Part 105s – 1840 Baptism Great-Grandaunt Mary Smith

Afternoon,

I’m all stuffed up. I’m sneezing. My nose is dripping… constantly. And something has triggered the mucous membranes of this nose. Get out the Kleenex with aloe and vitamin E. Achoo!!! Bless me. I don’t think I have the Achoo syndrome. Mine’s triggered around this time to some order or genus of pollen. And I just learnt something the Achoo syndrome, or photic sneeze reflex can be genetically inherited. Well, bless you. It’s all in the genealogy. Fancy that.

Having the most common name in the English language such as mine, Jim Smith, and when I know that I have a number of ancestors also named James Smith, it is at times a chore to search for those lines in my genealogy that are or may be correct. All-things-being-equal, I am looking for that note in the margin or that hint that may, or may not provide some credence and value to the source documentation.

In ggg-grandfather James Smith’s Last Will and Testament, presented in Part 61s, there is discussion of “Mary Smith the reputed daughter of my son George Smith.” In Part 97s I was able to present information that may or may not ascertain that Mary Victoire Smith daughter of one George Smith and Rose Scott, may or may not be the same as “the reputed daughter” mentioned in the Will. And of course, the name Mary Smith could almost be as common a name as James Smith.

My continued search next revealed another baptism of a Mary, possibly Smith. Per the Baptism entry of the Parish Register of the Town of Saint George, the 12-day old child, Mary is the daughter of James Smith Jr. and Amelia Charles. Five items of the entry indicate that this could be a child of gg-grandfather James Smith, Jr. The five are:

1. The father’s name – James Smith,
2. The suffix of Jr. added to the name of James Smith,
3. The year of the Baptism – 1840,
4. The location of the Baptism – Parish Church of Saint George, and
5. The occupation of the father – Master Carpenter.

All five items can be attributed to gg-grandfather James Smith, Jr. By calculation this Mary could have been born on 30 April 1840. The baptism took place on 11 May 1840, and based on documentary evidence, gg-grandfather James married gg-grandmother Cecilia Jane (née Thomas) on 6 June 1840.

The page and entry No. 453, from FHL[1523656] Item 7 follows:

Sources: Parish of St. George, Anglican Church, Grenada 
and Family History Library

My transcription –

30

Baptism Solemnized in the Parish of Saint George in the Island of Grenada in the Year of Our Lord 1840

When Baptized – 1840 May 11th, No. 453
Name & Age – Mary, Aged 12 Days
Parents Name
Christian, Surname – James Smith, Jr. and Amelia Charles
Abode – Parish of St. George
Quality Trade or Profession – Master Carpenter
By Whom the Ceremony was performed – J.C. Barker, Rector

All-things-being-equal, by relationship calculation Mary Smith may have been my great-grandaunt.

And that's sneeze number 43, and now I’ll go looking for another box of Kleenex.

Enjoy,
Jim