I just posted a query about Edward and Hannah Sheppard Bolton, and this great lady, Penny already replied. She suggested someone with Witney registers could find further information for me. Here is her note:

From the OFHS's Oxfordshire Marriage Index (1538-1837):

07 SEP 1784 - Edward Bolton to Hannah Sheppard at Witney

It may be worth posting another message asking if anyone has the Witney registers to see if the entry gives any more information, and whether there are any baptisms for bride or groom, or earlier offspring.
Penny

The only child I know of is Jason, born around 1798.

Any more info would be much appreciated!
Becky

Hi Becky,

I looked up your couple, Edward Bolton & Hannah Sheppard and found the following;

7 Sep 1784 E.B. to H.S. by licence St Mary's Church, Witney
witnesses; Joseph Shepperd, Ann Bolton.

I then searched for baptisms and found;

27 Oct 1749 Edward Bolton son of Henry & Anne
3 Feb 1764 Hannah Shepherd daughter of Jason & Mary.

Given the 15 year difference in their ages, I then looked for an earlier marriage for Edward but could find none.

I also looked up Henry Bolton's marriage to Anne and found as follows;

1 Oct 1757 Henry Bolton, Blanketweaver, to Ann Coxeter by licence.
Witnesses; Richard Pearce, Mary Coxeter.

I was a little concerned about the date. If Edward had been born following the marriage, he would have been much closer in age to his bride. However, I'm only telling it like it is!!

I looked for Henry's baptism but no entry, however I found;

21 Apr 1738 Ann Coxeter daughter of John.

I also looked for Jason Sheppherd and Mary's marriage but could find nothing.

I hope this helps. If you need anything else let me know.
Happy hunting,
Sue

The Edward Bolton who married Hannah Sheppard was (I am fairly sure) NOT son of Henry & Ann. Their Edward died quite young, I think. It seems more likely that he was son of a couple called Edward Bolton and Sarah Beacham who were married in Witney. They were probably non-conformists since their children's baptisms do not appear in the parish church. Edward junior (or Neddy) is said to have converted to Methodism at about the age of 16. His sister Ann (or Nancy) soon followed and developed a great friendship with John Wesley. They exhanged many letters (some are online). There is a book about her, called 'Nancy, Nancy', by John Banks, from which I know there was another sister Sarah (who married surgeon John Trimnell) and brothers George and Thomas.

'Neddy' and Hannah (who lived in Finstock) had numerous children. I have traced some of the lines downwards.

There have been Boltons in Witney going back to the 1600s. Many were bakers. Some were blanket weavers. The non-conformity makes it difficult to find all the connections so I am beginning to check wills, deeds, etc. to look for more evidence.

(I'm not a Bolton myself, just a Witney history enthusiast)

Jane

Sue--

Thank you so much for looking this up for me. I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. My kids got out of school about that time, and the summer whirlwind began! In fact, today I have a few hours to myself for the first time in a long time and that's why I'm checking back on my genealogy.

I have a question. Are these registers available to be searched, or is posting queries the only way to do it? I hate to inconvenience people, even though I appreciate everyone's willingness to help. Obviously, I'm pretty new at this, so I don't understand all the protocols yet. :)

Thanks again for your help,
Becky clawfive@hotmail.com

Jane--

Thank you for the clarification. Some other information I found also shows Edward's parents to be Edward Bolton and Sarah Beacham. Is there, by any chance, information on Hannah Sheppard's parents, siblings, grandparents, etc? Also, anything on Sarah Beacham's family?

Thanks for the help.
Becky

Jane--

p.s. Do you have any desire for information coming down through their son Jason's line. That's me, and I would be happy to share anything you would like. :)

Becky

Hi Becky -

The clue you're missing is that when you're researching in an area, see what transcripts the local Family History Society has done. In this case Oxfordshire Family History Society www.ofhs.org.uk has transcribed most of the parish registers.
This link http://searches.oxfordshirefhs.org.uk/pardata.html
tells you what CD any parish is on. (There are several parishes per CD.)
To complement the CDs we also do a Search Services - linked from www.ofhs.org.uk - where you can have searches done in databases such as the baptism database, the marriage one, the MI one, etc.

Hope that helps you - and, of course, if you'd like to join the OFHS, we'd be delighted to have you!

Wendy
Chairman, Oxfordshire FHS chairman@ofhs.org.uk