Non-beneficiaries: Mrs. Mowbray and the Family of George Chapman

Heugh Lighthouse (1847-1915)

As promised in the previous post, I begin the process of documenting the children of John Chapman. I start with a list of all those of his children mentioned in his will as well as his sons-in-law.

       Daughter Mrs. Mowbray
                     Son-in-law John Mowbray
       Son George (deceased by 1836 - when the will was written, but with living children)
       Daughter Mrs. Ann Stewart
       Daughter Mary Lynn
                     Son-in-law John Lynn, Yeoman of Hartlepool
       Son James Chapman
       Son Michael Chapman
       Daughter Sarah Hughes
                     Son-in-law William Hughes, Baker of Middlesbrough
       Daughter Elizabeth Bulmer
                     Son-in-law Francis Bulmer, Yeoman of Hartlepool

A search of the durhamrecordsonline.com website shows a series of baptisms, following the marriage of John Chapman and Mary Corpse on 16 May 1785 in Greatham (England, Select marriages 1538-1973), all at Hartlepool. Of these, Michael, Mary, George, and Elizabeth (i.e. the last four have mother's maiden surname as Corps or Corpse). The first five are also indexed in England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, and I include the baptism dates for these from this source.
       Ann Chapman         22 Jun 1786 *
       George Chapman   20 Sep 1787
       Sarah Chapman      15 Jul 1789 *
       Jane Chapman        21 Mar 1791 *
       John Chapman        10 Aug 1793
       James Chapman      1797 *
       Michael Chapman    1799 *
       Mary Chapman        1802 *
       George Chapman    1804 *
       Elizabeth Chapman  1806 *

Marked with asterisks are the Chapman siblings named in their father's will. Of those not marked, the first George must have died before 1804, when another child was baptized with the same name. There is a burial for George Chapman, aged 15 at St. Hilda's, Hartlepool in 1802, and this must be him. John Chapman is not mentioned in the will, and had probably died before 1836. There is a burial in Stockton 1832 for John Chapman aged 39, but this might also be for one of the Stockton Chapmans, of which a John Chapman was baptized in 1792. I could buy the record to find out, but as there are dozens of potentially interesting records, I will resist the temptation at this point!

Today's post will concentrate on daughter Mrs. Mowbray (who by elimination we may deduce to be Jane Chapman), and son George Chapman, who had died before 1836, but had surviving children. Mrs. Ann Stewart has a more complicated genealogical biography, which I will save for the next post.

A search of durhamrecordsonline.com for a marriage of Jane Chapman and John Mowbray gives one such in 1812 in Hartlepool. The following census returns all from Bedford Street, Hartlepool are for this couple and their family.

First, the Mowbrays in 1841:
       John Mowbray  55  Shoe M[aker]    Y[es, born in the County of Durham]
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       Jane Mowbray  50                            Y
       James  do         15  Cooper              Y
       Jane     do         15                            Y
       Sarah   do         15                            Y
       Ann     do          13                            Y
       Elizabeth  do       5                            Y

Given that the 1841 census requested ages above 15 years old to be rounded down to the nearest 5, the three ages 15 could indicate an age from 15-19 years old.

Then in 1851:
       John Mowbray        Head  Mar  64  Shoe Maker
                                                                    (Town Councillor)   Durham, Wolviston
       Jane      do               Wife   Mar  69                                            do     Greatham
       Margaret Robinson  daur   W     33  Dressmaker                       do     Hartlepool
       Sarah Mowbray       daur    U     25  Employed at home            do           do
       Elizabeth  do            daur    U     15                do                        do           do

And finally in 1861:
       John Mowbray        Head  Mar      74  Shoe Maker            Durham, Wolviston
       Jane      Do               Wife  Mar      74                                      Do     Hartlepool
       Marg Robinson       Daur  Widow  43                                      Do           Do
       Sarah Mowbray      Daur  Un         32                                      Do           Do

Their deaths must be those recorded in the BMD Death Index:
       Jane Mowbray Mar1862 Hartlepool 10a 73
       John Mowbray Mar1863 Hartlepool 10a 76

The National Probate Calendar of England and Wales records John Mowbray's will:
       MOWBRAY John      15 April                                       The Will
                                             of John Mowbray late of Hartlepool in the
           Effects under £200    County of Durham Cordwainer deceased
                                             who died 22 January at Hartlepool
                                             aforesaid was proved at Durham by the
                                             oath of William Lister of Hartlepool aforesaid
                                             Joiner one of the Executors.

The following children (with the exception of the last) of John and Jane Mowbray are found searching the index of durhamrecordsonline.com:
       John Mowbray        1813
       Mary Mowbray        1814
       Chapman Mowbray 1816 (burial 1817)
       Margaret Mowbray  1818
       Chapman Mowbray 1820 (burial 1823)
       James Mowbray       1822
       William Mowbray     1823
       Jane Mowbray         1825
       Sarah Mowbray       1826
       Ann Mowbray         1828
       Elizabeth Mowbray 1830 (burial 1831)
       Chapman Mowbray 1832 (baptism not found, but burial 1833 aged <1)
       George Mowbray    1833
       Elizabeth Mowbray 1836 (baptism not found, relying on the census)

Thanks to corresponding genealogist, Susan, I learned that George Chapman had married Mary Yarrow, which record I found indexed at durhamrecordsonline.com for 1825 at Hartlepool. He had been buried in 1832, also at Hartlepool, aged 28. The following baptisms at Hartlepool are for their children (the search specified father George Chapman and mother Mary Yarrow), and also some Hartlepool burial records are indexed.
       Jane Chapman      1826
       Mary Chapman      1827 (burial 1827, daughter of George and Mary Chapman)
       John Chapman      1829
       George Chapman  1830 (burial 1837, aged 6, no parents' names, address Croft)
       Edward Chapman  1832

Although George died in 1832, his family may still be traced in census returns. In 1841, the widow Mary Chapman (age 38) lived with Jane (15), John (12) and Edward (9) on Sussex Street, Hartlepool. Their neighbors are Francis and Elizabeth Bulmer and their family, who are also mentioned in the will (Elizabeth is George's sister).

This and the next couple of posts help to document the family background for Sarah Chapman (my 4x great grandmother), and may be of use to some of my distant Chapman cousins. If you found this helpful, or have more information, I'd love to hear from you.