Surname Saturday: The Ubiquitous Smiths of Lewknor, Oxfordshire

The more common the name, the more difficult the research can be, and my Smiths of Lewknor are right up there. Thomas Smith, a watercress grower, and his wife Eleanor “Ellen” Holland, raised a large family in Lewknor, Oxfordshire, in the mid 19th century. Smiths had lived in that area for decades, so Thomas’s brothers and cousins were also baptizing, and burying family members in the local church at the same time. There were also Smith families living in the nearby Postcombe, a hamlet so tiny it had no church of its own.

Here are the records of Smith baptisms and burials during the time Thomas and Ellen lived in Lewknor. I’ve taken them from the published parish registers. The next step of course is to order the FHL microfilms to view the parish registers themselves. Births and deaths after the date range here would come from records at the GRO or from the microfilms. In a later post, I will compare these records to census records, to see if it’s possible to recreate the various families.

Other, potentially relevant Lewknor burials are:
1869 30 Apr   SMITH James 76, and 8 Jun   SMITH James 66
1871  13 Apr    SMITH Sarah 81
1874 11 Nov    SMITH William 44
1877 29 Jan    SMITH Caroline 68
1882 24 Apr   SMITH Richard 53 Adwell, and  30 Oct    SMITH Sarah 71

Transcripts for burials only go up to 1884, but we know from his death certificate that Thomas Smith, watercress grower died 4 February 1885. He is buried in Lewknor Churchyard…see a photo of his grave marker here.

(Surname Saturday is a daily blogging prompt hosted by Geneabloggers)

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