Yes, you are right, it was three daughters that married Dore's - Louisa, Elizabeth and Zelpha. Mary Ann married a Millin. There was another daughter Jane but I don't have any information on her. I tracked these daughters through the parish records and the census in the hope that they might hold some clues about their father and whether we was the William T. that fathered my G. Grandfather. I thought he might be living with one of them because I can't find him after the 1861 census. On William O's marriage certificate dated 1878 his father William T. was recorded as deceased so he may have died somewhere between 1861 and 1878. What I am now trying to discover is: was he on the 1871 census and when and where did he die.
This is our chief suspect. His wife died in 1849 so he would have been free to marry Mary Oliver when they had the banns read in 1850. Mount Skippett is between Finstock and Ramsden. So the area fits but still not enough conclusive evidence - yet.
Also two of his daughters married Dore's. This is why I though the Dore family tree might hold some more clues.
Thanks for all your help again. Just to tug at your heart strings, we're just off for a walk down Combe.
I thought it would be too good to be true to be able to access the Ancestry Library edition at home. I'll go into the Library later this week and see what I can find.
There certainly are a lot of William Townsends in this part of Oxfordshire. We do have one in mind but I have been lead down the wrong path before in my family history journey so I am now very careful to make sure everything fits. I'm reluctant to reveal who we have in mind at the moment as I don't want to influence anyone else's ideas but little bits of information keep filtering through and they all seem to be pointing to the same man. The newspaper cutting that Shane found fitted into the puzzle perfectly by confirming that William T. was living in Ramsden. I haven't been able to get to the Record Office yet to check the Bastardy records to see if there are more clues there and those missing 1861 census pages hold the key I'm sure.
Thanks for your help. I'm hoping to get to see the exhibition at the Witney museum in the next few days.
I'm going to check Ancestry in the library to see what information I can access on this tree. I don't think the William Townsend you mentioned is a likely candidate unless he was carrying on with my G. G. grandmother outside of his marriage as my G.grandfather was born in 1855. Possible I suppose. Also the William you mention appears to be a Witney Townsend and I think (especially after seeing the newspaper cutting that Shane found) that the William I am looking for comes from the Finstock/Ramsden area. The clues that we have so far all stack up for this area and we're looking for a William T. born around 1812.
Though Oxfordshire Libraries provide free access to Ancestry, this is only in the libraries themselves. I think it is part of the Ancestry terms & conditions that remote access isn't permitted. So (unlike the newspapers) you can't get into it from home without your own subscription.
I haven't tried looking at the family trees via Ancestry Library Edition but would imagine they are available. Everything else I've tried to look at there has been freely accessible, including the recently added criminal registers (which I think are excluded from the cheapest personal subscription package).
I don't envy you trying to look for Townsends in this neck of the woods. They seem to be everywhere! Have you found any likely candidates yet?
Just checked Wychwood /Dore Tree. The only William T. that would fit in to the timescale is-
William T. bn. abt. 1828 - Witney, Oxon. (No parents shown). This William married a lady called Sarah? bn. 1827. First child was born in 1852 and named William. Then 8 other children up until 1870.
hello Linda, I do not know about the library having access, but I have full access to the Wychwood Dore Tree. I e.mailed Colin Dore because he kept showing ancestors of mine and he gave me permission to enter his Tree. I checked out the William Townsends (he has several) and non of them seemed to tie in with your dates. I will re-check them for you. Colins tree is very active and I get additions about twice a week. Why not e.mail him?
Does anyone know if it is possible to access in full the Public Family Trees on Ancestry in the Library or is this part restricted to subscribers?
There is a Family Tree listed under 'Wychwood Dore' which lists Margaret Temple Herbert (my g.g.g. grandmother). The same tree also lists a William Townsend (b. 1812) and this may be the William Townsend who had 'liaisons' with my g.g.grandmother, Mary Oliver.
Very tantilizing to see the names listed and not be able to access them. I already have a subscription to Findmypast so don't really want to subscribe to Ancestry as well at the moment.
Also does anyone know if you can access the Ancestry Library edition at home by using your Library Card number? If so, what's the procedure?
