Find Ancestors

I wonder if there is anyone able, and willing to look for two things please. I have already had my free half hour from the Norfolk records library, and as I live the other side of the country am unable to search further myself. (Am willing to pay for any costs).
l. Newspaper article reporting on inquest/death of John Sewell, 13th March 1853, at Union Place, Heigham, Norwich. Death cert signed by coroner on 23rd March 1853, Cause of death - destroyed himself whilst in a state of temporary derangement by cutting his throat.

2. Baptism for John George Sewell (son of the above), born about 1850 - mother unknown (and I desperately want to find out who she was!). I think that again, it would be the Heigham area of West Wymer, but realise that there are probably many churches in the area, so this might be a bit too much to ask of anyone.

If anyone can help in any way at all, then I would be very grateful

The best way to find the names of the parents is to obtain the birth certificate. You get the information from www.freebmd.org.uk, then order the certificates from www.gro.gov.uk


These two John George Sewells show on www.freebmd.org

Births Dec 1850 (>99%)

Sewell John George Towcester 15 387



Births Dec 1853 (>99%)

SEWELL John George Auckland 10a 99



Neither place of course is near Norwich!!



sylvia

Thank you Sylvia - yes, neither of those are any good but I appreciate the reply. My John George is definitely not on bmd in any shape or form unfortunately, and I have trawled through years either side on the complete indexes. Hence my request for a baptism lookup.

It may help to give a little more background information. John Sewell who committed suicide as above, was married in 1842 and had one daughter, Emma. His wife died a few months after Emma was born in 1844. Emma was with John in 1851. John remarried in 1853 and killed himself shortly afterwards! The problem is, that his son, John George ( and I have certs and things to back all this info up), was born after his first wife died, and before he married the second one. There is no son/boy with his second wife on any of the following censuses - she lived to remarry. So John George must have been the result of a liaison between these two marriages.

do you mean Heigham, Norwich, or Heigham Norfolk??

struggling to find a birth in 1850

one in 1840

John George Sewell 1840 Apr-May-Jun Swaffham Norfolk

but heigham is Norwich city centre.

what year was older John born

i have a disc with heigham monumental inscriptions on but Johns not listed im afraid

Hello Minnie, it's Heigham Norwich.
Hi Jill, yes - that one is wrong sadly.
I have just added to my above post, to clarify things - I hope!!

Sorry Jill, just spotted your second post.

older John was born 1817

Just to add to the puzzle - both John George and Emma are missing from 1861 and 1871 census. They both reappear in 81 - John George married, and living happily ever after, and Emma married to a Frenchman (or Swiss) with two children. She died in that year, and her children remained with her aunt for some considerable time.

Hi Joan, yes I found that one too, however the following censuses have the family if I remember rightly and I had to rule it out. I will go back and check though

here it is sally

Name: John Sewell
Age: 5
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1846
Relation: Son
Father's Name: John
Mother's Name: Honor
Gender: Male
Where born: Ashwellthorpe, Norfolk, England

Civil Parish: Ashwellthorpe
County/Island: Norfolk
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Disability: View Image

Registration district: Depwade
Sub-registration district: Harleston
ED, institution, or vessel: 6
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 49
Household Members: Name Age
Elizabeth Sewell 11
George Sewell 3
Honor Sewell 35
Honor Sewell 6
John Sewell 37
John Sewell 5
Mary Sewell 9
Robert Sewell 4
Sarah Ann Sewell 8
Susanna Sewell 8 Mo
William Sewell 7

Thanks Jill, I just went back to have a look at it, and it's completely the wrong family.

I have looked at every single John Sewell over a period either side of 1850 in Norwich - and there is nothing. I wonder if his mother didn't register him at all? Or did she use her own name? But his marriage cert clearly states all the details of his father, so SOMEBODY told him who he was!!

could he have been born after john died?

looking at census returns of younger John though and they are saying 1850 birth,

there is a birth in 1853 St Faiths for a john Sewell.

its just i know my hubbys grand dad name a man as his father on his marriage certificate and theres no way he could have been his father as he was born 4 years after the man died.

I did wonder that myself Jill, but if that's the case then John senior was naughty only weeks into his marriage!! Perfectly possible I suppose! That's one of the reasons why I would like to find a report on the inquest to find out why he had gone temporarily bonkers enough to slit his own throat. The Coroners office don't have records for that year, so it's down to newspaper reports.

Hehe Joan - we were typing at the same time! Yes, I have asked the Norwich library, and they kindly did their half hour free search but found nothing, so what I am hoping for now is someone who lives in Norwich who could look for me, for a fee if necessary

Jill - that birth in 1853 in St. Faiths - I received the certificate yesterday; sadly it's way wrong.

Ok Sally im still looking