In my previous post I looked at Edmund Jowett & Martha Theobald, my 4x Great-grandparents & a couple of their descendants
I’m now going to try to go back another generation and research their parents. Edmund Jowett was baptised At St Chad’s Church, Wilne on the 28th October 1787 – the son of John & Elizabeth of Draycott. His future wife, Martha Theobald is on the same page of baptisms; her’s took place on the 18th March 1787, the daughter of Richard and Hannah also of Draycott.
A marriage took place at St Chad’s on the 6th December 1786 of John Jowett and Elizabeth Coxon, both of Draycott, which is the only one I could find to fit in with the names and dates I already had. Interestingly though, there is a baptism also on the same page as Edmund and Martha’s of Mary, an illegitimate daughter of Elizabeth Coxon, baptised on 1st October 1787. So were there two Elizabeth Coxons or did the same Elizabeth have an illegitimate daughter before she married John and only baptised her after they were married? I’ve found a possible eight children for John and Elizabeth, all baptised at St Chad’s.

Looking at John Jowett and Elizabeth Coxon – I have been unable as yet to find a baptism for Elizabeth, but I have found a possible one for John; in Sawley, a nearby village, in 1767. He is the son of John and Elizabeth of Sawley. And here I get confused! There are SO many Jowetts in this area all baptising their children with the same names repeatedly over the generations.

I’ve found it impossible, just by searching online, to ascertain with any certainty, which Jowetts are which. So I think my next step will be a visit to the Derbyshire Record Office in Matlock to search through all the parish records for these places and see if I can fit the Jowetts together, or at least separate mine out. As it will be a while before I can get there, I’m going to start looking at Martha Theobald’s line next.
- Baptism and marriage information from Derbyshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812. Derbyshire Record Office; Matlock, Derbyshire, England; Diocese: Diocese of Derby. Via Ancestry.co.uk
- Pictures from Google Maps & StreetView
© Caroline Cox and Caroline’s Chronicles. 2011 – current year
I know what you mean about the proliferation of people with the same names during that time period. I’m descended from a John Brown, whose female descendants all seemed to be named Sarah and whose male descendants all seemed to marry women named Sarah.
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It’s so confusing & too easy to mix them up. I think I’m going to visit the archives & see how many I can find & try to work out how they fit together.
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Sending good thoughts your way for putting the puzzle pieces together!
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Good luck with your search too!
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Thank you, Caroline!
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