JOHN BURROUGH or BURROW

This is what was posted to Geocities in 2009 when the site was closed down. There has been no new research added.

John Burrough (aka Burrow) was born approx 1766, according to the age recorded on his death certificate. However I have not yet been able to confirm if he was in fact born in Ottery St Mary. Nor do I know for sure who his parents and siblings were. I do however have my suspicions. See below for the family I think John belonged to.

John was aged approx 50 when he married 25 year old Amy Hancock in Milverton, Somerset in 1817. There is no record of his exact age unfortunately. Their first child William was born 5 months after the wedding. The chances are high that John was married at least once before. I have not been able to confirm this as yet.

After having children born in Milverton, the family seems to have moved to Ottery St Mary in Devon. For years I thought that John moved because he either had family there or he was looking for a job. John was listed in the marriage record as a sojourner or a traveller.

There is also a record in the IGI of a daughter Frances Burrow, baptised in Ottery St Mary in 1832, to parents John and Amy Burrow. This did fit the dates because the last 2 children born in Milverton were baptised in 1828. The family could have then moved to Devon and had another child during the next 4 years. It also shows that parents - therefore most likely the entire family - moved to Devon - as children cant be born without mothers.

In February 2005 I finally discovered WHY the family went to Devonshire. They were forcibly removed there. But the date was wrong. According to the Removal orders, the family was removed from Milverton to Ottery St Mary in 1824.

FILE - John Burrow, Amy his wife and William 5, Amy 3, Thomas 2 and Abraham and Isaac 1 month, their children from Milverton, Somerset - ref. 3327 A/PO 90/13 - date: 1824
Source - National Archives

Removal orders usually sent the entire family back to the fathers home parish. Which makes it highly likely that John was born in Ottery St Mary. This removal record is dated 1824. The family must at some point have returned to Milverton for the next 2 children (Sarah b 1826 & James b 1828) to be baptised there. Sarah did state consistently for the census records that she was born in Milverton. If the family did return to live in Milverton, perhaps they were removed a second time to Ottery St Mary, since Frances was born there in 1832. Or they might have returned to Ottery St Mary voluntarily if they were about to be removed again. At this time however, this is all just conjecture. Despite looking through the online Archives I have not found any other removal records. Also because Abraham and Isaac were both listed as aged 1 month in 1824, I am assuming that they were twins.

If John is following the usual naming convention - then his eldest son would have been named after his father. Since John's eldest son was named William, then the chances are high that John's father was also named William.

Milverton Parish Transcripts
Surname/Forename/Baptismal Date
BURROWS William 09 Jan 1820
BURROWS Amy 09 Jan 1820
BURROWS Thomas 28 Jul 1822
BURROUGH Abraham 18 Jul 1824
BURROUGH Isaac 18 Jul 1824
BURROWS James 12 Oct 1828
BURROWS Sarah 19 Oct 1828

Ottery St Mary OPR
Surname/Forename/Baptismal Date
BURROWS Frances 15 APR 1832

John Burrow died in Ottery St Mary on 5 Feb 1839 at age 73 from Dropsey. The death certificate identifies the informant as Emma Burrow. This is most probably his wife Amy as she only wrote her mark, and not her name. Their daughter Emma (born Amy) was aged 19 at the time her father died. The name Amy in Somerset was commonly called Emma in Devon.

John Burrow, Mill Street, 10 Nov 1839 age 73 - The Ottery St Mary Parish registry record of John's death.

Death Certificate
Reg # 76
Fifth of February 1839 Ottery St Mary
John Burrow
Male
73 years
Labourer
Dropsey
The mark of Emma Burrow present at death Ottery St Mary
Eighth of February 1839
Registrars name (unreadable)

So I have a death certificate that says John died in February of 1839, but his death was not registered until November of 1839. I wonder why this death was not registered promptly?

If John was born around 1766, there is a John Burrow listed on the IGI, born 1765, christened in 1770 in OSM, with parents John & Susanna Burrow. However I have discounted this couple as being John's parents since John never named any of his children, John or Susannah. There is however another family in the village of Wiggaton in the parish of Ottery St Mary who I believe are John's family.

Husband/William Burrow/Birth: About 1742/Of Ottery,St Mary, Devon, England
Wife/Mrs. Sarah Burrow/Birth: About 1746/Of Ottery,St Mary, Devon, England
CHILDREN
Fanny Burrow/Christening:06 OCT 1774/Ottery,St Mary, Devon, England
James Burrow/Christening:06 JUN 1777/Ottery,St Mary, Devon, England
Sarah Burrow/Birth: About 1778/St Mary,Ottery, Devon, England/Spouse:Thomas Hill/ Marriage: 10 April 1799/Children:William Burrow Hill

I think that my John Burrow - born roughly around 1766 - was part of this family. I have also discovered that the William Burrow christened in 1774 (probably born in 1771) and who married Mary Ebdon, was also part of this family. He is noted in the IGI as William Junior and his children's names are noted in William (seniors) will of 1807. Frances (Fanny) married Thomas Burrow, son of Thomas Burrow and Elizabeth Channon. I think Thomas was a relative, maybe a first or second cousin. I have not been able to determine the exact relationship as yet.

Below is a table comparing the names of children for John, Fanny, William and James Burrow.

I believe on this evidence that my John Burrow belongs to this family. The dates fit as do all family names. A birth date of 1766 is obviously very unreliable. It could easily be anywhere 10 years either way. William & Sarah (the parents) fit the naming pattern since all four children had daughters named Sarah and sons named William.

John's first daugher Emma was named after his wife. His third daughter Frances would probably be after his sister, or possibly even after a grandmother. His son James would be after his brother or possibly an uncle. Isaac & Abraham obviously dont fit the pattern - so I think John & Amy chose paired names from the Bible.

I have also discovered that William and Sarah (the possible parents) were probably married in Salcombe Regis - a few miles SE of Ottery St Mary not far from Sidbury. There is a marriage record of a William Burrows from Ottery St Mary to Sarah Knowles in Salcombe Regis on 18 October 1768. They had at least 2 children born in Salcombe Regis - William born 1771 and Sarah born 1770. Sarah probably died at a young age since another daughter named Sarah was born in 1778. Sometime between 1771 and 1774, the family moved to OSM where the next child Frances was born. It would be quite normal to have both Frances and 3 year old son William baptised at the same time. In fact young Sarah probably died before 1774 - which could explain why the family left Salcombe Regis. The memories might have been too painful.