Pennance Family History
Research Notes & Diary / Site Update Log
Authors Comments
Basically, there are three kinds of people in
the world. Those that can count and those that can't!
That about sums up any qualifications I have
for being a genealogist. I am a rank amateur and it's a bit like swimming in
treacle!
Genealogy is an episodic disease. The
symptoms are, long bouts of helpless stagnation punctuated by faint glimmers of
hope and rare incidents of joyful discovery. That's accompanied (usually) by a thick
head, glazed eyes and a staring, vacant expression. The only known cure for
this is a long holiday on a warm beach somewhere......... (dream on)!
A slight advantage of this particular
research is that it's more akin to a one-name study than to a general family
history. The fact that the surname is rare bordering on extinction maybe helps
a bit. That said, there is still a bewildering number of tracks and traces to
explore. There are two approaches to it, and both are valuable. One is to drag
net the information in and the other is bear down on a very specific objective
like a tightly focussed laser beam. Most of the notes & queries here stem
from the drag-net school of information gathering and await some serious down
time on the office laser.
Some Basic
Research Objectives
1. It is implausible (see below), that this
family did not originate in Cornwall. Ergo, we need to know about the John
Pennance that married Margaret (who?) in the 1770’s. Who were his father &
mother? Where was he born? Did he migrate or did his parents, or their parents?
Unfortunately it’s prior to civil registration in England so, as well as being
the most important, it could also be one of the toughest nuts to crack. It
would probably be sensible to employ a professional for a look at this or
perhaps recruit some seriously experienced volunteers from Staffordshire family
history addicts.
2. From the offspring of the first three
generations on this tree, we have a potential for a further fourteen family
lines about which we know NOTHING. It’s not likely to be anything like fourteen
lines given infant mortality but difficult to believe that some haven’t
continued through to today
So What's in A
Name?
In this day & age, it's clunky genealogy
at best. Arguably, it's now possible with genetic coding and digital data
storage to have an individual 10,000 years from now be able to trace his
ancestry back on both the paternal and maternal lines with 100% accuracy.
Implementing that is another matter.
It's also very paternalistic. The Pennance
genes are carried equally by the female lines but the name is not. So, while
the name may perish, the genes are unlikely to.
Surnames only came into widespread use during
Norman times when it became necessary to distinguish in manor rolls or other
written records one John from the next John. Surnames were therefore derived in
a mix of ways. Some from dad or mum's first name, some from nicknames. Some
from occupations such as Baker, Smith, Butcher etc. More than half came from
the names of places where the people lived, as in our case, pen = head, nance =
valley (in old Cornish). More obvious English examples of this would be Hill,
Green, Wood etc etc.
Given this, it's clear then why some surnames
tend to be very specific to a locality and to cluster in that area. It's still
true today. That is why I said above that it is implausible to believe other
than that our family originated in Cornwall. It would probably still be there
were it not for some crushing economic imperative to move, namely the
depression and demise of the Cornish mining industry.
It is a possibility that ALL Pennances
belong to the same family. I don't have the evidence to suppport that
conclusively. Certainly, I've found a lot of Pennances not linked into
this family tree. But that doesn't mean that they can't or won't be as the
study evolves.
Research Data,
Notes & Site Update Log
Site updates are in Red
No |
Date |
Data & Notes |
Source/Link |
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1 |
30/09/04 |
Searched Staffordshire BMD ►Births in the Sub District of Dilhorne (Staffordshire
Moorlands) 1890 - John Thomas Pennance. 1892 – Frederick George Pennance 1895 – Sarah Doris Pennance 1903 – John Levison Pennance Marriages (all Stoke on Trent) 1867 – Levi Pennance m Harriet Quincy. Wellington, St Luke. 1874 – Sarah Jane Pennance m Herbert Moulton. Edensor, St Paul. 1878 – Frederick Pennance m Elizabeth Hart. Northwood, Holy Trinity 1889 – Thomas L Pennance m Mary E Pover. Caverswall, St Peter 1922 – Eva Pennance m Albert Marsden. Hanley, St John 1923 – Clarice Pennance m John H Wilcox. Stoke, St Peter 1930 – Nellie Pennance m Harold Eardley. Hanley, St John 1938 – Gladys Pennance m Norman E Evans. Hanley St John Deaths 1939 – Frederick Pennance. Newcastle under Lyme Borough Notes: Levi Pennance above is a bit of a find – he could be
the eldest son of John Pennance and Sarah Bott. We need the certificate to prove that. Q.
Did he and Harriet have any children – if they did, you might expect a
birth in the few years following 1867 but there doesn’t appear to be one……at
least not in this locality. Aha! But
look, from the IGI listings of christenings…… Frederick Pennance Male Christening 27 Aug 1869 Eccleshall, Stafford Father: Levi
Pennance Mother:
Harriet ……..so, at least one child and maybe more. We need a complete database of Pennance’s
tracking the year and event! Well, methinks another branch of the family may be
opening up which leads us…who knows where?
Deserves it’s own research page though, which you can find here ► |
International Genealogical Index |
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2 |
30/09/04 |
Uploaded Research & Diary Page |
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3 |
01/10/04 |
Notes & Comments added to research page |
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4 |
01/10/04 |
Uploaded Levi & Harriet Pennance Research Page |
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5 |
02/10/04 |
Uploaded some stuff to Levi & Harriet’s page |
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6 |
02/10/04 |
Uploaded 1st picture to the Rogues Gallery |
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7 |
11/10/04 |
Added 40 more Pennances to the BMD table with demographic breakdown based on areas. Re-ordered the tables chronologically. |
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8 |
14/10/04 |
More data uncovered on the Levi Pennance & Harriet Quincey branch including data from the 1881 census concerning their three sons Thomas Levi, John, and Frederick Pennance. At this census Harriet is now a Widow (why did Levi die young?) Thomas, the eldest son, is a baker age 14yrs and later marries Mary Eleanor Pover at 22. Click for more details. ► |
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9 |
16/10/04 |
Transcripts of certificates uploaded to Levi & Harriets page. Endagered Species Alert Uploaded – see index page. |
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10 |
08/11/04 |
Uploaded parish register image for the wedding of Thomas Pennance & Hannah Cleaver on 11th Feb 1812. If you’re a ninth generation family member, this is your great great great great great great grandad & mum. ► |
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11 |
08/11/04 |
Trivia from Cornwall County Council (Planning, Transportation and Estates department) 23 Sep 2004 “There is a long length of 30mph along Pennance Road (the Lanner to Carharrack road) which some motorists are ignoring. At present the 30mph limit runs the entire length of Pennance Road, from the Lanner Hill junction at Lanner to the junction with the B3298 at Carharrack, not becoming a 40mph limit until Tolgullow Woods St Day.” |
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12 |
09/11/04 |
A detailed look at the 1901 census revealed a lot about the descendants of Levi & Harriet. The three sons, Thomas, Frederick and John are all married and there are 6 grandchildren. Click ► because the saga continues. |
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13 |
18/11/04 |
The 1901 census when examined carefully reveals that all 31 Pennance’s named can be resolved into just 6 households. I did this by examining the census transcripts which show who is in which household and their relationship to the head of that household. From a genealogists point of view it’s a little frustrating that we are only allowed to view transcripts 100 years old. More recent ones could be very helpful particularly when trying to do a forward search as in trying to trace the great great grandchildren of Levi & Harriet through the female line. C’est la vie. The original images of the census for these households have now been added in .jpg format. Find them on the the Pennance Data Table page ► |
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14 |
21/11/04 |
A search of the marriage index has revealed the weddings of three of the female grandchildren of Levi & Harriet. This brings us up to the 1920’s and 30’s..not so far away from finding living relatives of this branch now! Go to the usual page for details. ► |
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15 |
23/11/04 |
Uploaded the Eccleshall Parish Register entry for the baptism of Thomas Pennance in 1789, son of John and Margaret Pennance. Click Thomas Pennance Baptism to see the image. Alas, no sign yet of the marriage entry for John & Margaret. ► |
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16 |
28/11/04 |
Uploaded Webliography – see table of contents page. |
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17 |
02/12/04 |
Midweek muse: Suppose human longevity was a thousand years, give or take. Well this Christmas Ben might get one million forty eight thousand five hundred and seventy six pressies!! Why? Well, you had (or have), four grandparents
right? They of course all had parents
so you have 16 great grandparents and, it follows, 32 great great
grandparents and 64 ggg grandparents and 128 gggg grandparents. Who all had parents. Go back 20 generations and you’ve 1,048,576 grandparents. Taking (for the sake of argument), a
generation as 30 years that takes us back to Christmas 1404 hence the number
of pressies if longevity gets too long. To get even more absurd you only need to go back 29
generations to have 5368870912 grandparents. How many cousins might you now have? |
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18 |
10/12/04 |
Discovered by a
roundabout route a descendant of Margaret Pennance and Frank Creacall. Margaret was the daughter of George
Pennance and Ann (?). Neither George
nor Margaret have been resolved into the family tree yet so I’ve ordered the
marriage certificate of George in order to discover his lineage. Margaret was born in Bolton in 1858, married Frank in 1880 in Salford and died in Prestwich, Manchester in 1901. A cursory look at the 1881 census reveals that at this time Frank Creakal (note the spelling difference), is living at 21 Nursery Street, Pendleton in Salford. Also present on census night are John Pennance (27 unmarried), Joseph Pennance (20 unmarried) a butcher, and William H Pennance (16 unmarried) an office lad. They are all listed as brothers in law to the head of the household, Frank Creakal. It does not make it clear whether they are resident or just visiting. Margaret herself curiously does not appear but that may be because I am not looking at a complete census transcript. Resolving all of this would helpfully knit another half dozen Pennance’s into the fabric of this family history. ► |
Margaret and Frank’s descendent is Tony and you can visit his web page HERE |
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19 |
16/12/04 |
The thick
plottens. We now know that George
Pennance married Ann Bradshaw on May 23rd 1852 in St George’s in
the Parish of Bolton. Unhelpfully the
registrar did not mark their age, merely citing them both as ‘of full age’,
meaning they were both 21 +. George
was a mechanic as was his father John Pennance. Ahhh! But which
John Pennance is this??? Ann’s father
was Thomas Bradshaw, a Manufacterer (of what)? George signed in a beautiful, flowing hand, Ann made her
mark. I wonder if we will be able to
find information on George’s birth and his parents? He was likely born in the early 1830’s so, prior to civil registration. I suspect that George’s
parents will turn out to be John Pennance who married Mary Crompton on 7th
May 1826 in All Saints, Bolton le Moors (see Pennance 000155 on the data
tables page). Even if that is the
case, it does not help us graft this branch onto the tree. We know, from the 1881
census return, that Margaret has at least three brothers, John, Joseph and
William. There may be others. John Pennance (000156) is a definite. George Pennance (000159) is another
possibility – christened on 10th October 1858 in All Saints. We might speculate that John Pennance
(000222 and 000223), was a tragic first born, the birth and death both listed
in September 1852. If he is we must
acknowledge that Ann was four months pregnant when George led her up the
garden path….I mean aisle. Maybe
Thomas Bradshaw manufactured shotguns and held one to George’s back as he
gave his daughter away! This line is important
to investigate further because it holds the promise of being able to resolve
all of the Pennance connections both to the Bolton and Manchester areas and
thus to tie in a great many more connections…. if we can only find the link
into the existing tree. We don’t need
speculation, we need evidence! At this point my brain
has entered a state of discombobulation so I’m going to leave it and mull
over the next steps. |
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20 |
16/12/04 |
Updated Arrivals
Page. Uploaded the Pennance ‘Octopus
& String Bag Guide to Parenthood’.
Click on the appropriate links to view. N.B. New arrivals will
be left on site for a year which is ample time to go goo goo ga ga don’t you
think? ► |
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21 |
19/12/04 |
Here is the text of the document mentioned in the introduction relating to the sale of shares in a tin mine by Thomas and Samuell Pennance in April 1625. I am indebted to Genealogist and Antiquarian Bookseller John Townsend for assistance in deciphering the text of this document. To see the original, click on the link in the right hand column. ► “Be it knowen unto all men by these presents that we
Samuell Pennance and Thomas Pennance of Kennen in the Countie of Cornwall
Tinnars for and in consideration of the sume of fortie shillings of good
and lawfull money of England to us in pounds paid by Phillip Harris of Clements
in the Countie aforesaid Merchant have Bargoned and sold unto him the
said Phillip Harris all our right and interest in one paire of bonnds in
Kreage brose Downes in the parish of Kennen called and knowen by the name
of Wheale an Blowes being neere the Mettle house. In witness whereof we have hereunto putt our hands and seales theron this eighteenth daye of Aprill
Anno Domini 1625. Memorandum that the right which they sell by this Bill
is two doles in fower. Signed sealed and delivered in presence of us Richard Harris Michell [M] LampeerdHenry Sandry George Gunne" |
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22 |
19/01/06 |
It seems a year has passed by without me up-dating the site…..hey ho…..that’s life. Anyway, the index page and arrivals page modified slightly today. |
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23 |
20/01/06 |
The Mountford Enigma From time to time family research goes on the back burner but once bitten by the bug it idles away in the background. This enigma has been idling away for quite a while now so it’s time I shared it. If you look at the 1901 Census, Frederick PENNANCE (my Gt Grandfather - a railway pointsman age 44) is living with his wife Elizabeth PENNANCE (age 47) nee HART and their six sons in Coppenhall, Cheshire. Also on the census sheet is one Thomas MOUNTFORD (age 4) listed as a NEPHEW to the head of household and born in Cantebury, Kent. Thomas Mountford continued to live and to be brought up as one of the family up until his marriage to Florence SPROSTON in June 1919 at age 22. On his marriage certificate the space for his father is blank A search of the birth index for Cantebury reveals one Mary Ann Mountford (a domestic servant) giving birth to Thomas Mountford in Sep 1896. The Father's name on this certificate again is blank. But I have no conclusive evidence that this is the mother of Thomas though the date is about right and it’s the only Mountford I’ve found that fits. If it is, what is the connection to the Pennance family? What are the possibilities? Remember, this is already a large household (not unusually so for the time), but non the less, it is no small undertaking to bring up another child (in an already crowded household), bearing in mind that a railway worker might earn 18 shillings for a 54 hour working week at the turn of the century. It is true that amazing acts of kindness were done by ordinary people then and it could be that Elizabeth and Frederick were approached by a cousin, or a half or step sister or even a best mate who, perhaps on their deathbed, asked “will you look after my boy”? Bear in mind that half or step relationships were often simplified on census returns, hence ‘nephew’. It is entirely possible there was an element of fostering involved. It is also possible that the boy was the illegitimate offspring of a close family member. I simply don’t know. I am aware that this could be sensitive ground to tread on and that we may never know the full story of the Mountford enigma. A surviving relative may know more but I don’t feel inclined to go looking. I would just like to honour the man and his presence in our family tree. Here is what Arthur Henry Pennance of Victoria, British Columbia, remembers about Thomas Mountford. “My great grandmother, Elizabeth Hart, had a relative or a friend, who came to her for
help. Whether she was a close relative or not, I have no proof. I have, more
or less, accepted her has my grandmother's Sister. Her stepson, the man I
always knew as, Uncle Leslie, was a real gentleman, his speech was careful
and clear, and he was always known as Tom. He was christened Thomas Leslie,
they already had a Tom in the family, so he was known as Leslie, which was,
in all probability, the name of his father. He was christened, Thomas Leslie Mountford. I really
have no idea, which name he preferred, I always addressed him as Uncle Les.
He eventually became the Station master at Whitchurch, and that is the period
of time, in which I came to know him and his family. He had one child, Vera whom I first
met when she was 12 years old in
1934. His wife, Florence, was killed in a street accident, soon after I met
her. I have a photo of Uncle Les, taken on Whitchurch station.” |
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24 |
21/01/06 |
In case you thought Pennance genealogy was just a pain to us, take a trip to the page linked to here ►describing John Hutchings tortuous trail through data
in search of his great grandmother Emily.
The journey takes him through the marriage of Ann Pennance to Daniel
Arnold on 5th May 1851. It
is a salutary tale of how surnames can be written down erroneously. |
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25 |
25/01/06 |
To pick up where I left off from research notes 18/19 above:At first, finding evidence of Margaret Pennance proved elusive until I turned to the 1861 Census. Here we find the family living at 21 Hancock Street, Pendleton, Salford. George Pennance age 32 (giving a birth year of 1829), is a wood turner. Ann, his wife, is also 32. Their first son, marked as Jno Pennance is 8, a scholar. Their second child is Margaret Pennance age 4 also a scholar. The third child is George Pennance age 3 and the fourth child is Joseph Pennance age 9 months. Later on, as evidenced by the 1881 census we know that in 1865 the couple had a fifth child William H Pennance. ► This helps us along a bit as we now know the year when George Pennance was born 1829. Again, we find ourselves prior to civil registration. Still, we know that George’s dad was John Pennance, a mechanic. At Georges wedding to Ann in St Georges church in the parish of Bolton we know that the witnesses were a Charles Daniels and Margaret Bradshaw. Does this mean that George’s parents are no longer with us at this time? Not necessarily but possibly. A possibly likely contender for Georges dad is John Pennance who married Mary Crompton on 7 May 1826 in St Mary, Bury, Lancashire but without some evidence, we can’t know this for sure. I guess it’s time then to have a separate page devoted to this lineage. Click on the link. |
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26 |
01/02/06 |
The 1861 Census can, similarly to the 1901 census, be resolved into households. In this case there are five. Four main households and one, which is a bit of an anomaly. The census also seems to show that I may well be wrong in the speculation that Levi Pennance (m 1867 to Harriet Quincy – see research note 1), was the son of John Pennance and Sarah Bott. Looking at this census it would appear that John and Sarah had 8 children and 1 grandchild living with them at Carey (Kerry?) lane, Eccleshall in 1861, but nary a one of them is a Levi. Oh well then…..back to the drawing board. Click the link to view. ► |
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27 |
02/02/06 |
UK Census – General NoteAnyone
who thinks census data is complete or accurate is dreaming. They’ve been taken every ten years since
1801 with the exception of 1941 due to a little local difficulty. 1801-1831 have been ravaged by fire,
flood, rats & genealogists.
Returns for these years, such as remain, can be found in local
authority libraries, archives or record offices. Ask what’s available in your area and you might try any local
family history centres to see what they’ve got. 1801 - taken on 10 March Since then, the census data is a little more complete and the most useful are: 1841 - taken on 7 June 1851 thru 1901 are available here ► 1901 also available here ► 1861 also available here ► |
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28 |
06/02/06 |
The Pennance Data Page now updated and includes Census Data from 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 together with images of the original census pages where available. All the data has been collated into household/family groupings to make it easy to see who is who. ► |
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29 |
08/02/06 |
One can make a multitude of observations from the census data included above:
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30 |
13/02/06 |
Uploaded remaining census images to data
page ►
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