When researching your family history you are limited to certain resources on-line, census returns, birth, marriage and death indexes, court and wills, immigration and emigration records, parish records, military records and newspaper articles. All that you pay through the nose for. It’s very expensive and time-consuming. Mistakes are made constantly, so unfortunately its better to pay up and buy what you can to clarify you are on the right trail.
If you are interested in learning a little more about how to trace your family’s history, let me know and I will write a post about how to start and what I find the best online sources, cost of subscriptions and certificate etc.
This weeks ancestor was born before the time of birth registration and census returns and I only have very limited parish records to work with up until September 1837, when it’s possible to find a birth, marriage or death index, to be able to order certificates or the 1841 census, which is the earliest census return available to the public.
When using just parish records, there is always a huge risk that you could be going along the wrong path and researching total the wrong family, it’s a risk we have to take unfortunately and mistakes do happen. I just hope that I have my research correct, fingers crossed.
So let me tell you the little I know about this weeks ancestor, Sarah Scarrott.
Sarah is my 4th Great-Grandmother on my Dads paternal family tree.

Sarah Scarrott, was born about 1815, in East Wellow, Hampshire, England, to Mary Ann Moody, age 25, and Esau Scarrott, age 25. The 1841 census gives her birth location as Hampshire.
The 1851 and 1861 shows it as West Wellow, Hampshire.
The 1841 shows her birth year as 1817.
The 1851 as 1820
and the 1861 census shows it as 1817.

Sarah, was christened at, St. Margaret’s, East Wellow, Hampshire, England, on the 10th March 1817.

Unfortunately documentation is few and far between until census records and certification so I don’t find Sarah again until 1836, when Sarah married James Pearce, son of James Pearce and Harriet Pearce Nee Atkins, at St. Margaret’s, East Wellow, Hampshire, England, on October 11th, 1836.

Sarah gave birth to their first-born, a son whom they called William, about 1837.
The census returns gives his birth year and location as –
1851 – 1837 in West Wellow, Hampshire, England.
1861 – 1837 in West Wellow, Hampshire, England.
1871 – 1837 in West Wellow, Hampshire, England.
1891 – 1838 in West Wellow, Hampshire, England.
1901 – 1837 in West Wellow, Hampshire, England.
1911 – 1837 in West Wellow, Hampshire, England.

James and Sarah Pearce christened William on the 26th February 1837, at St. Margaret’s, East Wellow, Hampshire, England.

Sarah and Jame’s, 2nd Son James Pearce, was born in the January/March quarter of 1840 in the Romsey and Michelmersh district.
The census returns show his birth location as West Wellow, Hampshire, England.

Sarah and James Pearce, christened James, on the 2nd June 1841, at St. Margaret’s, East Wellow, Hampshire, England.

The 1841 census was taken on the 6 June 1841, but there are two possible census returns for Sarah and her family.
One is for a Sarah and James Pearce, living in The Hundred, Romsey.
James would have been working as a Baker and they have no children with them, which I find very strange as their Son James would have only just been a year old.

The second option which I feel is more likely to be correct is for a, Sarah Pearce 24, James Pearce, 27 and their Son James aged 1, residing at Colebrook Street, St. Peter, Colebrook, Hampshire.
James occupation is listed as a Carpenter, which ties in with later census returns.
William isn’t named on his census return but I know he is with Sarah’s parents Esau and Mary Ann Scarrott, in 1851, so he could have been with them in 1841, unfortunately I don’t seem to be able to find a 1841 census return for Sarah’s parents, to check. 😞
My only concern is the location but St Peter’s, Colebrook isn’t really that far from Wellow, so I believe this has to be the right census.

So to sum all that up.
Sarah, her Husband James and their Son James, were residing at Colebrook Street, St. Peter, Colebrook, Winchester, Hampshire, England, on the 6th June 1841. James was working as a Carpenter.

Name Age James Pearce 27 Sarah Pearce 24 James Pearce 1

Sarah and Jame’s 3rd Son, was born in the January/March quarter of 1848 in the Romsey district.
They named his Harry Pearce.
The census returns show his birth location as West Wellow, Hampshire, England.

Harry was christened at St. Margaret’s, East Wellow, Hampshire, England, on the 25th February 1848.

The next documentation I have is a Christening for a daughter Harriet Pearce on the 25th February 1848 at St Margaret’s, East Wellow.

I have checked this against the birth index but cannot find a birth for a Harriet Pearce with the mother’s maiden name Scarrott . These are the births that I found, so is Harriet, Sarah and James?
My gut is telling me no, and that maybe it could be a transcript mistake and should be Harry Pearce, as both Christening dates are the same. What do you think? 🤔

The next documentation I have is the 1851 census, which was taken on the 30th March 1851.
It shows Sarah Scarrott residing at, Lower Green, West Wellow, Wiltshire, England, on the 30th March 1851, with her Husband James and two of her sons, Harry and James. Her Husband James Pearce was working as a Carpenter.
Their Son William, my 3rd Great-Grandfather, was residing with his Grandparents Esau and Mary Scarrott.

Name Age James Pearce 35 Sarah Pearce 31 James Pearce 12 Harry Pearce 3

Sarah gave birth to her 4th Son, John Pearce in the January/March quarter of 1852 in the Romsey. District.
The census returns give his birth location as –
1861 – West Wellow
1891 – Wellow
1901 – West Wellow
1911 – Romsey

Sarah and James, christened John Pearce, at St. Margaret’s, East Wellow, Hampshire, England, on the 22nd February 1852.

Sarah’s Mother, Mary Ann Scarrott Nee Moody, died on September 20, 1855, in West Wellow, Hampshire, England, when she was 58 years old. She died from disease of the womb. Sarah Pearce nee Scarrott, was present at her Mother’s death and registered it on the 27th September 1855.

Unfortunately death lingered and Sarah’s Husband James died not long after Sarah’s mother. On Ancestry most people have his death recorded as being the October/December quarter of 1855, in the Romsey District.
I order his death certificate even though the age of death was way out but thought not everyone can be wrong. Sadly they were, as the death certificate arrived yesterday late afternoon and it’s wrong. Not only is the age wrong, but his occupation and location. Location isn’t to much of an issue as a Plaitford is very near Wellow. This James Pearce was a Black Smith and our James was a Carpenter.

I have looked again at the death indexes and there are two options for his death. He would have been in his 40s and Wellow came under the Romsey district. Unfortunately I can not warrant spending out on two more certificates with Christmas just around the corner. I know £12 isn’t a great deal of money especially if I gain the correct information but all these pdf certificates at £6 each soon add up and in truth is costing me an arm and a leg and I just can’t spend anymore on them at the moment. I’m so sorry about that but you can always chance risking ordering them yourself, with the information below.

I imagine loosing your husband, back in 1800s was extremely hard for a women, considering men were the main bread winners, bringing in the only income while his wife brought up their children and kept their dwelling clean and tidy and food in the larder. The 1861 census doesn’t give too much away apart from Sarah was living next door to her Father Esau. Hopefully they helped each other with their grief after both of them loosing their life partners.

The 7th April 1861, census show, Sarah, a widower, residing at, Lower Green, West Wellow, Hampshire, England, on the 7th April 1861, with her Sons, James, Henry and John. Her Son James was working as a Labourer. Sarah’s Father Esau Scarrott was working as a Head Labourer.

Name Age Sarah Pearce 44 James Pearce 21 Henry Pearce 13 John Pearce 9

Sarah’s Father Esau, died a few years later, Esau Scarrott died on December 27, 1865, in West Wellow, Wiltshire, England, when he was 81 years old. He died from Apoplexy, 3 days. Esau occupation was listed as a Roadway Labourer, on his death certificate. Elizabeth Pointer (my 4th Great-Aunt) was present at his death and registered it on the 30th December 1865. She signed with an X.

Esau Scarrott was laid to rest, at St. Margaret’s, East Wellow, Hampshire, on the 1st January 1866.

Unfortunately there isn’t much more I can tell you about Sarah, I know she didn’t survive into the 1870s, definitely not the 1880s, as she can not be found on any more census records, I have checked, double checked and checked some more. Ancestry members have her death recorded as, Dec quarter 1871, in the Romsey district, aged 54. The age is always a hard one to judge because of only having Christening records and census dates to go off. Census mostly give different dates and I believe many people didn’t really know what year they were born.
I ordered the below certificate from the index information below, which I believed was right until, yesterday late afternoon when the death certificate hit my inbox.

As you can see, the Sarah Pearce who died in October to December 1871, isn’t our Sarah. Her Husband is named Charles Pearce, a Woodman and still living.

I had a quick look at the death index and found another possibly, and have taken the gamble and ordered the death certificate, sincerely hoping it is the right one.

BUT sadly I won’t be able to share the information with you until it comes at some point next week. I’m a tad gutted if I’m honest that I can not share the whole of her story with you at this time, but I do promise to update you, either way, when I receive the death certificate. Keep your fingers crossed for me that my gamble will pay off and I haven’t wasted more money. If this certificate is wrong I will have to revisit her in the new year. I really am sorry and I hope you understand.

Of course if she did die in the, July-September quarter of 1865, she would have been spared losing her Father, sadly though he would have had to bury his child, which the thought of, always makes my heartache.
No matter when she passed, I hope that she wasn’t alone or in pain and that she is somewhere out there with all her loved ones.

As you can see, family research isn’t easy, mistakes happen and that’s why I’m a great believer in buying certificate to make sure you are on the right tract and have the correct information. Yes its blooming expensive but when you know you have the correct information it’s worth it, truly it is. Thank goodness our can now buy black and white pdf’s, which are cheaper than the pretty coloured paper certificates.

Even though we do not have all information quite yet about Sarah’s life, I’m glad that I’m sharing her story and how hard and frustrating research can be, also that if you find information on Ancestry family trees, never take it as gospel, do your own research, check, double-check and check some more. You will get there in time.

Sarah Pearce Nee Scarrott,
1811-?

🦋🦋🦋

I have brought and paid for, all certificates throughout Intwined.blog.
Please do not download or use them without my permission.
Thank you.