Dear List, Having found the baptism of my ancestor William SAUNDERS of Fordingbridge in Poole, Dorset in 1802 I am surprised to have been led back into Hampshire on the trail of his mother. William's parents were Edward SAUNDERS and Susannah WATERS who were married in Studland, Dorset in 1798. The SAUNDERS family go back to the late 1600s in that area but there is no trace of a Susannah WATERS in Dorset, indeed the name WATERS does not seem to feature at all in Dorset to any significant degree. Surely it can be no coincidence that a Susanna WATERS was born at exactly the right time (1778) in Fordingbridge, daughter of John WATERS and his wife Susannah ASTON who were married in Fordingbridge in 1763. There is no sign of a marriage of this Susannah WATERS in Hampshire so I am very hopeful that she is the one who married Edward SAUNDERS in Dorset in 1798 - although I have no idea why she might have ended up in Dorset. It would however explain why William SAUNDERS who was still in Poole in! 1823 (when his illegitimate son was born) was in Ellingham, Hampshire by 1825 when he married Elizabeth KENCHINGTON in Fordingbridge. Perhaps he had left Poole to stay with maternal relatives where no-one knew of his past? Further evidence is offered by the fact that John and Susannah WATERS also named two of their daughters Rachel, the second (replacing an earlier daughter who died) was baptised in 1785 in Fordingbridge and William SAUNDERS (her presumed nephew) named one of his own daughters Rachel - not a common name at that time - in 1846. The name Rachel seems to have entered the WATERS family via Susannah ASTON who I take to be a sister of the Rachel ASTON who married Francis COLLINS in Fordingbridge in 1763. It all seems to fit so well and I have unearthed no contrary evidence. I have found nothing on the origins of John WATERS or Susannah ASTON so I do not know if they were of Fordingbridge (or indeed Hampshire) but a John WATERS married an Amey SCOVELL in Fordingb! ridge in 1758 - perhaps Amey died in childbirth and John then married Susannah ASTON in 1763? Also, a John WATERS had two daughters baptised in Fordingbridge in 1753 and 1755 - perhaps they are the father and younger sisters of 'my' John WATERS who was born/baptised elsewhere before the family settled in Fordingbridge? Any information or comments would be most welcome. Thanks James Phillips-Evans

Hello James Just a quick comment about your Susannah Waters, that she might have moved from Fordingbridge to Studland either to obtain a job or by following the family for whom she worked. You do not give her employment, but it is likely that she might have worked for a family employing servants or others. In other words, she could have been an economic migrant. Colyn. ----- Original Message ----- From: "James Phillips-Evans" <Blorenge@btinternet.com> To: <ENG-HAMPSHIRE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 6:41 PM Subject: [ENG-HANTS] WATERS and ASTON of Fordingbridge > Dear List, > > Having found the baptism of my ancestor William SAUNDERS of Fordingbridge in Poole, Dorset in 1802 I am surprised to have been led back into Hampshire on the trail of his mother. William's parents were Edward SAUNDERS and Susannah WATERS who were married in Studland, Dorset in 1798. The SAUNDERS family go back to the late 1600s in that area but there is no trace of a Susannah WATERS in Dorset, indeed the name WATERS does not seem to feature at all in Dorset to any significant degree. Surely it can be no coincidence that a Susanna WATERS was born at exactly the right time (1778) in Fordingbridge, daughter of John WATERS and his wife Susannah ASTON who were married in Fordingbridge in 1763. There is no sign of a marriage of this Susannah WATERS in Hampshire so I am very hopeful that she is the one who married Edward SAUNDERS in Dorset in 1798 - although I have no idea why she might have ended up in Dorset. It would however explain why William SAUNDERS who was still in Poole in! > 1823 (when his illegitimate son was born) was in Ellingham, Hampshire by 1825 when he married Elizabeth KENCHINGTON in Fordingbridge. Perhaps he had left Poole to stay with maternal relatives where no-one knew of his past? Further evidence is offered by the fact that John and Susannah WATERS also named two of their daughters Rachel, the second (replacing an earlier daughter who died) was baptised in 1785 in Fordingbridge and William SAUNDERS (her presumed nephew) named one of his own daughters Rachel - not a common name at that time - in 1846. The name Rachel seems to have entered the WATERS family via Susannah ASTON who I take to be a sister of the Rachel ASTON who married Francis COLLINS in Fordingbridge in 1763. It all seems to fit so well and I have unearthed no contrary evidence. I have found nothing on the origins of John WATERS or Susannah ASTON so I do not know if they were of Fordingbridge (or indeed Hampshire) but a John WATERS married an Amey SCOVELL in Fordingb! > ridge in 1758 - perhaps Amey died in childbirth and John then married > Susannah ASTON in 1763? Also, a John WATERS had two daughters baptised in Fordingbridge in 1753 and 1755 - perhaps they are the father and younger sisters of 'my' John WATERS who was born/baptised elsewhere before the family settled in Fordingbridge? Any information or comments would be most welcome. > > Thanks > > James Phillips-Evans > > > ============================== > Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the > last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx >