Note: Forwarded as I forgot to post this to the list as well as to John. Postscript I have found the website that gave me the data. There is much more than the last time I looked and I have emailed the keeper with information on James Hussey marrying Emma Kersley. He describes Letitia's parents as Thomas and Mary. The Hampshire marriage index makes their identification as Thomas Prince and Mary Mears who married 12 Dec 1772 Old Basing straight forward. http://homepage.mac.com/g.cheeseman/firstfamilies.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dear John and List, I have put some notes in line to reply to John. Hopefully it will help Kersley researchers if they 'google' up the news post. Regards, Nigel > On Tue, 11 May 2010 19:11:29 +0100 > > Nigel St C Gerdes <nigel.gerdes@milnet.uk.net> wrote: > > Since we have two Emma's in the 1861 it looks to me as if it is > > another Emma Ke(a)rsley who married James Hussey and not Emma Lawes > > as a widow Ke(a)rsley. > > > > And I think the wife of James Hussey will prove to be Emma Kersley > > born ca 1822 to William and Letitia Kersley nee Prince. Her father > > was a baker and grocer and had been baptised at Mapledurwell on 12 > > May 1793 with a mother Sarah Kersley who was born ca 1773. Now we can > > see how James Hussey moved from being a woodman to a baker, he may > > well have learnt the trade from his new father in law and then set up > > on his own. He might even have met his future wife while supplying > > wood for burning at the bakery. > > I have to admit I was wrong in thinking it was Emma Lawes that married > James Hussey, Emma Kersley, widow is to be found in census records from > 1851 to 1891, in 1871 she has her daughter Isabel P living with her in > Basingstoke, so couldn't possibly be the Emma who married in 1857. > > I already had the William & Letita Kearsley family in the database as > I think it was their son Thomas (Tom) who married Emma Lawes (but I > could just as well be wrong on this score also, so must look for a > Tom Kersley to be on the safe side). Dangerous to assume - even the IGI shows another possible Tom, and there might be more. There were many many Kersely families in the area - the marriage cert will help. My understanding is that the 'Tom' Kersley b ca 1828 was Thomas John Kersely born to William and Letitia Kersley and that he married Bridget Buckley 18 Mar 1856 at Ballarat, Victoria, Australia in a C of E church and went on to have 10 children. Thereafter he died 13 Aug 1896 St Arnaud, Victoria, Australian and was buried 16 Aug 1896 in the RC Cem, St Arnaud, Australia. He had been an innkeeper and a miner. I don't have a year of emigration or the circumstances. Perhaps it was the 'Gold Rush'. His brother Robert who was baptised at Mapledurwell 1 3Aug 1834 went to Australia in 1855 and married Catherine Murray on 16 May 1867 at Mudgee, NSW, Australia and had six children before dying 23 March 1915. One of his children was called Edgar Prince Kersley. > > I didn't have Letitia's maiden name as I hadn't found a marriage so > will be interested in knowing that details please Nigel. I don't have a marriage and neither do I have a reason recorded how I arrived at Letitia Prince. (Shame on me - I must try harder with notes and sources. ). I do have a burial for her 25 Nov 1836 at Mapledurwell with a given age of 42 but I have not traced her baptism. I think the marriage came from a website that described the Australians in the next generation. (See above.) Given the proximity to Odiham it is very possible the marriage was not a C of E one since there was a thriving large independent church at Odiham and the family baptisms might be there as well. > > I realised after ordering the Marriage Cert that both Emma's had a > father named William! So it won't be conclusive proof after all :-( > But the father's surname should be recorded so the certificate and witnesses should be a great help.