[Updated 6 July & 14 July 2019 and 12 September 2020] Recently, there have been various posts on social media, with family historians naming their 32 3 x great grandparents. At present, I can only name 29 of mine, or does this story reveal two more? I have always known that my great great grandfather was John Hogg. His son’s original 1885 marriage certificate was handed down through the family and is now in my possession and that tells me his name and that John was a gardener. After forty two years of genealogical research, I am still not absolutely certain who John’s parents are. I am almost sure I know but I have still not ‘inked in’ the next generation. I know my genealogical friends like a bit of a brain-teaser, so I thought I would outline the story so far and ask the question – if John were your ancestor, would you be adding another generation to your family tree? I am probably doubly cautious having nearly got my fingers burnt earlier this year. I was very close to expanding one of my ancestral lines (the one that involved the third of my missing 32). In that instance, I realised just in time that I would have been climbing the wrong family tree. For that sad story see here. This is an abbreviated account of the story so far but I am afraid that what follows is a long post; I hope you will persevere.

So, back to John Hogg. Working backwards from the most recent document, the twenty five pieces of evidence that I have for great great grandfather, John Hogg are as follows:

1. According to his death certificate, John died on 23 January 1876. He was a farm servant of Well Way, Morpeth, Northumberland and was then aged 76, meaning, if this was accurate, that he was born between January 1799 and January 1800. The informant was his son, also called John, who was my great grandfather, of the same address.
2. On 2 April 1871, the census for Well Way, Morpeth, Northumberland (RG10 5164 folio 50) records that John was an ag lab aged 68 (i.e. born April 1802 – April 1803) and his birthplace was given as birthplace Bavington, Northumberland. (Little Bavington is in the parish of Thockrington and Great Bavington is in the adjacent parish of Kirkwhelpington). With him were his wife Elizabeth and 3 children, John, Jane & Margaret.
3. On 7 April 1861 the census for Newgate Street, Morpeth, Northumberland (RG9 3871 folio 27) lists him as an ag lab age 56 (i.e. born April 1804 – April 1805). This time, the birthplace was Kirknewton (Kirknewton is on the Scottish border, so, looking at the evidence in the other records, it seems possible that the birthplace was an enumerator error and should have read either Kirkwhelpington or Kirkheaton; the latter borders Thockrington.). He is with his wife Elizabeth and four children, Frances, John, Jane and Margaret. A slight spanner in the works is that, in this census, ‘John’ is enumerated as ‘George’. Given that the details of the rest of the family are consistent and they are at Newgate Street, where his son was born in 1855, I am happy that this is the same person. There are no Georges baptised in Kirknewton around 1804/5 and there is no George who fits with this George in 1851 or 1871. After extensive research, I am confident that ‘George’ is indeed the man who appears in every other record as John.
4. On 1 January 1860, the index to the baptism register tells us that John’s daughter Margaret was baptised at St Mary’s Morpeth and that her mother was Elizabeth. I need to get a copy of the original entry which would give John’s abode and occupation.
5. 26 October 1859 the birth certificate shows that his daughter Margaret Newgate Street, Morpeth (later calls herself Margaret Catherine) father an agricultural labourer mother Elizabeth Pearson
6. On 7 February 1858 an index to the baptism register records that John’s daughter Jane was baptised at St Mary’s Morpeth, her mother was given as Elizabeth. Similarly to Margaret, I could get copy of the entry.
7. 4 September 1857 the birth certificate shows that his daughter Jane was born at Newgate Street, Morpeth, father an agricultural labourer, mother Elizabeth née Pearson.
8. On 9 March 1856 the original baptism register records that John’s son John junior was baptised at St Mary’s Morpeth. John senior, was a labourer of Morpeth and the mother was Elizabeth.
9. According to the birth certificate, John junior was born on 4 November 1855 at Newgate Street, Morpeth. John senior, was an ag lab and the mother was Elizabeth née Pearson.
10. On 14 March 1854 the birth certificate for John’s daughter Frances Isabella, shows that she was born at High Espley, High and Low Highlaws, which is in Mitford parish, John, her father, was a husbandman and her mother was Elizabeth née Pearson.
11. A newspaper item in the Newcastle Journal of 16 April 1853, records the marriage of Mr John Hogg and Miss Elizabeth Pearson, both of Espley, which took place at Lamberton on 13th April. This was an irregular Scottish marriage at Lamberton Toll, a less well known version of Gretna Green. The records for this date have been lost.
12. 27 July 1851 death of son James High Espley, High and Low Highlaws. According to the death certificate, the informant was Elizabeth Hogg, his sister. Note that  four months earlier his sister Elizabeth was in service in Rothbury and not at home with the family; perhaps she returned home to take care of James. The eldest sister Mary Jane was at home in March 1851.
13. 27 July 1851 the Bishop’s Transcripts record the burial of John’s son James in Netherwitton. James was of High Espley, Mitford. His age was 18.
14. 30 March 1851 the census for Glororum, Stannington, Northumberland (H107 2413 folio 34) lists John as a farm labourer aged 42 (born March 1808 – March 1809) birthplace Kirkheaton (Kirkheaton borders both Thockrington and Kirkwhelpington). John is a widower living with two of his children (Mary and James). See below for why I believe that this is the same John Hogg as the John Hogg who has children with Elizabeth Pearson.
15. 10 July 1849 the Bishop’s Transcripts record the burial of John’s ‘wife’ Cecily Hogg of Glororum at Netherwitton, Northumberland. Inexplicably there is no death registration in Northumberland for any Cecilys/Sisilys with any surname or any Hoggs who could be Cecily. I asked the local registrar to check in case the record was lost between local and central registration but there is no local registration and she suggested, as this was before the 1874 Birth and Death Act, there may be under-registration of deaths at this period. I am aware of this in relation to births but not deaths. An Act for registering Births, Deaths, and Marriages in England 17 August 1836 6 & 7 Will. IV. c.86, which introduced civil registration required a death certificate to be produced before burial, so how did the incumbent get away with this (there are also two other burials in the extended family for whom no death certificates survive).
16. 29 January 1844 the Bishop’s Transcripts suggest that John’s ‘wife’ Cecily may have had a child, John, by Mark Ainsley. The child was baptised in Hartburn on 28 April, with the mother given as Cecily Hay. There is no birth registration as Ainsley (or variants) Hogg or Hay. He was possibly buried in January 1848 as John Hay, with the address of Cecily’s brother. There is no corresponding death certificate as Hay, Hogg or Ainsley (and variants). There is no birth or baptism record for John Hay b. c. 1844. There is no record of any other Cecily Hays at this time in Northumberland. Given the propensity for this family to avoid appearing in the records however it is possibly that Cecily Hay, mother of John Ainsley, was in fact an otherwise unrecorded niece of Cecily ‘wife’ of John Hogg.
17. 6 June 1841 the census for Ashington and Sheepwash, Bothal, Northumberland (HO107 834/1 folio 2) lists John as an agricultural labourer age 40 (rounded down age so born 1796-1800 BUT he was younger than his wife so may have adjusted his age). With him are ‘Siscely’, Elizabeth, James and George.
18. 10 August 1837 the birth certificate shows that his son George was born at Ashington, Bothal. father as husbandman, mother Sisceley Hogg née Hay.
19. 5 November 1837 the index to the baptism register, records John’s son George being baptised at Bothal, John was a hind of Ashington. I could get a copy of the entry.
20. 19 April 1835 the Bishop’s Transcripts show that John’s daughter Margaret was buried at Netherwitton ‘of Buckshaw, Mitford’.
21. 13 April 1835 the index to the baptism register shows that John’s daughter Margaret was baptised at Mitford. John was a labourer of Buckshaw, Mitford.
22. 14 October 1832 the index to the baptism register shows that John’s son James was baptised at Mitford. John was a labourer of Edington, Mitford.
23. 31 October 1830 the index to the baptism register shows that John’s daughter Elizabeth was baptised at Bothal. John was a hind of Ashington, Bothal.
24. 31 August 1828 the index to the baptism register shows that John’s daughter Mary Jane was baptised at Netherwitton. John was a husbandman of Ruffles, Netherwitton.
25. 1820-1827 The 1841 census, the baptisms of their children and the burial of John’s ‘wife’, indicates that there was a ‘marriage’ to Cecily Hay but no record has been found. In England or Scotland.

So why do I believe that John ‘husband’ of Elizabeth Pearson and John ‘husband’ of Cecily Hay are the same person? I have followed up all John and George Hoggs who were born between 1797-1808 anywhere in Northumberland, who appear in the 1851 English census (anywhere in the country) and I have looked for them in 1841 and succeeding censuses, to see which one could be the ‘George’ Hogg in Newgate Street in 1861. I have also tried to relate these to baptisms. The John ‘widower’ of Cecily Hay is the only one not accounted for. In addition, his stated birthplace of Kirkheaton in 1851 is not inconsistent with Bavington, his stated birthplace in 1871. After exhaustive research, I am happy with the conclusion that the John Hogg, father of my great grandfather, also had children by Cecily Hay. An added link is that his son James by Cecily Hay was buried in Netherwitton in 1851 and was at the time of High Espley, Mitford (a handful of cottages), which is where John’s first child by Elizabeth Pearson was born in 1854.

I believe that my great great grandfather, John Hogg, was almost certainly the son of Robert and Mary Hogg of Hallington, St John Lee but who was baptised in neighbouring Thockrington. According  to the baptism register, was born and baptised in 1804. There are no John Hoggs baptised in Kirknewton 1795-1814 and the Thockrington baptism is the only one within 10 miles of Bavington. I can find no plausible alternative future for the John baptised at Thockrington. If I have identified the correct baptism, John was orphaned at a very young age, which may account for him being unsure of his birthplace and age. It must however be noted that, as an orphan, this child will presumably have been brought up with another family and could possibly have taken their surname. There is no obvious relative who might have taken John and his younger sister Mary, on. There are no surviving poor law records for Thockrington.

So what do we know of the John Hogg, son of Robert and Mary?

25. 18 June 1808 the burial register records the burial of John’s mother Mary in Thockrington, of Great Bavington, which is in the neighbouring parish of Kirwhelpington, late of Hallington.
26. 31 August 1806 the baptism register records the baptism of John’s sister Mary in St. John Lee, of Hallington.
27. 3 December 1805 the burial register records the burial of John’s father Robert in Thockrington, of Hallington.
28. 2 September 1804 the baptism register records the baptism of John son of Robert and Mary in Thockrington, of Hallington.
29. 23 June 1804 the baptism register gives this as John’s birth date

This family are non-land-owning, agricultural labourers who move around frequently. They do not appear in newspapers (as per British Newspaper Library index). There are no surviving poor law records for the relevant parishes at the appropriate times. They do not leave wills (Northumberland Archives, Prerogative Court of York and The National Archives indexes checked) or own land. They do not appear in electoral rolls nor did they serve in the army or navy. There is nothing in the catalogue at Northumberland Archives that relates to the family, leaving me with vital records only. There is a tantalising mention in the Quarter Sessions court records to John Hogg, alias Willes Jock of Redeswood, yeoman; at Chollerton, who stole eight ewes worth 6s. 8d. each, the property of Edward Reed of Chollerton but this is two hundred years earlier and the absence of seventeenth century parish records means that I am very unlikely to get this far back. I have taken a DNA test but there are no matches for any members of any Hogg family. This is unsurprising because there are no known living descendants of Robert and Mary Hogg apart from those who potentially descend from John (‘husband’ of Cecily and Elizabeth).

So are Robert and Mary of Thockrington my 3 x great grandparents? What do you think?

Thockrington Church – was my great great grandfather baptised here?