Index of Names on FHL Film 252774, (Northumberland) Letters of Administration and Probates Granted

While searching for a will for William Doyle who died in Northumberland, U.K., in 1838, I found the film Letters of Administration and Probates Granted, ca. 1832-1893 (FHL Film #252774 aka Film #004629095).  I've indexed the names and dates as a random act of genealogical kindness.  Maybe someone else will find an ancestor in this list (even though I didn't find my William).  

From the information in the image above it looks like the film must be viewed at either a Family History Center or the Family History Library but I was able to sign in and view it at home.  You may or may not have the same access but from the list below you will at least be able to see if an ancestor's name is on the film and if it is, go to a local Family History Center if you don't have access at home.

Image # / Name on Will / Date of Will
   5  Robert Weatherhead, 30 Jan 1840
 11  George Shanks, 13 April 1862
 14   William Dunn, 17 Jul 1868
 16   Robert Gray, 1 Dec 1869
 19   Mrs. Jane Mathison, 31 Jan 1850
 22   Mrs. Ann Jaffray/Jafray, 21 May 1849
 24   Mrs. Margaret Allan, 16 Mar 1848
 26   John Weatherly, 7 Dec 1844
 28   John Archbold Paxton, 7 May 1870
 32   Ann Marshall, 29 April 1872
 34   Robert Fairbairn, 2 July 1876
 36   Isabella Richardson, 4 Sep 1875
 38   Robert Mathison, Feb 1875
 42   Philip Brown, 21 March 1842
 44   Ralph Richardson, 4 Sep 1875
 46   Christina Alder, 15 Jun 1877
 48   Mary Holburn, 24 Nov 1874 or 1877
 53   James Smith, 13 Dec 1877
 57   Ann Holburn, 24 Nov 1877
 62   Isabella Yeoman, 15 Jun 1877
 67   John Cramond, 17 Oct 1872
 71   Peter Crombie, 25 Feb 1881
 75   Peter Burns, 12 Mar 1881
 78   Mary Main Richardson, 5 Jul 1882
 80   James Cook, 12 Feb 1884
 82   William Somerville, 21 Aug 1885
 87   Mary Ann Somerville, 20 Sep 1885
 90   Stephen Bruce, 4 May 1885
 92   Peter Gibson, 7 Aug 1886
 94   John Scott, 4 Dec 1887
 97   Elizabeth Douglas, 2 Aug 1888
 99   James Gilchrist, 23 Dec 1889
101   John Loraine Middlemiss, 7 Jun 1890
103   Ruth Patrick, 20 May 1842
106   William Morton, 6 Jun 1890
110   George Younger, 3 Oct 1894
116   Joseph Fleming, 16 Feb 1832
124   Mrs. Margaret Martin, 30 Sep 1845
128   Rachel Taylor, 26(?) Dec 1838
136   George Hall, 7 Feb 1846
139   Robert Herriott, 19 Dec 1848
144   Sarah Burnett, 2 Mar 1848
152   John Macdonald, 5 May 1849
155   William Hopper Thompkins, 15 Jan 1852
160   Mrs. Mary Friar, 20 May 1834
165   Joseph Baldwin, 10 Feb 1854
168   James Robertson, 4 Mar 1854
176   William Carr, 26 Mar 1855
179   Matthew Alder, 13 Aug 1857
184   Alexander Christison, 1 Oct 1863
188   Peter Lambert, 22 Oct 1865
194   Margaret Lonnon, 21 Dec 1866
199   James William Elliott, 1866
204   George Mavin, 30 Dec 1868
211   Peter Lambert, 22 Sep 1870
219   Margaret Mathison, 24 Jun 1871
224   Hannah Wight, 9 Mar 1871
233   Thomas Chapman, 20 Apr 1872
238   Jane Grey, 1 Jun 1872
242   Joseph Patrick, 15 Feb 1873
246   John Dixon, 19 Jan 1874
250   Robert Swan, 14 Sep 1875
254   Thomas Mathison, 16 Sep 1875
259   Margaret Isabella Lambert, 1876
263   John Laidler, 12 May 1876
267   John Thompson, 6 Oct 1877
272   Margaret Smith, 1 Mar 1877

I hope this list helps someone find an ancestor in Northumberland!

--Nancy.

Copyright ©2018, Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.
.

FamilySearch's Family History Calendar

I received an email from FamilySearch today telling me they had created a calendar of my ancestors' special events.

I've occasionally celebrated births and marriages on my blog in past years but not recently.  I decided to see what my calendar looked like.  I had to sign in to FamilySearch to see it.





The calendar has the month on the left, then the date, and to the right is the event and ancestor's name.

My great-great-grandfather, Dixon Bartley, died today in 1900.  He was in his late 90s but since I don't have an exact birth date, I can't be sure.  And in two days, my great-grandparents, Henry and Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen, will celebrate their anniversary -- 148 years, if they were still alive.

I don't know about you but I'm not sure how I feel about celebrating a death, at least certainly not like a birthday or marriage.  But I think it's probably a great way to remember an ancestor, especially if you don't have a birth date.

I can imagine that this list could become cumbersome and totally overwhelming if you have many, many ancestors and many generations linked in your FamilySearch Family Tree but for me, with only a few generations, it's a great help!

I expect you, too, will receive an email invitation to see your calendar if you have a FamilySearch account and have ancestors in your tree.  FamilySearch also offers a Calendar of Ancestral Moments.

--Nancy.

Copyright ©2018, Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.
.

St. Cuthbert Church, Bedlington, Northumberland

I like to see the places where my ancestors worshiped, were baptized, married, and buried.  I'm thankful to generous people, like John Lord, who took the photo above, who make photos available on the internet for all to see so we can imagine what it might have been like to be near and inside the church when our ancestors were there.

The burials of several ancestors were recorded in the books of St. Cuthbert Church, Bedlington, Northumberland.  Among possible others, my known ancestors are

• William Doyle, my third great-grandfather, who died in 1838
• Martha Doyle, William's daughter, who also died in 1838

When I first searched for information about St. Cuthbert's Church in Bedlington, I found that there are many churches named for the saint in other cities and towns in the northern counties of England. 

Google Books provides The History of St. Cuthbert or An Account of the Life, Decease, and Miracles of St. Cuthbert... written by Richard Eyre in 1848.  It seems that St. Cuthbert is considered the patron saint of Northumbria.  After his death in 687 A.D. the Danes went after his followers and were about to kill or capture them when they remembered Cuthbert's dying request that if this should happen, the monks and bishop would take his body and leave so as to avoid the "yoke and servitude of wicked schematics."  Apparently, leaving was easy but finding a place to settle wasn't.

The following explains why there are so many churches named after St. Cuthbert. 

It is an interesting task to trace the course pursued by the holy fugitives with their precious treasure, from the time they left Holy Island till the time the remains of their Saint were finally deposited at Durham.  There are few places in the north of England and the south of Scotland that were not visited by them, and hallowed by being the temporary resting-places of the body of so great and good a man.  The whole of the ancient Northumbria is studded with churches and chapels dedicated in after times to St. Cuthbert.  Tradition points these out as the spots where the monks lingered for a while with their precious deposit."  (p.97)

... The spots where the churches were built in honour of St. Cuthbert were the very places that the monks visited with the body of their Saint....  It was usual amongst the Anglo-Saxons, when a person was being carried to the grave, to erect a cross of stone, if the distance was great, at every spot where the corpse had rested."  (p. 99)

When looking at photos of old churches it is not easy to determine whether the current structure is the original structure as my ancestors would have known it.  I found St. Cuthbert's Church, Bedlington, Archaeological Assessment, completed in January, 2015, which tells which parts are old/original, when parts were torn down, and when newer parts were added.  Be sure to follow the link to see more photos of the church, both inside and out. 

And finally, here is a collage of photos of the church, found at Google Maps.  Notice that if you go to the link, you will be able to click the arrows at the bottom of the right side image to view larger images of the photos on the left.

Will I ever have the chance to visit some of the locations where my ancestors lived?  I hope so!

Opening image  © Copyright John Lord and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons License.  Thank you, John.

--Nancy.

Copyright ©2018, Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved.
.

Easter Greetings

Wishing you a joyful
and blessed Easter.



--Nancy.