Cumbers Surname, Essex Co., England
Has anyone researched the CUMBERS surname in Essex Co., England. In 1500s in one CUMBERS descendant line the name became recorded as CONVERS.
Regards, Thomas Bailey
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Re: Cumbers Surname, Essex Co., England
Thomas: I wonder whether you had any success with your Cumbers query. I am a Cumbers by descent but only have details of the family in the late 19th Century in Essex. I would be happy to hear anything else you may have.
regards,
jack
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Re: Cumbers Surname, Essex Co., England
I had no responses and gave up.
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Re: Cumbers Surname, Essex Co., England
Thank you. Did you have any existing information on Essex Cumbers? I have found them extremely difficult to trace. The 1881 census has given me some information but I certainly have nothing before or afterwards.
regards,
jack
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Re: Cumbers Surname, Essex Co., England
I wondered if the name also morphed to Cumbess. My grandfather's name was Fred Cumbess, from Los Angeles, CA, born I think in Arkansas. His mother's last name was Coates. Does anyone have any information?
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Re: Cumbers Surname, Essex Co., England
My maiden name is Paula Cumbess, my grandfather was William Cumbess who had an older brother named Fred. My grandmother Sarah Cumbess was married to Fred Cumbess first, and when he died, she married William. I am also trying to search my family history, all of my relatives that I knew are deceased. Please let me know if you can help. My e-mail address is cappspj@bellsouth.net
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Re: Cumbers Surname, Essex Co., England
Jack, I don't know if I ever responded to your Jan 2003 post. I just noticed while checking site.
Essex Parish Register Marriages edited by W.P.W. Phillimore Vol. I has many Convers and Comber marriages. First marriage recorded for a Convers is 1543 and for a Comber 1617.
My line appears to start with Richard Cumbers. He was born about 1500 and married some time before 1524 to a Margaret. The family were freeman of some position and were probably literate. So I assume writing their own names in wills. For his children both spellings are seen and by 1600, time of his grandchildren, the name was recorded as only as CONVERS. I assume the names CONVERS and CUMBERS may have had same pronunication in 1500s and thus two spellings. I don't know how the name COMBER fits in in pronuniciation.
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Re: Cumbers Surname, Essex Co., England
Thank you Thomas. You did reply with the following:
Jack,
Give me several days and I will summarize what I have in Essex.
I can only talk about those I descend from. I have the name back to 1500. Do not know how far name extends beyond that. Can't recall now but seems like name Cumbers was more prominent in another county than Essex. So they might have from there to Essex. About 1600 the family name changes spelling and becomes CONVERS. Was this a new way of writing the pronunciation of CUMBERS? I don't know if all family members did or just the line I am in changed spelling. Do not know why, I suspect these ancestors were literate. In the middle and late 1600s they were known to be literate so I assume they were earlier. They were gentry but not nobility. The other side of my family from Gloucestershire were freeman and illiterate into the 1700s.
I remember seeing name Cumbers in 1800 records in an Essex record, think it was owner of a pub, so other families with name must have carried it into 1800s.
Thomas Bailey
Although, I am not sure from this message whether you intended to say more later!! However, many thanks for both messages. I am still trying to track the Cumbers down at the beginning of the 19th century. At the moment I have them in St. Giles, Cripplegate and am about to try to delve into the St. Giles Parish registers. I will let you know if I find more.
regards,
jack
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Re: Cumbers Surname, Essex Co., England
1881 census shows Cumbers as Cambers! just to add to the confusion!
Mandy
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Re: Cumbers Surname, Essex Co., England
Yes, I have done some extensive research on the Convers/Cumbers family of county Essex in the late 1500's through the mid 1600's. I was researching the Convers/Converse family who immigrated to Woburn, Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. When an estate was divided among several (at least two) sons, one branch became Cumbers in another Essex parish near Navestock. The South Weald branch which I followed was Convers, and I believe this particular surname became extinct in the late 1600's. I did not pursue the Cumbers branch for long.
Hal Whitmore, Delaware, USA
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