Hello, I'm out of ideas here so hope someone can help. I have a mystery - "Who was Jane Grant?"
- 1841 Census, John and Mary Mortimer and family at James Street, Exeter. Jane Grant age 80 is also listed; profession unreadable (to me).
- 10 Jan 1846 Western Times reports a death "Jan 4 at Mr Mortimer's, James St, at the advanced age of 86, Mrs Jane Grant."
- John's wife Mary Middleton was born to John & Elizabeth Middleton. We think the marriage is John Middleton to Elizabeth Baker, 26 Jul 1785, in St Sidwell. Devon FHS archive has the scan - witnesses were Thomas Gregory and (mark of) Jane Grant.
We are assuming this Jane Grant is the same, in which case we know:
- Born around 1759 - Died 1846 in Exeter - Married before 26 Jul 1785 (inferring from "Mrs" at death and name being Grant in marriage witness)
But I can't find a single plausible Jane marrying a Grant in the whole of Devon. I would assume it's a relative, and feel that if we found out who this was, it would open up a whole new path to explore... but I'm at a loss how to solve this mystery. Any thoughts very welcome!
Re: Jane Grant mystery
Posted by Sally Topliss on 26/1/2022, 4:25 pm, in reply to "Jane Grant mystery"
As Deborah says it certainly looks like Spinster.
However, there is a marriage of a John Grant to a Jane or Jenny Silver. 24.11.1783. East Budleigh. About 12 - 13 miles from Exeter. Jane/Jenny appears to have signed her name as Jenny Silver. Sally
Sally - I think you've cracked it. The 1783 marriage shows a William SILVER as a witness. There was a Jane DESILVER baptised at Littleham in 1760, daughter of William & Jane. Various PRs at the parish spell it De SILVER, SILVER and DESILVER. Worth looking at in more depth.
Re: Jane Grant mystery
Posted by Deborah on 26/1/2022, 3:11 pm, in reply to "Jane Grant mystery"
I'm not 100% certain, but I think she is referred to as a Spinster in the 1841. The term Mrs or mistress was sometimes used in conjunction with more mature single ladies.
I'm currently looking for info on my family, which may or may not have come from Devon. I've seena few 16th century Graunts in Kingsteignton and in Cruwys Morchard, and the search continues in other areas. Does anybody have info on old Graunt families in Devon? My ancestor left for America in 1630 and I can find nothing on him anywhere in SW England (very confident he was from the area, as every single other person on his boat was). Mathew Graunt was his name, and he sailed on the Mary and John from Plymouth to the Boston area.