Dear Mike GOULD Thanks for your message. At first I thought that we must be connected but, after having looked at your folks in censuses, I really don't know. However, here are two coincidences. Firstly, your John GOULD was, for however short a period, a police officer that may have served in Bathwick. In my family, my x3 great grandfather, Charles GOULD was also a police officer [Sgt “M” Charles GOULD. At age 25: height 5’ 9”, sallow complexion, brown hair and blue eyes. Married with the trade of ‘sheerman’ (scissors maker according to the website Scotland’s People) born in Croscombe, Somerset. Promoted to 1st class constable March 11th 1851 and to sergeant August 27th 1864. Commended on February 19th 1869 by the Watch Committee for ‘zeal and ability in the capture of two men found with Housebreaking implements in their possession’. Date of appointment: March 1839. Date of Superannuation: November 14th 1879. Pension was 19s 7d per week.] Charles was born in Croscombe, Somerset in 1816, son of Isaac and Ann. As far as I know the two boys named William that could have been Charles' brothers both died young therefore your chap is not related in that way. You don't say much about your William and, since he died between 1844-1851 I guess you may not know much about him? Anyway, the second big coincidence is that in 1861 Hannah GOULD was, as you say, living at 4 Trinity Street which is off Kingsmead Square. My x3 great grandfather, John RIDOUT, lived there from 1830 to some point between 1844 (trade directory listing) and 1851 (census). Charles GOULD and John RIDOUT were not directly related - Charles was the great grandfather of Elsie May BEATON and Elsie May BEATON (my maternal grandmother) was wife of the great grandson of John. Total confusion! So... the conclusion is that we may be related but it would depend on knowing more about your William. Over to you :-) Regards, Karen

Hi Karen, I think you're right - that they're coincidences, but you never know. I have no idea what made John GOULD go to Bath to become a policeman. If there were members of his family, even perhaps uncles, aunts or distant cousins, who told him about the prospect of work, those people may be part of your family, and hence there is a relationship between our families somewhere. You're also right that I don't know much about William. He was, according to the 1841 census, born in Somerset between 1801 and 1806. He married Hannah CLARKE in Chewton Mendip in 1828, and they went on to have 6 children: John (b.1830), George (b.1833), Alfred (b.1835), Ann (b.1839), Elizabeth (b.1841) and William (b.1844). William (senior) was a stonemason, and that's about all I know about him. Of the kids, I've told you about John and Elizabeth. George and William appear in the 1851 census with their mother in Litton, an adjacent parish to Chewton Mendip. After that, things become uncertain. I cannot find George, although I believe that William joins the Kings Own Borderers and is in Aldershot in 1861. After that, I cannot find him again. Alfred travels to Birmingham, marries Caroline STORER and they immediately emigrate to America. Throughout their lives, they live in Canada, Ohio, Kansas and California. I haven't been able to find the birth of William - an area of "Somerset" and a uncertainty date of 1801 to 1806 makes that pretty difficult, especially when "William" was one of the most common names at the time ! So that's probably not very helpful for you - I wish I had more. I suppose it might be worth checking whether there was a William GOULD born in Croscombe between 1801 and 1806 who can't be accounted for by either a death before 1841 or an entry in the 1841 census. Do you have access to the Parish Registers ? If there's anything else I can tell you, don't hesitate to ask. Best wishes, Mike -----Original Message----- From: bristol_and_somerset-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:bristol_and_somerset-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Karen Francis Sent: 15 January 2011 15:37 To: B&S list Subject: Re: [B&S] Introduction and research interests Dear Mike GOULD Thanks for your message. At first I thought that we must be connected but, after having looked at your folks in censuses, I really don't know. However, here are two coincidences. Firstly, your John GOULD was, for however short a period, a police officer that may have served in Bathwick. In my family, my x3 great grandfather, Charles GOULD was also a police officer [Sgt "M" Charles GOULD. At age 25: height 5' 9", sallow complexion, brown hair and blue eyes. Married with the trade of 'sheerman' (scissors maker according to the website Scotland's People) born in Croscombe, Somerset. Promoted to 1st class constable March 11th 1851 and to sergeant August 27th 1864. Commended on February 19th 1869 by the Watch Committee for 'zeal and ability in the capture of two men found with Housebreaking implements in their possession'. Date of appointment: March 1839. Date of Superannuation: November 14th 1879. Pension was 19s 7d per week.] Charles was born in Croscombe, Somerset in 1816, son of Isaac and Ann. As far as I know the two boys named William that could have been Charles' brothers both died young therefore your chap is not related in that way. You don't say much about your William and, since he died between 1844-1851 I guess you may not know much about him? Anyway, the second big coincidence is that in 1861 Hannah GOULD was, as you say, living at 4 Trinity Street which is off Kingsmead Square. My x3 great grandfather, John RIDOUT, lived there from 1830 to some point between 1844 (trade directory listing) and 1851 (census). Charles GOULD and John RIDOUT were not directly related - Charles was the great grandfather of Elsie May BEATON and Elsie May BEATON (my maternal grandmother) was wife of the great grandson of John. Total confusion! So... the conclusion is that we may be related but it would depend on knowing more about your William. Over to you :-) Regards, Karen