicate that Mabel
was from Burlesdon parish, and Richard may have been from South
Stoneham but no other references could be found in either parish for either
of their families.
Richard and Mabel (Warner) Diaper had the following three children
christened in South Stoneham [GS: 1,041,740]:
Name Christening
* Anne Diaper 14 Jun 1688
Richard Diaper 25 May 1691
Mary Diaper 14 Jun 1696
Just about a month before this last child was christened we find the
following burial record in this parish:
Richard Diaper 2 May 1696
Anne was just eight years old when her father died and Mary was a tiny
infant, if indeed, she was even born. Mabel was now left as a young widow
with her children.
72
Mary, the youngest child, did not live long. She was buried in South
Stoneham on 25 June 1696, when only a few weeks old.
We're not sure how Mabel supported herself and her two remaining children
after this time or if she remarried. We find the marriage record of her son,
Richard (Jr.) on 27 Dec 1716 in Jesus Chapel in Southampton. Here he
married Margaret Powell and they raised a family of five children there.
Anne Diaper found her way to Catherington, a small town and parish
about 12-13 miles to the east of South Stoneham. It may be that she had
and uncle and cousins here who helped her get a start in life. Five years
after her own marriage, we find the marriage of an "Elizabeth Diaper of this
parish" in Catherington. We do not know of any close relative (sister) by
that name.
Catherington is only about four miles from the Sussex County line and the
parish of Westbourne, Sussex. While living in this parish, Anne met the
Sparks family and fell in love with a young man named George Sparks.
They were both about 25 years old when they married on 6 April 1713 in
Catherington [GS: 918,891]. (More will be given on this family in the
Sparks family genealogy in Chapter 15.)
73
15 SPARKS
[Pedigree charts #1 & 6]
The parish to the west of Catherington and just about five miles from the
Sussex County border, is Hambledon. The village of Hambledon is
considered to be the home of the game of Cricket. The Hambledon Cricket
Club, founded in 1760, plays on the "Broadhalfpenny Down" two miles
northeast of town. Our Sparks family was living there about a century
earlier.
Edward Sparks (or Sparkes) is our earliest known ancestor in this line.
He was born about 1650-60 but we're not sure where. We find him first at
his wedding in Hambledon, Hampshire County, on 11 Dec. 1680 where he
married Elizabeth (or Elisabell) Courtnell [GS: 1,041,205].
We have not been able to identify the parents of either of these two people.
Since they married in Hambledon but moved immediately to Catherington,
which may be an indication that Elizabeth was from Hambledon, while
Edward was probably from Catherington. They had the following seven
children christened in the parish at Catherington, Hampshire County [GS:
918,891]:
Name Christening
Edward Sparks (Jr.) 12 Mar 1681/2
Thomas Sparks 30 Oct 1684
Joseph Sparks 24 Nov 1686
* George Sparks 22 Jan 1687/8
Robert Sparks 21 Jul 1689
Elizabeth Sparks 12 Nov 1693
Richard Sparks 24 May 1696
From the above record, one would guess that this family probably had
another baby, who did not survive long enough to be christened, in about
1691. No record of any child exists however. One can also imagine how
happy they were to finally have a daughter to go along with all those sons.
74
Ten years after the birth of this youngest child, we find the burial record of
Elizabeth, the wife of Edward Sparkes, on 31 March 1706 in Catherington
parish. Eight years after that, in the same parish, was the burial of Edward
Sparkes on 2 May 1714.
It appears that suddenly, all the Sparks family, except for George Sparks,
moved from the area. We don't know where they went but it may have
been south, to Gosport, near Portsmouth. There was an Edward Sparks
who was married there in 1706.
George Sparks is the only one of the children of Edward and Elizabeth
(Courtnell) Sparks, who we can trace. George remained in Catherington.
Here he eventually married Anne Diaper on 6 April 1713 (see Chapter 14).
George and Anne (Diaper) Sparks had nine children christened in
Catherington:
Name Christening
* George Sparks (Jr.) 10 Jan 1713/4
Anne Sparks 16 Oct 1715
Elizabeth Sparks 19 Jan 1717/8
Mary Sparks 8 Nov 1719
John Sparks 18 Feb 1721/2
William Sparks 13 Dec 1724
Sarah Sparks 7 May 1727
Thomas Sparks 30 Jan 1729/30
Edward Sparks 20 Aug 1732
We're not sure what became of George (Sr.) and Anne Sparks, nor of any of
their children, except for George (Jr.).
George Sparks (Jr.) was born in Catherington about January 1714.
As a young man he left home and found his way to Chidham, Sussex
County, about four miles west of Chichester. Here he met Sarah Sandford
Wakeford, a young widow with two small children (see Chapter 13).
Although George was 31 years old, we don't know of any earlier marriage or
family for him.
75
He and Sarah fell in love but instead of marrying in Chidham, they went to
Rumboldswyke parish, on the south side of Chichester, to be married on
16 Sep 1744 [GS: 416,749 & 504,434]. Their marriage entry indicates that
both husband and wife were from Chidham at that time. After the wedding,
they returned home to Chidham where their six children came along in rapid
succession [GS: 1,364,153]:
Name Christening
Joyce Sparks 23 Dec 1744
* George Sparks (III) 2 Nov 1746
William Sparks 10 Feb 1748
Mary Sparks 27 Jan 1750/1
John Sparks 31 Oct 1753
Robert Sparks 11 Apr 1756
The oldest child, Joyce, died and was buried in Chidham on 12 July 1754
not yet ten years old. We don't know what became of William and Mary.
The two youngest boys both married girls in the neighboring village of
Bosham in 1780.
When little Robert was 12 years old, his father, George Sparks Jr. was
buried in Chidham on 23 Jan 1768. He was 55 years old when he died.
Their mother lived for another 19 years and died in Chidham at age 69.
She was buried on 22 Oct. 1787.
George Sparks (III) was born in Chidham in 1746. He spent his
entire life there. He married first, Mary Plat (Platt) on 17 Apr. 1774.
[We tried to trace the Plat/Platt genealogy and felt we had great success for
about two centuries in the Westbourne parish. Then we discovered there
was another Mary Platt christened there who married a man named William
New in Westbourne in 1776 and died in childbirth that same year. We
believe this was the Mary Platt we were researching and a different person
than our Mary Plat. Plat/Platt was a common name in the Westbourne area
and we suspect we are related to that family but have not been able to identify
"our" Mary Plat properly so will not give any information on that family here.]
76
George and Mary (Plat) Sparks had the following eight children baptized in
the Chidham parish:
Name Christening
George Sparks (IV) 18 Dec 1774
Henry Sparks 7 Jul 1776
William Sparks 18 May 1778
Mary Ann Sparks 4 Jun 1780
* James Sparks 23 Jul 1781
Ambrose Sparks 6 Jun 1784
Thomas Sparks 27 Aug 1786
Joseph Sparks 25 Jul 1790
The oldest child, George (IV) was buried in Chidham on 11 June 1781 at
age six and a half. The other children appear to have lived to adulthood.
Most of them married in Chidham or Westbourne and remained close by.
The Mother, Mary (Plat) Sparks was buried in Chidham parish on 23 Feb.
-
1800. George then lived alone for 11 years before he married again on
19 June 1811 in Chidham. His second wife was Hannah Wheeler of
Aldingbourne. This couple had one daughter, Hannah Sparks, who was
christened in Chidham on 14 July 1811. George was almost 65 years old
when this little girl was born. We don't know what became of George after
this date.
James Sparks, the son of George (III) and Mary (Plat) Sparks was born in
Chidham in 1781. Here he grew to manhood but when it came time to
seek a wife, he went to the neighboring parish of Westbourne where he
married "Jane Nash" on 8 Dec. 1818 (see Chapter 12).
James and Jane (Nash) Sparks made their first home in Binsted parish for
a very short time. Here, their first child, Maria Anne Sparks, was born but
they brought her back to her Mother's parish to have her christened in
Westbourne on 3 Oct. 1819. The record notes that the family was from
Binsted.
We think this family then moved back to Chidham, where James' family still
lived. The Chidham parish records have a large gap in them during the
next few years. We find nothing further on this family for the space of 22
years.
77
During that time, their oldest child, Maria Anne, and perhaps others,
could have grown to maturity. Many English children left home to join the
work force by their mid-teens.
The next record of our family was in the 1841 census of Chidham
[Enumeration Dist. #6, p.11 -- GS: 474,674]:
Name Age Work Place of Birth
* James Sparkes 55 Ag labor Sussex
* Jane " 45 Sussex
Mary " 12 Sussex
* James " 8 Sussex
George " 5 Sussex
* Ruth " 2 Sussex
Mary, the oldest child still living at home, was 12 years old in 1841. That
means she was born about 1829. Since we know they had their first child,
Maria Anne, in 1819, there is a gap of ten years we know nothing about.
Children over the age of 15 or 16 could have been working out at other
farms away from home. We are sure there would have been other children
born during those ten years but we don't know their names, nor how many
of them survived.
Just two pages later in the 1841 census, there was a young girl named
Sophia Sparkes, age 20, living with another family. We are not sure where
this young girl fits into our Sparks family but it is very possible she may have
been a daughter of our James and Sarah Sparks. [In the next generation,
young James Sparks Jr. named one of his daughters "Ethel Sophia".]
In the 1851 census for Chidham [GS: 193,560], we find the family still living
in the same area with some changes:
Name Relation Age Work Place of Birth
* Jane Sparks widow 56 Sux, Westbourne
* James Sparks son 17 Ag labor Sux, Chidham
George Sparks son 15 Ag labor Sux, Chidham
* Ruth Sparks dau 12 Sux, Chidham
Emma Sparks dau 9 Sux, Chidham
78
From this we learn that the father, James Sparks, died sometime between
1842-51, probably in Chidham. He also had a daughter, Emma born about
1842 in Chidham, listed here for the first time. Jane, his widow, gave her
age and place of birth. As discussed in Chapter 12, her name was given
as Sarah Nash, at her christening but was probably Sarah Jane Nash in
reality. She went by "Jane" throughout her life.
We descend from two of the children in this family: James (Jr.) and also
from his sister, Ruth. These census records are very important in proving
our family ties, particularly in light of the missing parish records in Chidham.
The 1861 census was the last to list Jane (Nash) Sparks. At that time, she
was a 66 year old "Charwoman" living with her single son, George. He was
an Ag (farm) laborer. They were living next to the "Railway Gate House" in
Chidham [GS: 542,674]. Jane probably died sometime between 1861-71.
Ruth Sparks (1839) was the daughter of James Sparks and Sarah Jane
Nash. She was born and raised in Chidham. When she was twenty years
old, Daniel Bailey from Sidlesham (see Chapter 10) came to Chidham and
they were married on 4 Sep. 1859. The witnesses for their wedding were
her brother, James Sparks and his future wife, Martha Maria Hutchings. It
appears that Ruth and her brother, James, were quite close throughout
their lives.
As discussed in Chapter 10, Ruth and Dan Bailey went first to Sidlesham to
live but after the death of their child they left that area and moved to
Landport, near Portsmouth, Hampshire County where her brother, James
and his wife were living.
One of her children was a son named Joseph Bailey who was our direct
progenitor and the father of Reginald, Fredrick, Leonard and Lillian
Florence Bailey.
James Sparks (Jr.) (1832-34) was born in Chidham, the son of James
and Sarah Jane (Nash) Sparks and the brother of Ruth Sparks. James
met and fell in love with Martha Maria Hutchings of Chichester. They were
probably engaged in 1859 when they were asked to witness the marriage of
his sister, Ruth.
79
At about that time, the Hutchins/Hutchings family seems to have moved
from Chichester to Portsmouth (see Chapter 11). James followed after his
fiancee' and they were married on 21 April 1860 in St. Marys, Portsea,
Hampshire.
In the 1861 census for Hampshire County, Borough of Portsmouth, town of
Landport, in All Saints parish, p.28 [GS: 542,674] we find this young couple
with the following information:
Name Relation Age Occupation Place of Birth
* James Sparks head 29 blacksmith Sux, Chidham
* Martha M. " wife 26 beefshaker(?) Chichester
With a marriage in 1860, we might expect their first child to have been born
about 1861 but no record of such has been found. The first known child of
this couple was born in 1863 so there would have been time for an earlier
child who may not have lived long enough to be christened.
80
It also seems that this family may not have been quite as diligent in having
their children baptized. While their first known child, Henry James Sparks,
was born in Portsmouth in 1863, he was not taken to the church for his
baptism till they lived in Southwick, Sussex County, two years later. We
can also find a record of baptism for the first three children only and none
others [GS: 919,098]:
Name Date & place of birth Christened
Henry James 1863 Portsmouth 22 Jan 1865 Southwick
Henrietta Maria 1865 Southwick 22 Jan 1865 Southwick
* Sarah Jane 6 Jul 1866 Southwick 5 Aug 1866 Southwick
Frederic W. 1869 Southwick
George 1872 Southwick
John "Jack" 1875 London
Edward Louis 30 Jan 1878 Littlehampton, East Preston
Ethel 1880 Wick, Sussex
The information of the other children in this family came from the 1871,
1881 and 1891 census records. From the above listing, we see that the
family did not stay in Portsmouth for long. Sometime between 1863-65
they moved to Southwick, Sussex County where they stayed for about ten
years. They then made a short stop in London for a couple years and
returned to Sussex County but lived for a time in Littlehampton and then in
Wick (or Lyminster parish).
In the 1871 census we find them living at #227 White Rock Rd. in the town
of Southwick, New Shoreham district [GS: 827,503 p.36]:
Name Relation Age Place of Birth
* Martha M. head 35 Chichester, Sux
Henry J. son 8 Portsmouth, Hamp
Henrietta dau 6 Southwick, Sux
* Sarah J. dau 4 Southwick, Sux
Frederic son 2 Southwick, Sux
There is no mention of the father but he must have been away working
someplace at this time. In subsequent census records he was again found
living with his family.
81
In the 1881 census, the family was living at 197 East Town Villas, in the
village of Wick (near Arundel), in the parish of Leominster (Lyminster) and
as shown below [GS: 1,341,274]:
Name Relation Age Occupation Place of Birth
* James head 47 Blacksmith Chidham, Sux
* Maria wife 44 Chichester, Sux
Henry son 18 Sawyer Portsmouth, Hamp
Fred.k son 12 Scholar Southwick, Sux
Geo. son 9 " Southwick, Sux
John son 6 " London, Mddsx
Edw.d son 3 " Wick, Sux
Ethel dau 1 " Wick, Sux
Our Sarah Jane Sparks, who would have been about 14-15 at that time was
not listed with the family. However, back in Littlehampton, Sussex
[Enumeration Dist. #10. p.75 - GS: 134,274] we find a Samuel and Ruth
Smith running a boarding house. Living with them is a 14 year old girl
named "Sarah Sparks", an unmarried house servant, born in Southwick,
Sux. We know that our family lived in Littlehampton for a time and Sarah
probably made the acquaintance of this family. Wick, where her parents
lived, was not a long ways away but, for a 14 year old girl to be living away
from home and working as a domestic servant in a boarding house, seems
to be a tough life by today's standards.
In the 1891 census, the family was in Lyminster parish, near Littlehampton
[GS: 6,095,948 #3 of 4]. They are on page 6 of this census, living at #27
Beaconsfield Road:
Name Relation Age Occupation Place of Birth
* James head 57 Shop smith Chidham, Sux
* Maria wife 57 Chichester, Sux
John son 16 apprentice London
Ethel dau 11 scholar Lyminster, Sux
Edward son 13 not employed Lyminster, Sux
We do not find them again after the 1891 census. They may have stayed
here until their deaths. As mentioned in an earlier chapter, their grandson,
Leonard Bailey (son of Sarah Jane Sparks Bailey) came back to this area
after he fought in World War I. He found a wife, Edith Stanford, and was
married on 24 Dec. 1917 at Worthing, less than 10 miles east of Lyminster.
If his grandparents were still living then, they would have been about 80-84
years old. It seems likely that Leonard came to this area to visit his
Grandparents or his Uncles and Aunts.
82
Sarah Jane Sparks Bailey
Sarah Jane Sparks Bailey
Dressed in her nurses uniform