DANCER
/ SHENTON
20 SEPTEMBER 2005
I have an
ancestor named John Thomas Dancer who was born in Audnam Bank,
Staffordshire, c.1824. His first wife was Hannah Shenton, b. circa1824,
Swinton, Yorkshire. I have not been able to find her birth record
though I know her father's name was Thomas Shenton.
John Thomas
and Hannah married 16th August 1847, Pontefract. In 1851 they were
living in Knottingley. John Thomas Dancer was a grocer. I don't know the
address but I know they had two daughters by then, both born in
Knottingley. The reference is piece 2329 enumeration district 11g
page 34 volume 23. the daughters were Ann Dancer b. June Q 1848 22,
? Pontefract and Alice Dancer b. March Q 1850 22, 469 Pontefract,
John Thomas
and Hannah also had sons Thomas Shenton Dancer b. June Q 1851 Pontefract
22, 533 (Knottingley) and John Dancer b. Dec Q 1852 Pontefract 9c, 69 (Knottingley)
Hannah Dancer
(nee Shenton) died March Q 1853 9c,_52 Pontefract.
John Thomas
Dancer remarried to Sarah Shenton March Q 1854 Selby 9c,599. I have no
birth information on Sarah but from census records she appears as Sarah
Ann Dancer, born c.1832, Ferrybridge. This second wife has the same maiden
name as the first wife! Her sister or cousin?
They had
children
Frederick Dancer b. Sept Q 1854 Pontefract
Joseph Cornelius Dancer b. Sept Q 1856
Hannah Elizabeth b. Dec Q 1858 9c, 59 (1st daughter named after deceased
first wife? sister?)
Cornelius Dancer b. Sept Q 1860 Pontefract 9c, 68
They also had
four more children all born in Barnsley; William 1863; Lillian 1868; Harry
1870 and George Arthur 1875.
I have been
trying to figure out the Shenton connection between the two wives. I have
found a probable death for Hannah's father in the Pontefract District
Burials from the Family-History-Online webpage:
Thomas
Shenton age 44, potter, was buried 13 january 1842 Knottingley, St.
Botolph's. d. Mar Q 1842 Pontefract 22, 286.
From the name
index for the 1851 census on family-history-online there are two entries
for Census place: Ferrybridge, Piece 2329, enumeration district 10b, page
15, volume 19.
Ann Shenton,
head, widowed, age 52, occupation Grocer, place of birth, Leeds.
Sarah Shenton, daughter, unmarried, age 15, occupation Grocer's daughter,
place of birth, Knottingley.
In 1861, from
1837 online, there is
RG09, piece 3434, folio 94, page 15, Reg. District: Pontefract, Sub
district: 2 Knottingley, parish: Ferry Fryston, address: Pontefract Road,
Ferrybridge:
William Charter, head, widower, 55, schoolmaster, b. Kirby Moorside,
Yorkshire.
John Henry Charter, son, unmarried, 24, schoolmaster or rate collector, b.
Ferrybridge.
William Charter, son, unmarried, 21, school assistant.
Ann Shenton, servant, widow, 65, temporary housekeeper, b. Leeds, Yorks.
Any help or
additional information would be greatly appreciated.
Susan
Hume Smith, Canada
humesmith (at) bellnet.ca
20 September 2005
Ron Gosney's Reply
Without
undertaking more research there is not a lot I can add from my
transcriptions except to fill in some of the detail. I am unable to
establish exactly where in Staffordshire John Thomas Dancer came from. His
first wife Hannah the daughter of Thomas/Ann Shenton seems to have been
born in South Yorkshire in Mexborough/Rotherham district and I think it is
her who appears on the IGI baptised 18 April 1824 at Rotherham Wesleyan
Methodist Chapel. There was also a Matilda baptised 1st June 1828 at
Swinton by Sheffield. Although Sarah appears with her mother in 1851
census at Ferrybridge I have not been able to trace her baptism, and think
this may have been at the Methodist Chapel in Pontefract, and I don't have
any transcription for this Chapel.
This is what
I can tell you:
Marriage 22
Mar 1847 at St. Andrew's Church, Ferrybridge, of William Thorpe, full age
a bachelor and farmer, son of Daniel a Farmer, married Matilda Shenton,
full age, a spinster of Ferrybridge, daughter of Thomas a Potter (Hannah
Shenton was a witness).
Marriage 16
Aug 1847 at St. Andrew's of John Dancer, full age, a bachelor and
Glassblower of Ferrybridge son of John a Glassblower, married Hannah
Shenton daughter of Thomas a Potter.
Children of
John/Hannah baptised at Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Knottingley:
Ann born 10 Jun 1848 bapt 9 Jul 1848
Alice born 17 Jan 1850 bapt 13 Feb 1850
Thomas Shenton born 21 Apr 1851 bapt 18 May 1851
John born 28 Oct 1852 bapt 24 Nov 1852
Hannah was
buried 27th March 1853 and John remarried in Selby - perhaps you should
get a copy of this marriage certificate which will tell you the father of
his second wife Sarah [Ann]
Children from
this marriage baptised at Fishergate Methodist Chapel Ferrybridge:
Joseph born 21 Oct 1856 bapt 17 Nov 1856
Hannah Elizabeth born 7 Sep 1858 bapt 29 Sep 1858
Cornelius born 16 Aug 1860 bapt 11 Sep 1860
Here again
you also have a Frederick, but as Fishergate Methodist Chapel didn't open
until 1856 he may have been baptised at Pontefract. From 1881 census I can
see the further children born at Barnsley, and I presume it was late 1860
or early 1861 that they moved as they don't appear in the local 1861
census.
Thomas
Shenton and his wife Ann had another daughter Mary baptised at St.
Botolph's Church, Knottingley 16 Feb 1834 who died as an infant and there
is a memorial stone in St. Botolph's burial ground that records: (a /
indicates start of a new line);
" In
memory of / Thomas Shenton of / Knottingley who died Jany 10th / 1841 aged
44 years / also Mary daughter of / Thomas and Ann Shenton / who died June
1st 1834 / aged 11 weeks / also Hannah daughter of the / above the beloved
wife of Thomas Dancer who departed / this life ? March 1853 / aged 31
years"
As I recall
the stone is eroded but Hannah was buried 27 March 1853 so she would have
died a few days before then. There was more on the stone which I couldn't
read at the time I did the transcribing, so this may have been a verse.
Should you wish I would gladly return and photograph the stone for you.
When I looked
at 1851 census Ann Shenton a widow and grocer is at Fishergate,
Ferrybridge with daughter Sarah and Easter Woodhead a niece described as a
servant aged 18 and born in Stoke, Staffordshire.
John Dancer
is at Hill Top, Knottingley with his wife Hannah (born at Swinton) and
daughters Ann and Alice plus a servant Mary Trueman.
William Thorp
is at Ferrybridge with his wife Matilda (born in Mexboro) with two sons
Thomas Daniel (named after his two grandfathers) and John William.
Hope I have
been of some help and if you have any queries or questions don't hesitate
to contact me again.
Ron Gosney
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