An Early Edward Bland of Hammersmith

 Here is some kind of probate document for an Edward Bland who lived in Hammersmith and died around 1743.  The document is dated January 11, 1744. 

The condition of this Obligation is such, that if the within boundon [sic] Edward Bland the natural and lawful Son and Administrator with the will annexed of all and singular the Goods Chattels Credits of Edward Bland late of Hammersmith in the parish of Fulham in the county of Middlesex 
?? By Elizabeth Bland widow the relict and ? Legatee named in the last will and testament of the said Edward Bland deceased.

The record is from:

Unfortunately the will is not annexed any more, if it ever was, and the list of belongings is not attached either. There is another document in the same file but I’m not sure what it is.  Dated on the same day, it gives the surviving Edward Bland’s occupation as Gardener. There’s a small note at the bottom which is difficult to make out but it includes the name Thomas Bland. Edward Buford of Hammersmith, carpenter, is also involved in this transaction.  Perhaps he is a co-executor?

However, this is enough to tell us that an Edward Bland of Hammersmith who had a son, also named Edward, and a wife named Elizabeth died circa 1744. 

Bland Family Marriages

 I've uncovered the marriage record of Mary Paget, daughter of Lucy Paget (born Bland) in the familysearch records for St. Marylebone, London, Parish Church.

George Jones of the Parish of St. Marylebone in the County of Middlesex Bach & Mary Pagett of same Spinster were married in this Church by Banns this ninth day of November in the Year One Thousand seven Hundred  and sixty-seven By me Stephen Degulhon.  (signed) George  Jones, Mary Pagett, in the Presence of Francis Rupell, Elias  Davis 

We had a leg up on identifying this as the correct Mary Paget since Lucy in her will referred to her married name (Mary Jones husband of George Jones).  

This seems like a good time to also post the marriage allegation of James Brooks, widower, and Sarah Watts, spinster.

London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1597-1921 for Sarah Watts

1763 Jan-Mar

Sarah Watts was the daughter of Peers Watts and Sarah Bland.  This time it was the will of Peers Watts who identified Sarah as Mrs. Brooks.   James left a Will probated October 22, 1777 (Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills 1384-1858) in which he had several properties to pass on to his sons James and Joshua. He appears to have been quite prosperous. 

I'm Back! And Bland Family Outliers

It's been quite a while since I've posted here.  I've been busy with other commitments, and  I also tried creating a new website on WordPress, but I  got  all  tangled up learning how to use  it and  in the end, I decided  I'd  better stick to what I know.  Lately I've been working on the Bland family.  As  a  reminder, we are descended from Stephen Bland, sexton at Hammersmith, London, England, and his wife Eleanor Whitfield.  They are  the  parents of Ann Bland, who married Robert Elliot in 1794 and moved  to Canada with him and their family. 

We know that Stephen Bland had at least two siblings.  One, John Highlord Bland of St. James, Westminster (c. 1732-1791), was a sword cutler who worked in London and although married seems to have  had no children.  John Highlord Bland left a will, proved August 4, 1792, in London, in which he connects himself  to other members of the Bland  family:

1. His wife Harriet Bland
2. His brother "Stephen Bland of  Hammersmith" and Stephen's  children Edward (referred to as the eldest  son), Ann, Harriet, Thomas, and James 
3. His sister-in-law Mrs. Gwyn Bland, her daughter Gwyn, two other unnamed daughters, and her son Thomas Bland, whom John Highlord Bland disinherits and "cuts off with a shilling"

This will establishes John Highlord and Stephen as brothers and establishes that there is one other brother who is probably deceased at  this point, but had a wife named Gwyn, three daughters (one also named Gwyn) and a son Thomas.  I believe this is a  Thomas Bland, dates  unknown.  We have no marriage record for Thomas and Gwyn Bland but we do have baptism records for five children (Gwyn, Sarah, Mary, Elizabeth Catherine, and John) naming both parents.  Elizabeth Catherine  dies two years after her birth, leaving only three daughters for Thomas and  Gwyn.  I can't find a birth record for a Thomas, but with a father named Thomas, it is not unlikely that there is a son named Thomas whose birth record has not survived.  

So, the core of the Bland  family that we have documented so far includes:

John Highlord Bland of London, cutler, c. 1732-1791

Stephen  Bland  of Hammersmith, sexton/gardener, c. 1733-October 7, 1810.  

Thomas  Bland, occupation  and dates unknown but probably died  between the birth of his youngest  child (1770) and his brother John Highlord's will (1791).  

as  well as Stephen and Thomas's children.

There are a handful of other people who are connected to core group but about whom we  know less.  For the most  part it is their wills which establish the connections.  

Elizabeth Bland, a spinster in Hammersmith, leaves a will proved 1780, in which she names two sisters, Lucy  Paget and  Sarah Watts.  She also mentions a nephew, Edward Bland, who I believe could be Edward the son of Stephen Bland  of Hammersmith, and two nieces, Elizabeth and Ann Watts.  Her burial record gives her age as 82, which would put her birth circa 1698.

Lucy Paget,  of  Fetter Lane, London, also leaves a  will proved in 1780, in which she names  her loving son Thomas Paget, four nieces whom she names  as  Sarah Bland, Sarah Brooks, Ann Watts and Elizabeth Watts, and also her own daughter Mary Jones, the husband of George Jones.  She has two death records, one which puts her age at 74 and another which puts her age at 78, giving her an estimated birth of circa 1702-1706. 

Sarah Bland, a  spinster of Harrow on the Hill, London, leaves a will proved in London on May 5 1803.  Her will names "my loving cousin Stephen Bland of the Hamlet of Hammersmith in the County of Middlesex" as executor and the "sons and daughters of the said Stephen Bland" whom she identifies as "Edward, John Thomas, and James Bland, and Ann wife to Mr. Robert Elliot and Harriott wife of Mr. Daniel Pontifex".  She leaves one guinea to Peers Watts but does not specify a relationship.  She leaves small bequests to her "dear cousins Ann and Elizabeth Watts and Mrs. Mary Jones".  She leaves small bequests to a Mr. John Armstrong, Frances his wife, and Frances their daughter.  In her codicil she mentions a Thomas Bland who is working as a journeyman to Daniel Pontifex.  Unfortunately her death record does not give her age, which would have helped us find a birth record. 

The Watt family feature heavily in the wills of these Bland family members.  The Watt family patriarch, Peers Watts (c.1684-1771), married a Sarah Bland of Hammersmith/Fulham in 1720.  The marriage allegation tells us her father is Edward Bland, gardener (Peers is also a Gardener). 

 London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1597-1921.

The text reads, in part:

6 Septembris 1720.  On which day appeared personally Peers Watts of the Parish of Fullham in the County of Middx widower and alleged that he intendeth to marry with Sarah Bland of same parish and upwards of sixteen years and a spinster with the consent of Edward Bland her father now present..."

I believe that the bride's father only  had to consent if she was under 21 years of age, which would make Sarah Bland's year of birth between 1699 and 1704.  

Peers and Sarah had seven children baptized in St. Paul Hammersmith Church between 1722 and 1734, but by 1772 when Peer's will was proved, the remaining family consisted of Peers Jr, Ann, Elizabeth, and Sarah (who married a James Brooks).   The baptismal records for Sarah and Ann Watts are missing.   

So we now have three sisters, Elizabeth Bland born c. 1698, Lucy Paget, and Sarah Watts born between 1702-1706. Their father is Edward Bland and their mother is unknown.  They are aunts to Stephen Bland of Hammersmith, which would make his father, currently unknown, a son of Edward Bland as well.  

Another interesting will by a Bland I can't immediately place is that of William Bland of St. Andrew, Holborn.  His will reads:

In the name of God Amen I William Bland of the Parish of St. Andrew Holborn in the County of Middlesex Innholder being of sound mind and memory do will and bequeath unto my aunt Ann Watts spinster of the parish of St. Andrew Holborn aforesaid in the said county of Middlesex all my goods money plate rings watches horses and all my worldly goods and every thing I dye possessed of And I make and appoint my said aunt Ann Watts the executrix of this my last will and testament in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this seven and twentieth day of December One Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty.  (London, England, Wills and Probate, 1507-1858. 1751-B-Bland).  

The will was registered in February of 1751. Again the dates are a bit of a squeeze.  If Ann Watts was born in the 1720s or 1730s like her siblings, in 1751 she would be 20-30 years old.  Surely a bit young to have a prosperous adult nephew who is an innkeeper and on his deathbed.  

This family is like a big scrambled-up puzzle and I know there are pieces missing.  I keep hoping the next piece I discover will connect the whole puzzle, but so far no luck.  More research pending!

ngland Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1558-1812 for Lucy Bland

St Martin-In-The-Fields

1681-1692

London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1597-1921 for Peers Watts

1720

Jul-SepLo

London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1597-1921 for Peers Watts

1720

J

William Scott Elliot and Muriel Lailey

William Scott Elliot was the son of Robert Watt Elliot and Catherine Scott.  His wedding to Muriel Lailey is described in detail in the Toronto newspaper, the Globe.  William and Muriel both attended the Jarvis Street Baptist Church.  Thomas Sutherland Stayner and his wife Harriet Rose Elliot were among the guests (Harriet Rose was a daughter of William Elliot and Mary Oliphant, and would have been  the groom's aunt).   The account was published on October 4, 1899. 

Here is Muriel's obituary in the same newspaper, many years later, on June 19, 1951.

The Jarvis Street Baptist Church and the Elliot/Scott Families

Jarvis Street Baptist Church, Toronto, circa 1917.   By Valentine & Sons Publishing Co., Ltd. - Saskatchewan Postcard collection, http://digital.scaa.sk.ca/gallery/postcards/permalink/37418, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63214236

I've known for a long time that both John Galloway Scott's family and William Elliot's family were associated with Toronto's own Jarvis Street Baptist Church.  The Jarvis Street Baptist Church Directory and Historical Sketch, published in Toronto in August of 1897 and available on the database Canadiana, gives us a snapshot of what church life was like for the Scott and Elliot families.  Our ancestor William Elliot,  the father of Mary (Elliot) Scott, died in 1893, so he was no longer alive when this publication came out, but some of his children and grandchildren are still involved in this church, as is John Galloway Scott et al. 

I really like the page below for how it lays out the rhythm of the life of the Jarvis Street Baptist congregation.  There's public worship on Sundays, and also Sunday School, Bible Class, and a Prayer Meeting.  There also seems to be a Prayer Meeting on Wednesday, although it's not named as such, and various groups meeting throughout the week.  It seems like a bustling place. 

John Galloway (or J.G.) Scott is listed as a Deacon.  Notice the name McMaster on the list of Deacons;  William McMaster (of McMaster University fame) was one of the men who helped finance the building of the Jarvis Street Baptist Church in 1875, along with William Elliot.  William McMaster died in 1887 but it looks like his family is still in attendance.

John Galloway Scott is also a Trustee, and holds the position of Secretary to this group.  Being a Trustee means that John Galloway is also on the Finance Committee, and it looks like he is also the Sub-Treasurer for the Poor Fund.

John Galloway Scott is a Plate Collector on the ground floor, south side.  J.C. Scott, listed under main floor, south side, is not related to our branch of the Scott family. 

Mrs. Robert Watt Elliot (Catherine Scott) was President of the Dorcas Society.  From what I understand, Dorcas Societies were charitable organizations which gave clothing to the poor. 

The following pages are from the directory.  They give us the name and address of all church members.  The double-t Elliott family are not related to us.  Notice that Cynthia Jane Elliot (C. Janie) is living at 341 Sherbourne Street, which means she is living in the Robert Watt Elliot household headed by her sister and brother-in-law. 

There are a few Scott families in attendance at Jarvis.  I believe that only the John Galloway Scott family are related to us.  John G. Scott did have a son named Arthur, but his middle initial was H. for Herbert, and not E, and I am not aware of his ever living in New York.  In 1892 Arthur Herbert Scott married Minnie Davis and they settled in Montreal. 

There is a relationship between the Elliot family and the Yates family (William Elliot's sister Maria Elliot married David Yates of Dundas, Ontario, in 1828.  I'm not certain if Mrs. Eliza Yates is a relative of our Elliots or not. 

Muriel Lailey is the future wife of William Scott Elliot.  They marry in October 1899.  She appears to be the only member of her family to attend Jarvis Street Baptist.  Perhaps they met through the church. 

Mrs. T. Sutherland Stayner was born Harriet Rose Elliot.  She is the daughter of William Elliot and Mary Oliphant,  the sister of Robert Watt Elliot, and the sister-in-law of John Galloway Scott.  Her husband Thomas Sutherland Stayner was an Anglican, and so it seems she was the sole representative of her family in this congregation.  

Although William Elliot was dead by the time this document was published, his work as a church deacon is briefly described.  He and his family were originally members of the Disciples of Christ church. 

 

Notice that James Lesslie was mentioned in early records of this church.  The Lesslie family were known to both the Scotts and the Elliots.  Thomas Chalmers Scott was persuaded to come to Toronto by a Lesslie, and William Elliot got his start in pharmacy at the Lesslie family pharmacy in Dundas.

Sophia Watt's Aunt Taddie

My post on Thomas Watt and his family is still in progress, but I have discovered the will of Sophia Watt's "Aunt Taddie", who, according to Edith Kilgour's Oliphant Family History, was the sister of William Watt and left her niece Sophia a legacy.  It is an immensely useful will as it confirms she is really Sophia's aunt, as Edith Kilgour stated, and it names other family members as well.   It turns out that she got her nickname "Aunt Taddie" through her marriage, which took place in St. Andrews, Scotland, on 19 November 1802, to James Toddie (Scotland Marriages, 1561-1920, FamilySearch.org).  She is a widow at the time her will was made, and her wealthy brother Thomas Watt is her executor, although her own legacies are quite modest.  Her husband James was a mason by trade.  Isabella, or Aunt Taddie, died in St. Andrews on January 13, 1841.

Here is a transcript of the relevant section of the will of Isabella (Watt) Toddie:

"To my sister Mrs. Elizabeth Watt or Mayhew wife of William Mayhew Esquire of Raydon in the County of Suffolk two pair of my Linen sheets--two pair of my best tweeled (sic) sheets and two Table clothes.  To my niece Isabella Watt oldest Daughter of the said Thomas Watt one dozen of my silver Tea spoons, one pair of my Tea Tongs, and one silver milk pot.  To my niece Josephine Watt second Daughter of the said Thomas Watt and wife of George Thomson Esq. Wine Merchant Leith eight old Silver Tea spoons, and pair of Tea Tongs and two Table silver spoons.  To my niece Elizabeth Watt daughter of the said Thomas Watt the best white counterpane I may be possessed of at the time of my death, with one pair of my best unmade sheets.  To my niece Louisa Frances Watt fourth daughter of the said Thomas Watt my Tea Box.  To my niece Mrs. Sophia Watt or Oliphant Daughter of William Watt my Brother and wife of David Oliphant presently residing in America, in the event of her being resident  in this Country at the time of my death, but no otherways all my body clothes....and I request that the said Thomas Watt and Mrs. Louise Antoinette Josephine Dubois or Watt his wife may give at their discretion any memorandum they please to my cousin Catherine Wallace daughter of the late Louis Wallace..."

I don't know if Sophia ever collected her legacy of all of her aunt's clothes, but she must at least have known about the intent. It is interesting to me that Isabella's will names only one sibling apart from her brother Thomas.  I wonder if the others were all dead by that time?  Sophia's parents certainly were.  And it's going to be useful to have the name of one of the Wallace cousins since I currently have no leads at all on the family of Agnes Wallace, William Watt the elder's wife.  Thanks, Aunt Taddie!   

Update on Possible Parents for Sophia Watt: Now We Know

Way back in 2014, I wrote this post speculating that Sophia Watt's parents might have been William Watt and Jane Bond, whose first husband was John Powis.  My guess was based upon knowing Sophia's birth date and place from the obituary written by her son David Oliphant Jr. and published in The Christian Banner, Volume 11, No. 4, April 1857.   I could only find one birth record for a child named Sophia Watt in London in late March of 1782.   However, finding a record for a Sophia did not prove definitively that this was our Sophia.  

 However, another researcher has recently and very generously sent me an 18-page history of the Oliphant family written by Edith Kilgour, who was a great granddaughter of David Oliphant and Sophia Watt.   Edith tells us that she had access to many old family letters and other documents when writing her family history, so she was relying on more than oral history to create it.  And it is truly a goldmine of information!  I'm so excited and happy to have seen it.

First of all, Edith tells us of a rumour that Sophia was "closely related to James Watt the inventor of the Steam Engine", who was born on January 19, 1736, in Greenock, to another James Watt (shipwright and merchant) and his wife Agnes Muirhead.  James Watt Senior's father was Thomas Watt, mathematics teacher.  At the moment I can't find any relationship between these people and Sophia, and Edith doesn't know what it was precisely.

She does, however, know the names of Sophia's parents and her paternal grandparents.  Hooray!  Now we can go back two generations, which is very good news.

"The first Watt of whom we have record is William Watt of St. Andrews and his wife Agnes Wallace. They had a son William born 17th August, 1759.  The latter married in London "Jean" Bond, an English woman, and they had a son James born on March 26, 1786 and registered in St. Andrews, and a daughter Sophia born March 26, 1783 in London. After the birth of Sophia they evidently returned to St. Andrews to live."  

It's kind of strange that both children were born on the same date, three years apart.

Edith also confirms something that I'd already discovered in the records, that Jane Bond's marriage to William Watt was a second marriage for her.  Her first husband was named John Powis.  

Edith has a lot to say about Sophia's other relatives.  On her mother's side, "not much is known except that her [Sophia's] great grandfather was one Percival Bond and that she had two aunts, Frances and Phyllis, the latter of whom, unmarried, left her a legacy...Sophia Watt had an aunt Isabella (Taddie) who died in 1841 and left her a legacy.  She also had legacies from two other aunts, Anne Turner and Phyllis Bond.  She had at least two uncles, one of whom was  Thomas Watt who was wealthy and travelled to the West Indies.  There he married the daughter of the Governor of Guadeloupe, and afterwards returned to Edinburgh where they lived "in style" in Claremont Crescent...This Thomas Watt had several children.  A daughter, Isabella, married a Mr. Anderson of Jamaica, W.I.  The son, Edward, lived in Trinidad.  Another son, William, also lived in Trinidad and a son, Henry, went as A.D.C. to the Governor of Domenica.  His father [Sophia's Uncle Thomas] wrote to Sophia Watt that this son had been given a handsome establishment and later accepted a judgeship."

And finally, Edith provides us with a Watt-Bond family tree:

There's even more here, mostly about Sophia and David Oliphant's life, but this is enough information to get started with.  First of all, one of the reasons I was so happy to learn that Sophia was indeed the daughter of William Watt is that I have a biography of a William Watt of St. Andrews. This turns out to be a biography of Sophia's grandfather, William Watt Senior.  It was published in 1839, well after his death, in "The Gardener's Magazine, and Register of Rural and Domestic Improvement".

The archives of St. Andrews University were able to give me some supplementary information.  From the book "Biographical Register of the University of St. Andrews 1747-1897" by Robert Smart:

"Watt, William.  Cook and gardener to St. Mary's College 1757-1786 (retired).
 Previously gardener to the Earl of Buchan.

Watt, William.  Cook and gardener to St. Mary's College 1786-22.4.1800 (died aged 83). 
Also worked as a surveyor. 
Born c. 1717 son to William Watt, cook and gardener to St. Mary's College. 

Watt, William.  Cook and gardener to St. Mary's College.  
Son of William Watt, cook and gardener to St. Mary's College."

I think the author incorrectly attributed the death date of the elder William Watt to his son.  It is probably the elder William Watt who died in 1800, age 83 (although to add to the confusion, his biographer in the "Gardener's Journal" has him dying in 1798).  

The librarian at the archives pulled out several relevant entries from the Minutes of St. Mary's College. According to these records, the first William Watt began work at the College on November 24, 1757.  On 16 June 1786, the minutes mention a gratuity awarded to "William Watt Younger" for "extraordinary work" in the gardens, and says that Watt Sr. was retiring due to "age and infirmity".  On 22 July 1800, the minutes report:

"The meeting considering that the offices of Cook and Gardener to the College had become vacant by the death of the late Mr. Watt Senior on the day of _____ last, agreed to nominate Mr. Watt Junior to officiate as a cook for the next session of College."  


On April 3 1801, there is an entry that records the full appointment of William Watt Junior.

By the way, in case it's not clear, St. Mary's College is part of St. Andrew's University in the town of St. Andrews.  


This information is both very helpful and a tiny bit confusing.  It makes it seem as if there are three William Watts, but I think there are only two.  Sophia's father, William Watt, was born in 1759.  He would have been 27 years old in 1786, when the first William Watt retired and the second took his place, which makes sense, especially since it seems as though he was already gardening there in some capacity anyway.  The part about him also working as a surveyor is unexpected.  I think it was the elder William Watt, Sophia's grandfather, who was born circa 1717.  This would make him 22 when entering the Earl of Buchan's service, and 34 when his first child was born.

I don't have a marriage record for William Watt Sr. and Agnes Wallace, but I do have birth records for seven of their children, three more than Edith's family tree contains.  William and Agnes had:

• Henry, born May 6, 1751, in the parish of Liberton (parish record says the family lives in "Goodtrees").  In the family history Edith refers to this child as Henry David. Apparently Liberton is a parish in the county of Edinburgh, 2 miles outside the city of Edinburgh.   Fun fact:  "Liberton" derives from "Leper's Town", due to a leper hospital the area once containted.  
• Cardross (male) born September 29, 1754, also at Liberton.  Cardross is a name associated with the Earl of Buchan's family.  
• Isabelle (on the birth record) or Isabella (on the family tree).  Born December 6, 1757, in the parish of St. Andrew's.  This makes sense, as William Watt the elder began working at St. Andrew's University that year.  From here on in, all the birth records refer to William as being a "Gardener at New College".  According to the St. Mary's College Minutes, St. Mary's College was sometimes referred to as New College at this time.  
• William, born August 17, 1759, St. Andrews.  This is Sophia Watt's father.  
• James, born February 28, 1761, St. Andrews.
• Jean, born January 7, 1763, St. Andrews. 
• Thomas, born January 31, 1765, St. Andrews.  

It is possible that not all these children survived.

There are two different death records in the St. Andrew's parish records in the name of William Watt.  It makes sense to me that the first William to die would have been Sophia's grandfather, who would indeed have been 83 years old if he was born in 1717 and died in 1800.  His son, Sophia's father, who died in 1803, would have been a relatively young 44 years. 

"William Watt Gardner to St. Mary's College St. Andrews died 27th of April 1800".  

"William Watt Gardner to the New College died here 6 of May 1803". 

Additionally, the book "Monumental Inscriptions pre-1855 in East Fife" by John Fowler Mitchell and Sheila Mitchell records this gravestone inscription in the churchyard of St. Andrew's Cathedral:

"Wm Watt gardner and surveyor here 27.4.18(0)(0 or 6) (83)".   

There are still clues to the Watt and Bond families to explore, and next I am going to look into the family of Sophia's globe-trotting uncle Thomas Watt.