Martin Bond Smith

[VALLMO9]

Maria isn't living with her birth family in Hampshire in 1841 and I haven't looked for her

1841 census: Could she be the Maria Smith (age 15) residing with William and Ann Tomkins in Thatcham (Newbury)? Unable to view the image, but I don't think she's "born in county". Just thought its worth a mention, as widow Maria Walker (nee Martin) was from Newbury.

[Norfolk Nan]

I've double checked and Mary is at home with her family on the 1841 census, misread my original note.

[VALLMO9]

Was Martin a gardener in the 1841 census? If so, there's always the possibility that he worked at the newly created (1839/40) Brompton Cemetery -- which is obviously a garden cemetery. Prior to 1839, the land had been used for market gardens. So Martin's stated occupation of "green-grocer" in 1857 would make sense, particularly if he had been a market gardener.

Until the middle of the 19th century the section of the Fulham Road - west of what is now the southern entrance to Brompton Cemetery - was sometimes known as Bridge Street. So Martin wouldn't have far to walk to that entrance from his Fulham address in 1841.

[Norfolk Nan]

Thanks, Mo. Martin ended up in Brompton Cemetery, as did many on that side of my tree.

[jonwarrn]

Witnesses: Robert Needham and Mary ? Smith.

Is that an m before Smith?
Going back to Maria Walker nee Martin (sorry!), her baptism could be 15 March 1818, Speen .
Parents Richard and Mary Martin. Abode Speenhamland. Father Horsekeeper.
Others there Mary Ann, 1813, Richard, 1815, Frances, 1820
They may be in Hammersmith by 1824.

If the parents married in Berkshire, then there is one in Reading, 8 Sep 1811, no baptisms following there.
Richard Martin and Mary Smith.
Might make it a bit weird that the Walkers had a Martin Smith living in the same house in 1841? Or maybe not!

[Norfolk Nan]

By a total fluke I think I have found Martin's father -

Assuming John the butcher and Fulham to be correct, I searched for a John Smith in the 1851 Fulham census (only 7) and found a retired pork butcher living with his son, a master pork butcher, in Fulham. Using the daughter-in-law as the search link I found her 1846 Picadilly marriage to John Smith jnr and saw the witnesses were Martin Smith and Maria Smith. Bingo!

Sorry, I'm hopeless with pasting links and screenshots but this is a link (if it works, fingers crossed) to the marriage cert https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui- ... 8602:61867 and these are the census details: Class: HO107; Piece: 1471; Folio: 15; Page: 20; GSU roll: 87794

Thank you for all your help, Mo and Jon* I've been looking for this for months, why it cropped up today I've no idea. Fickle!

[jonwarrn]

Well done, NN. Great research!
The signatures of Martin and Maria Smith are very similar to the ones on their own wedding. Not surprising, as it was only a few months earlier!
So in 1851 in Fulham you have John Smith x 2, Elizabeth Smith (wife of John senior), and a nephew as well. The older Smiths and the nephew all born in Wiltshire.
The occupation of the two John Smiths on the Westminster marriage is the same. Gardener. Which is confusing, as they are pork butchers in 1851!

[Norfolk Nan]

Mo always says check the witnesses and this is the first time that’s ever paid off!

I still don’t understand why Bond was added to Martin’s name. It’s not his mother’s surname. There are more siblings born in Wiltshire but I haven’t found a baptism for the Fulham boys. More questions to answer…

[jonwarrn]

Hi
You (and Mo) are right, always check the witnesses. It paid off for me recently as well, and I was finally able to pin down the correct marriage for one of my ancestors, John Brooks.
So were your Smiths in High Street, Fulham, in 1841?
Jno, 66, Elizbth, 55, both not born county, and Jno, 14, born Middlesex.
https://www.familysearch.org/search/ark ... 1:MQJ5-MTC

[Norfolk Nan]

I haven’t looked yet but that’s right for 1851. The Wiltshire fact would probably scupper my idea Martin and Maria (both Smiths) were cousins as her family came from Hampshire. Not impossible but unlikely