And something more to reactivate this site!
BACKGROUND
I previously recorded - a couple of years ago - on this "Challenger" site my
interest in finding the
ancestry of Job Challenger, a widow, who re-married 31 Oct 1784 at St George
(in the south-east corner of Bristol), Glocs. The name "Challenger" clearly
takes many forms in 18th century Somerset, and the following should be read
with that in mind.
I know of the following children born to Job:
1. George, born 1782/83 at Winford or Bedminster (according to which
census you believe), married thrice, died at Bedminster 04 Jul 1869. (His
mother, and Job's earlier wife, was possibly a Mary Challinder, aged 31, who
was buried 09 Nov 1783 at Bedminster.)
2. Lydia, bap 06 May 1786 at Bedminster, married Jacob Bisp 22 Nov 1813
at Bristol St Matthias.
3. Job, born 17 May 1790 at Bedminster, married Mary Wride 10 Apr 1831 at
Bristol SS Philip & Jacob, buried 13 Jan 1843 at Bedminster. Six daughters
born between 1832 and 1842.
4. Silvia, born 04 Jun 1793 at Bedminster, married William Davis 26 Dec
1825 at Bedminster after having a son James, bap 11 Sep 1814 at Bedminster.
5. Thomas, born 26 Aug 1794 at Bedminster, posssibly married Hannah
Hearse 28 Jun 1812 at Bedminster, buried 05 Mar 1817 at Bedminster. Daughter
Fanny, baptised 09 May 1813 at Bedminster.
George's first mariage was to Hannah Mitchell at Nailsea on Mar 08 Apr 1805,
and his only two known children, Joseph and William were born at Nailsea in
1806 and 1812 respectively. Joseph did not survive infancy but a substantial
Challenger genealogy exists from the marriage of William to Charlotte
Pearce, of Winford, in 1838. (Details can be supplied to anyone interested).
In his 1869 will, George left a house at Nailsea Moor to William; thus
despite Nailsea not figuring in any family genealogical events after 1828
(see below) , a connection was obviously retained. The only other parish
register references to Challengers in Nailsea appear to be all burials:
Sarah, buried 22 Jun 1817, aged 66
Hannah, bur 05 Dec 1828, aged 58 (assumed to be George's first wife, even if
age a little greater than would be expected).
William, bur 15 Nov 1831, aged 94
JOB CHALLENGER'S ORIGINS
The only Job Challenger baptism and marriage I have found which could relate
to the above Job of Bedminster are those at Clutton: baptism 04 Mar 1743/44
at Chelwood independent, marriage to Mary Perry, 28 Jun 1763. However the
burial of an apparently adult Job Challoner at Clutton on 04 July 1791 (and
probably of his wife in 1787 or 1789) appears to rule out this possibility.
Therefore I have been searching for references to another Job in Somerset /
Bristol, born mid 18th century. No luck so far, although with the
contributions of many others I have accounted for most of the 18th century
Challengers in Somerset.
NAILSEA CHALLENGERS
Among those few for which I have not accounted are the above William and
Sarah, who were buried at Nailsea. Their ages don't quite fit for the
William Chalinder and Sarah Griffin married at Blagdon on 12 Jun 1768, but
that is one possibility. Can any reader otherwise account for this couple?
It is tempting to assume that any connection with Nailsea must be a
connection with Job's ancestry, and the most likely source still seems to be
the Blagdon Challenger family, a number of which migrated to nearby
Wrington. No immediate connection between the Challenger families of the
Nailsea and more distant Clutton area has been suggested in any of my
research....until this weekend, when I found that yet another William
Challenger, a bachelor and resident in Bedminster according to the censuses,
born about 1777, gave his birthplace as Clutton in 1851, but Nailsea in
1861. I believe he died Q3 1861, and will be applying for his death cert
(unless any kind soul can provide me the details from it!), but am not
anticipating this will give a breakthrough. Unfortunately he was not living
with any other Challengers in 1841/51/61 (but John and Ann Clark then Thomas
Coombs). Nearest Clutton reference I have is baptism 1781 to Richard / Ann
(assumed 5th of seven children born at Clutton to Richard and Ann née Lane).
Can any reader account for this William Challenger (other possible birth,
death, other records of his life)?
N McCarthy.