I recently ran across a relatively new web-site for Sussex County in England which is setting up "online parish clerks." The objective of each parish clerk is to get parish records and anything else available onto the web. It is a free site. Michael Metcalfe is the online parish clerk for Battle. At this time, a clerk for Hollington parish has not been set up yet so information there is still limited.
I e-mailed Mr. Metcalfe and asked him for any information he might have on Burford Jeakins. Although he did not have any information at hand that identified either Burford's or Sarah Harriet Mitchell's parents, he did provide me with the following information:
1. In the book "Crime and Criminals of Battle in the Middle of the Nineteenth Century," it notes on page 33:
"One offender who was definitely not a labourer was a Burford Jeakins, a currier. He abandoned his five children who were all taken into the workhouse when he left the area. The catalogue of his possessions which were sold by the parish included some fine linens though, oddly, a quantity of silver was not sold. Obviously, he had at one time been a man of substance and it seems had run into debt."
A footnote to this entry reads "Quarter Sessions Epiphany 1841.
I can't say I am that surpirsed by this information. In those days, many people who ran afoul of the law wound up emigrating as a result. It does, however, bear out information that has been posted in the past indicating that the original Burford Jeakins came to the United States alone, and that the children came later.
2. All five children are listed as being at the Battle Workhouse in 1841: Edward, age 9, Burford, age 7, Ann age 5, Sarah, age 3, and Rosa age 1. Based upon the records Mr. Metcalfe had at hand, he found a registered birth for Rosa, the notation read:
Name: Jeakins, Rosa
Record Type: Births
Quarter: June
Year: 1840
District: Battle
County: Sussex East Sussex
Volume: 7
Page: 206
Mr. Metcalfe informed me that the birth certificate is registered and that copies could be ordered.
What I find interesting about this information is that everything I have seen to-date indicates that the third daughter's name was "Mary." This raises some interesting questions. We know that Sarah Harriet Mitchell died in 1840 before the family emigrated to the United States. Since "Rosa" was born in 1840, it may be that Sarah Harriet died from the complications of child birth. As to the discrepancy between "Rosa" and "Mary," since Rosa was only a year old, it is possible that in the conditions of the workhouse, and without parents, she may not have survived. In the obituary for the second Burford Jeakins, following his death in the Civil War, it notes that his step-mother was one Mary Caborn. Therefore, it is evident that following his emigration to the United States, the original Burford Jeakins re-married. It is possible that the "Mary" we are familiar with may have been a child of that union, rather than Sarah Harriet Mitchell, but again further research would be required.
3. Mr. Metcalfe checked the 1841 census for Hollington parish, but their were no Jeakins or Mitchells listed. However, he did find a registered marriage in Battle for an Alfred Jeakins in 1838. Since the original Burford Jeakins and Sarah Harriet Mitchell were married in 1831, this would make Alfred the appropriate age to be potentially a brother to the original Burford. Again, the marriage certificate could be ordered, and it may indicate who Alfred's parents were. As everyone knows, this is interesting because Edward Jeakins named one of his sons "Alfred," which may have been a family name. The notation reads:
Name: Jeakins, Alfred
Record Type: Marriages
Quarter: December
Year: 1838
District: Battle
County: Sussex East Sussex
Volume: 7
Page: 367
Mr. Metcalfe noted that he did not find any reference to Alfred Jeakins in the 1861 census.
4. Mr. Metcalfe also found a registered death for a Sarah Jeakins from 1839. Since we know that Sarah Harriet Mitchell was alive and gave birth to "Rosa" in 1840, and that her daughter, the second Sarah was alive in 1841 in the workhouse, it may be some other relation. The notation reads:
Name: Sarah Jeakins
Record Type: Deaths
Quarter: September
Year: 1839
District: Battle
County: Sussex East Sussex
Volume: 7
Page: 151
This concludes the information that I received from Mr. Metcalfe. He indicated that he would keep my e-mail on file in case he came across some additional information in the future. Interestingly, he indicated that Jeakins is "an unusual surname for the area."
Finally, I would also like to let you know of something else I have run across that could be something, or might be nothing. As you know, the original Burford Jeakins died outside of Racine, Wisconsin. In doing some cemetery research online, although I did not find the original Burford Jeakins, I did find a reference to a Maria Jeakins Buckingham, born 1813, died 1901. Since we know that the original Burford Jeakins was born around 1810, this would make Maria of the correct age to be a sister or other relation. It also would go a long ways in explaining how the original Burford Jeakins wound up in Wisconsin upon emigrating from England if he already had relations in the area. Of course, without further research, it could just as easily be the other way around, Maria winding up there because Burford came first. Another reason why I believe they are related, is because I also found a reference to a Burford J. Buckingham, born 1850, died 1933. This would have made him of an appropriate age to have been Maria's son. Anyway, both graves are found in Section 10 of the Mound Cemetery in Racine, Wisconsin.
Well, I hope this information is of use to all descendants of Burford Jeakins. Obviously there are a lot of opportunites for further research here and as I uncover any additional information, I will certainly make that information known. if any of this information rings bells with anyone on research they have done, please respond for the benefit of all. Anyone who would like to visit the new Sussex web site, the address is
www.sussex-opc.org.