Jane Adamson was born in 1860 to Anne Adamson. Jane was born in a small village in Durham called Tudhoe. About 1889 Jane Adamson met Henry Thompson, a 70 year old man. They married and after 10 months she gave birth to a child, who was known as Harry Thompson. Henry Thompson died soon after.
In the early 1890s Jane Adamson/Thompson then seems to have met George Leggett. Over the next six years they had six children, the last being my grandfather Thomas William Leggett, in 1900.
I have become fascinated with Jane Adamson, and the census of 1871 tells us that she comes from Tudhoe. She is listed as Jane Adamson, daughter of Edwin and Ann Potter. I attach Edwin and Ann nee Adamson's certificate, witnessed by Anthony Adamson. On her marriage certificate to Henry Thompson, in 1889 she lists her father as EDWARD, not Edwin, Adamson, but we have had no success in finding any records of an Edward Adamson fathering a child called Jane. I guess this was a transcription error by a deaf clerk! It is open to conjecture.
We eventually came upon Edwin Potter, and Ann Adamson. Edwin was the village blacksmith, and we can trace him back to his childhood in Banbury in Oxfordshire. His father was a labourer builder. In later years Edwin Potter described himself as an engineer, which is the same as Edward Adamson on James birth certificate. Jane was born in 1860, and it seems very likely but not conclusive that Edwin and Ann brought her up as their own child. Whether Edwin was the father we may never know. When I started all this I resolved not to start paying £10 for birth certificates, and I have stuck to that very strictly. I just can't bring myself to pay £10 for a sheet of paper. Ann's parents were John Adamson (publican, cartwright and labourer) and Martha Hodgson. Ann was born in 1839, and Jane in 1860. In 1861 she is listed as born in Tudhoe, living with lots of Adamsons at Black Horse Cottage, Tudhoe. In 2019, following up my DNA test results I made contact with three third-generation descendants of three members of the Harrison family, farmers from Tudhoe. I had significant DNA matches with all three descendants. It now seems clear that Jane's father was one of the Harrisons, probably Francis who was about the same age as Ann.
I like the romantic notion of Ann Adamson being swept off her feet by the hunky village blacksmith, who eventually did the right thing and married her, in 1863. I attach a copy of this certificate, which shows that it appears they sneaked off to Wakefield possibly to hide the fact that they had a child. Again we'll probably never know. They had two further children.
In the 1890s Jane Adamson and George Leggett seem to have run a pub, the White Horse, in Barningham. Confusingly there are two families of Leggetts in Barningham, with very similar names for the children. In later years Jane Adamson was running a pub, the General Jackson, on the Hartlepool Headland, coincidentally about 100 yards from where my grandmother (or rather my great grandmother), Kate grew up. I do wonder how many times they might have passed each other in the street.
I am in contact with the daughter of Thomas William Leggett's older brother, also George. There is no record of Jane ever actually marrying George Leggett St., although she used the name right up until her death in 1932.
Both my parents came from Hartlepool and last summer we spent a few days walking the streets there, to get the atmosphere. It had changed from my memories, after 12-hour drives in my dad's old banger. Seaton Carew was unchanged!!
In the early 1890s Jane Adamson/Thompson then seems to have met George Leggett. Over the next six years they had six children, the last being my grandfather Thomas William Leggett, in 1900.
I have become fascinated with Jane Adamson, and the census of 1871 tells us that she comes from Tudhoe. She is listed as Jane Adamson, daughter of Edwin and Ann Potter. I attach Edwin and Ann nee Adamson's certificate, witnessed by Anthony Adamson. On her marriage certificate to Henry Thompson, in 1889 she lists her father as EDWARD, not Edwin, Adamson, but we have had no success in finding any records of an Edward Adamson fathering a child called Jane. I guess this was a transcription error by a deaf clerk! It is open to conjecture.
We eventually came upon Edwin Potter, and Ann Adamson. Edwin was the village blacksmith, and we can trace him back to his childhood in Banbury in Oxfordshire. His father was a labourer builder. In later years Edwin Potter described himself as an engineer, which is the same as Edward Adamson on James birth certificate. Jane was born in 1860, and it seems very likely but not conclusive that Edwin and Ann brought her up as their own child. Whether Edwin was the father we may never know. When I started all this I resolved not to start paying £10 for birth certificates, and I have stuck to that very strictly. I just can't bring myself to pay £10 for a sheet of paper. Ann's parents were John Adamson (publican, cartwright and labourer) and Martha Hodgson. Ann was born in 1839, and Jane in 1860. In 1861 she is listed as born in Tudhoe, living with lots of Adamsons at Black Horse Cottage, Tudhoe. In 2019, following up my DNA test results I made contact with three third-generation descendants of three members of the Harrison family, farmers from Tudhoe. I had significant DNA matches with all three descendants. It now seems clear that Jane's father was one of the Harrisons, probably Francis who was about the same age as Ann.
I like the romantic notion of Ann Adamson being swept off her feet by the hunky village blacksmith, who eventually did the right thing and married her, in 1863. I attach a copy of this certificate, which shows that it appears they sneaked off to Wakefield possibly to hide the fact that they had a child. Again we'll probably never know. They had two further children.
In the 1890s Jane Adamson and George Leggett seem to have run a pub, the White Horse, in Barningham. Confusingly there are two families of Leggetts in Barningham, with very similar names for the children. In later years Jane Adamson was running a pub, the General Jackson, on the Hartlepool Headland, coincidentally about 100 yards from where my grandmother (or rather my great grandmother), Kate grew up. I do wonder how many times they might have passed each other in the street.
I am in contact with the daughter of Thomas William Leggett's older brother, also George. There is no record of Jane ever actually marrying George Leggett St., although she used the name right up until her death in 1932.
Both my parents came from Hartlepool and last summer we spent a few days walking the streets there, to get the atmosphere. It had changed from my memories, after 12-hour drives in my dad's old banger. Seaton Carew was unchanged!!