His age at death doesn't help, Michael - his death cert says 85, but I have many death certs that are up to five years out, either way. 'Age at death' on death certs relies on knowledge of survivors, not historical accuracy. :-) Cordelia On 19 September 2012 06:52, Michael Burchall <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Cordelia, > > You do not give James' age at death in 1864. > This should help in establishing which James it is. > Perhaps you can post this on this site and we can > try and work out one James from the other. > > Michael Burchall. > >> Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2012 06:11:23 +1000 >> From: [email protected] >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: [SFHG] an eternal brick wall? > >> >> Can anyone suggest a way around this problem that has bedevilled a >> cousin-researcher and myself for years. >> >> We have a great-grandfather, James Stenning, who had a father called >> James Stenning and a grandfather, also called James Stenning - we call >> them James the First, Second and Third. >> >> The oldest James Stenning was baptised in Shermanbury c. 1778/9. >> >> The problem is, there were two James Stennings baptised in Shermanbury >> within 8 months of each other, around that time. One was baptised on >> 5 July 1778 (parents = William Stenning and Jane Stedman). The other >> was baptised on 5 March 1779 (parents = James Stenning and Mary >> Glazebrook). And there is no way of determining (from later life >> events) which 'Sweet Baby James' was actually our ancestor. >> >> 'Our' James became an Ag Lab and went on to marry Sarah Bacon in >> Ashurst on 27 Oct 1801, but there is no clue to his parentage there. >> He had three children and was widowed early. In 1851 and 1861 he was >> living in Bolney, Sussex (as 'widowed father') with his son James and >> family. He died of influenza on 2 May 1864 and was buried at Twineham >> on 7 May 1864. >> >> But who were his Mum and Dad? >> >> One stroke of luck - the two James Stennings born in Shermanbury in >> 1778/9 shared one set of grandparents at least, because their fathers >> (William and James) were brothers - both were sons of William Stenning >> who died in Cowfold in 1788. So we have some hope of tracing that >> line further back. But I am also interested in maternal lines so I >> would like to know EXACTLY which James is our ancestor. >> >> Does anyone have any ideas on how to ascertain which James is ours, or >> will we just have to accept this as an eternal brick wall? >> >> Cordelia Hull >> 14526 >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in >> the subject and the body of the message