Thank for your helpful comments , Paul -----Original Message----- From: Paul Irving Sent: Friday, August 10, 2012 2:56 PM To: oxfordshire@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [OXF] FINMORE, BEST, HAYES, CARTER, ROUSE and LINDSEY/LINZEY I'd say it was very likely that his father's name was FINMORE, though I wouldn't rely on the spelling being exact. I think it was common for mothers of illegitimate children to give them the father's name as a middle name when the father didn't own up, to try to shame him into admitting parentage, & to let everyone know. I'd look for any FINMORE (& similar) males around that time, particularly named James. Also, there might be a record somewhere of the father being forced to pay to help support young James, perhaps the parish taking him to court. On 07/08/2012 13:56, Frank Carter wrote: > I seem to have hit a brick wall researching my ancestor James Best FINMORE > and any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. > > His birth details were difficult to find as he was known as James Best > FINMORE throughout his life (and death) but I eventually found his baptism > recorded under the name James Finmore BEST. The baptism took place in 1790 > at Oxford St. Thomas. The mother was Jane BEST and the birth was recorded > as > 'base born' i.e. illegitimate, and no father is recorded. > > As James used the surname FINMORE throughout his life, and for christening > his children, does this perhaps suggest that the father's surname was > FINMORE? Any thoughts on how it might be possible to ascertain who was the > father would be gratefully accepted. > > Other possibly relevant information is as follows: - > > There is a birth of an Edward BESST (sic) recorded to mother Jane in > Oxford > St. Thomas in 1788. It seems likely that Edward is James’s brother or half > brother. > > James was apprenticed to Richard ROUSE, Cabinet Maker. His sponsor was an > uncle, Thomas LINDSAY / LINDSEY, a sergeant in the Oxfordshire militia. A > Thomas LINZEY married Elizabeth BEST in 1793 in Oxford St. Thomas. > > I searched for births of siblings named Jane and Elizabeth BEST of the > right > age and found Jane, born in Oxford Holywell in 1765 to Matthew and Jane, > and > sister Elizabeth born in 1768. There is also a brother William born in > 1766. > There is a good probability that this is our Jane. > > James married Maria HAYES at Abingdon St. Helens in 1815. I have details > of > the subsequent census records and BMD information for the family and > descendants. > > James died in 1841. > > Other records in the OFHS index which may or may not have connections > are: - > • Matthias Best married Jane Mason in Oxford St. Aldates 30/09/1765 > • Jane Best died aged 39 in Oxford St. Mary Magdalen in 1804 > • Matthias and William Best, sons of Matthias died in Oxford St. > Aldates > in 1767 > • Elizabeth Best died aged 74 in Oxford St. Giles in 1845 > > Thank you. > > Frank CARTER > Devon > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Oxfordshire FHS "wills library" is at http://wills.oxfordshirefhs.org.uk/ > , > with references to 47,347 people and 3,980 testators. Can you offer a > will? > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > OXFORDSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oxfordshire FHS "wills library" is at http://wills.oxfordshirefhs.org.uk/ , with references to 47,347 people and 3,980 testators. Can you offer a will? ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to OXFORDSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message