The (still elusive) Raven Family - Part 2 - Mrs. Ann Good
The Raven family - Part 2 - Mrs. Ann Good.
My 3rd great-grandfather, Richard Raven was born in about 1833 in an area of Sheffield called Ecclesall Bierlow.
The earliest record that I have for Richard Raven is his marriage certificate, which was included in my previous post about this family. (see The Elusive Raven Family )
The wedding took place on 25th December 1856, and Richard stated that his father's name was Robert Raven, a bricklayer. Searches have failed to find any trace of Robert Raven in the area, or a birth or baptism record for Richard Raven.
A Census record from 1841 includes a child aged 8 named Richard Raven, who could possibly be "my" Richard Raven.
The Census record has an address as Whitelock Court on Russel Street, North Sheffield.
The residents on the night of 6th June 1841 were Richard Good, aged 50, a tailor born in Ireland ; Ann Good, 50, born in Yorkshire ; and Richard Raven, 8, also born in Yorkshire. Also in the household are John and Ann Pennington, both aged 20. I am yet to find a family link with either of them.
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1841 CENSUS _ Class: HO107; Piece: 1335; Book: 11; Civil Parish: Sheffield; County: Yorkshire; Enumeration District: 26; Folio: 32; Page: 17; Line: 3; GSU roll: 464281 (Ancestry)
So, who were Richard and Ann Good?
The ages in the 1841 census were rounded down and are therefore inexact. However the burial records for St George Anglican Church in Sheffield provide further information.
Richard Good was recorded as aged 66 in the burial register dated 25 February 1846.
Ann Good was 68, and buried on 23 May 1847. Ann's inferred birth year is therefore c1779.
Richard Good and Ann Hill married at Sheffield on 30 July 1837, just 4 years prior to the 1841 Census. Both were widowed, and Ann's father was named as Jeremiah Smawfield, a Shoemaker.
Richard Good had previously married Sarah Holmes, in Sheffield on 22 July 1821. Richard was noted as a bachelor and Sarah as a widow. Sarah was buried at Sheffield on 21 February 1836. Her maiden name is unknown, but with no Raven surnames apparent in Richard Good's past, research turned to his 2nd wife, Ann Good, previously Hill, and nee Smawfield.
On 19 February 1826, John Hill (widower) married Ann Raven (widow) at Sheffield.
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| Image from FindMyPast. Yorkshire Marriages |
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| Image from Ancestry, West Yorkshire CofE B Deaths and Burials |
A burial for Richard Raven on 19 February 1824 at Sheffield also fits with the timeline for him to be the husband of Ann Hill, formerly Raven. He was a Mason, of Jericho Street. Aged 40 when he died, he was born in about 1784.
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Image from FindMyPast. Yorkshire Burials: Sheffield, Cathedral Church of St Peter & St Paul YKS |
Richard Raven, a bachelor and Ann Smawfield, a spinster, both of the parish, married at Sculcoates, Yorkshire on 9 April 1804. The entry in the parish register is a fantastic find which confirms the sequence of events. The Smawfield name is consistent with the name of Ann Hill's father when she married Richard Good.
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Image from FindMyPast. Yorkshire Marriages |
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| Image from FindMyPast. Yorkshire Baptisms, Doncaster, St George |
A timeline works best to summarise these events in the life of Ann Good / Hill / Raven / nee Smawfield -
26 May 1784 Baptised at Doncaster, St George. Daughter of Jeremiah Smawfield, a cordwainer.
9 April 1804 Marriage at Sculcoates, to Richard Raven. Both of the parish. Witness - Mary Raven.
19 February 1824 Burial at Sheffield of Richard Raven, a mason of Jericho Street, born about 1784.
19 February 1826 Marriage at Sheffield, to John Hill. Both Widowed.
12 March 1837 Burial at Wakefield of John Hill, residence - Poorhouse, aged 52 (born c1785)
30 July 1837 Marriage at Sheffield to Richard Good, widower, a tailor. Both Aged 53 (born c1784).
Ann was a widow, and her father was Jeremiah Smawfield, a shoemaker.
25 February 1846 Burial at St George Anglican, Sheffield of Richard Good, aged 66 (born c1780)
23 May 1847 Burial at St George Anglican, Sheffield of Ann Good, aged 68 (born c 1779)
Records not yet found for Ann's family -
about 1784 Birth of Richard Raven (1st husband of Ann Smawfield)
1804-1813 Birth of Son, Robert Raven
1824- 1832 Marriage of Son, Robert Raven
(Possibly on 3 April 1832 at Sculcoates, Mary Hopper and Robert Raven, farmer.
However, occupation is inconsistent with occupation bricklayer on son's marriage cert.)
about 1833 Birth of Grandson, Richard Raven
One of the witnesses to the marriage on 30 July 1837 was Joseph Hudson, who witnessed all six of the weddings at the Cathedral on that day and most of the weddings on other days. He is probably not related.
The other witness was John Beeton, son-in-law of Jeremiah Smawfield, and husband of Ann's sister Elizabeth.
John Beeton was born in 1772 in Norfolk. There are some clusters of Raven families in Norfolk that will be investigated next, in the search for my elusive Raven's.
The map shows the locations of the events included in the time-line for Ann Smawfield.
The locations are fairly widespread, which would usually make me wonder if the research was correct.
However the Smawfield family were involved in missionary work and have been found to be in the same areas as the records for Ann.
The Smawfield family were early followers of the Methodist religion. They were from Epworth in Lincolnshire, which was the birthplace of John and Charles Wesley, founders of Methodism.
Separate posts on the Smawfield family include -
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