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Hello Thank you all so much - I was just browsing through and found all this extra help you have so kindly given me (I am trying to avoid my A2 Sociology homework - I'm a mature student!). Having said I was going to dust off the Bolnhurst fiches, I went and had a look (why isn't middle-class crime and judicial leniency this interesting?!) and only when I looked at them did I remember, with annoyance, that they finish at 1812. So they couldn't sort things out. The only thing I found was this: marriage banns - 24 Jun 1787 - John Hall and Kezia Day, both of this parish (so Bolnhurst). I IGI-ed this, and two 'marriage' dates came up, one as above, and the other as 1 Jul 1787, in Keysoe, Bedfordshire. I reckon that the banns must have been called in Bolnhurst (am I right that they only have to be called once in the place where the people aren't marrying, and three times in the place where they are?), and then they married a week later in Keysoe - just from looking at the PRs, the name Keysoe jumped out a couple of times, and I've looked on the map and I think it's the next village. So I think Suzy is right that the Kezia she found for me last night born in about 1771 would be the granny, and so mother of George/John. Of the ten children Mary Ann Hall and William Walker had, there was a Kezia, and also an Elizabeth; the one I mentioned with the middle name Dawson was called Joseph Dawson Walker, so that would fit perfectly with what you have so kindly found for me; I wonder if the Sarah was née Symons? Both children who bore the middle name Symons survived, which strikes me as odd, so I think it probably had quite a big significance. Once again, thank you so much for your help; I think that, once I finish my exams in the Summer, Bedfordshire CRO will need a visit... Best wishes Lysianne

From the IGI Keziah Dawson Male -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Event(s): Birth: 24 JAN 1805 Christening: 15 OCT 1809 Ravensden, Bedford, England Death: Burial: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parents: Father: Joseph Dawson Family Mother: Sarah -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Messages: Extracted birth or christening record for the locality listed in the record. The source records are usually arranged chronologically by the birth or christening date. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source Information: Batch No.: Dates: Source Call No.: Type: Printout Call No.: Type: C148781 1565 - 1875 1279177 Film NONE This Keziah could easily be the one buried in Bolnhurst. Whoever transcribred this thought Keziah was a boy's name. Is Joseph D Walker 'Joseph Dawson'?

Having another look this morning from the BIVR HALL, George Marriage Wife: Kezia DAWSON Marriage Date: 18 Jul 1828 Recorded in: Ravensden, Bedfordshire, England Source: FHL Film 1279177 Dates: 1827 - 1841 and from NBI Bolnhurst, St Dunstan 8 Jul 1830 Kezia Hall age 24 (also 27 Nov 1842 Keziah Hall age 83) So it would seem that George was called George and not John - I wonder if he was always known as Jack and Mary ann assumed his name was John?

I notice that on the 1891 census Mary Ann and William have a daughter - named Kezia. Gail. x

I think the parish registers are going to be the only way forward to see who died and when.

Andrea think I've got it - the younger Kezia Hall married her cousin, George Hall (not the son of John and Kezia) The Vicar was as b**** confused as we are, lol. So we are looking for another George Hall, not the son of John and Kezia, to marry Kezia, who is the daughter of John and Keziah. Yes? No? OC

The 1841 details which I gave show George age 30 and Sarah aged 20, so I think she is a second wife and Mother of the younger children, but not Mary Ann. The Kezia is George's Mother. Suzy

Mary Ann has mother Keziah according to the IGI whereas the others have mother Sarah. Marriage of John Hall and Kezia Day 1. JOHN HALL - International Genealogical Index Gender: Male Marriage: 01 JUL 1787 Keysoe, Bedford, England 2. JN HALL - International Genealogical Index Gender: Male Marriage: 24 JUN 1787 Bolnhurst, Bedford, England Can't both be correct - maybe one was actually banns These are children to John and Kezia 1. MARY HALL - International Genealogical Index Gender: Female Christening: 30 AUG 1789 Bolnhurst, Bedford, England 2. KEZIA HALL - International Genealogical Index Gender: Female Christening: 15 JAN 1798 Bolnhurst, Bedford, England 3. MATTHEW HALL - International Genealogical Index Gender: Male Christening: 02 JUN 1799 Bolnhurst, Bedford, England 4. GEORGE HALL - International Genealogical Index Gender: Male Christening: 29 SEP 1805 Bolnhurst, Bedford, England 5. ELIZABETH HALL - International Genealogical Index Gender: Female Christening: 02 JUN 1799 Bolnhurst, Bedford, England 6. WILLIAM HALL - International Genealogical Index Gender: Male Christening: 09 DEC 1792 Bolnhurst, Bedford, England I assume this George is the one on the census. He might have married a Kezia first? John and Kezia are too old to be parents of Mary Ann. There has to be some connection somewhere

Hmmm. This is really odd. Bolnhurst and Eaton Socon are near each other. Cannot find a marriage for a George to a Keziah, other than a SUBMITTED one, which does have a very firm marriage date of 21 July 1816, Rotherham. Her name is Hall! Might be worth checking out. There are no more children to George and Keziah, but there are later children to George and Sarah - maybe Keziah died? John Hall married either Mary GRAY, 10 June 1803 at Eaton Socon, or Mary WEEKLY 6 Feb 1804 Riseley. The first of these has umpteen children (one is the Mary previously given). Not many of the children survive. However, there may have been a mess up with the input of this data because there is a Catherine, BAPTISED on 7th July 1828 (the day that Mary was supposedly BORN) and Catherine died on 10th July 1828 - the day that Mary was baptised! One scenario would be that George and John were brothers, George died and John took on his children, as most of his seemed to die young. I don't have access to the 1841, but you could try finding George + Keziah or Sarah; and John and Mary, to see if you can sort out which Mary Ann is which. OC

Dear Suzy Thank you so much - I think you must have posted your help while I was writing to thank John, OC and Gail. I'll certainly check out what you've found, and that is a great help - I've been puzzling over this lady for ages!! Many thanks, and best wishes Lysianne

Dear John, OC (sorry I don't know your real name!) and Gail Thank you so much for your suggestions. It would seem interesting that the Bolnhurst baptisms have a George as the father - maybe the vicar misheard? I have someone on a different branch recorded as John Nugent instead of John Eugene, although that was civil registration, and the number of PRs I've seem where there are loads of crossings out makes me sure you've got a really good point. I'll dust down the fiches and have another look. And I'll bear in mind the point about the records at Kew - that would be a really good place to look, too. Once again, many thanks for all your help, and best wishes Lysianne

The Mary Ann with a Father George found by Gail has these siblings according to the IGI, although Maria, John and William's Mother is called Sarah. MARY ANN HALL - International Genealogical Index Gender: Female Christening: 16 AUG 1829 Bolnhurst, Bedford, England 2. MARIA HALL - International Genealogical Index Gender: Female Christening: 14 NOV 1841 Bolnhurst, Bedford, England 3. JOHN HALL - International Genealogical Index Gender: Male Christening: 14 NOV 1841 Bolnhurst, Bedford, England 4. WILLIAM HALL - International Genealogical Index Gender: Male Christening: 20 AUG 1837 Bolnhurst, Bedford, England This 1841 census entry seems to to be the same family: Charles Hall abt 1835 Bedfordshire, England Pertenhall Bedfordshire George Hall abt 1811 Bedfordshire, England Pertenhall Bedfordshire Kezia Hall abt 1771 Pertenhall Bedfordshire Maria Hall abt 1840 Bedfordshire, England Pertenhall Bedfordshire Sarah Hall abt 1821 Pertenhall Bedfordshire William Hall abt 1837 Bedfordshire, England Pertenhall Bedfordshire although Kezia seems to be Granny and there is no sign of Mary Ann. Suzy

Gail Those were my thoughts too...a big coincidence, which would seem worth investigating. OC

I know that the IGI is full of misleading errors but it is a big coincidence that there is a Mary Ann Hall, christened 16th August 1829 in Bolnhurst - father George Hall and Kezia. When you checked the PR's did these show up as a different family? I just wondered if George could have been known as John. Gail.

Lysianne From the IGI: (extracted records) Mary Ann Hall baptised 16 August 1829 Bolnhurst - parents GEORGE Hall and Keziah OR Mary Ann Hall born 7 July 1828 baptised 10 July 1828, Eaton Socon, parents JOHN Hall and Mary. The first one looks more likely, despite the father being wrong - maybe he died and she was brought up by a stepfather? Do you know of any siblings for her? OC

It is possible if she was a non-conformist that her marriage may not be in the PRs. The only place I can suggest for these is Kew, though the RO may have them. Best I can do at the mo.

Hello For ages I've been trying to track down this lady's parents, and have drawn a complete blank. If anyone has any ideas, I'd be really grateful. My great-great grandmother was born Mary Ann Hall in Bolnhurst, Bedfordshire, on 17 July 1829 [source - family Bible, the writer of which must have died in the 1950s]. From the 1851 census, I think she was a cook in Ravensden, Bedfordshire, although I'm not 100% sure if I have the right person, and I have her for definite on all the later available censuses, and the Bible gives her date of death as in 1917. Apart from the 1851 census, which gives her birthplace as Bedford, the censuses confirm that she was born in Bolnhurst. I've checked the Bolnhurst PRs, to no avail, and she was married according to the rites of the Congregationalists, so maybe that's why - her husband's family were all Methodists. From her marriage certificate in 1852, her father was John, a labourer. I can't find any likely suspects in the IGI or 1841 census, and have run out of ideas. The only other possible clue I have is that four of her ten children have unusual middle names - Symons, Dawson, Symons again and Watson. The Watson seems to come from her husband's side, as he had a brother called Watson Walker, but I haven't found a link with the other two names..... Any help or ideas would be very gratefully received. Best wishes Lysianne