Sometimes, my ancestors have very interesting and different names. No Elizabeth, Sarah or Ann here…. nope, Jessamine! Jessamine Maria Gosling was born in Farnham on 13 November 1795 and was baptised in Witley All Saints on 28 May 1796, a few months after her brother, John Thomas Gosling, who was baptised on 22 February 1796. I wonder which of them was the eldest child of Thomas and Maria Gosling?
Thomas Gosling and Maria Douglas married in Elstead St James Church on 1 January 1794 – Maria’s parish church. Maria had four known siblings, including Jessamine, Jemima, Kezia and Marmaduke, so it would appear that she named her daughter after her sister and gave her own name as a second name. John Thomas was named in a similar way, it would seem, as Thomas’ father and brother were called John and of course, Thomas was his first name:
There were no other known children of Thomas and Maria Gosling. Thomas – Jessamine’s father – died at just 44 years of age and was buried at Witley All Saints in 1814. Unfortunately, Jessamine Maria died five years later – in 1819 – aged 22. It is such a shame that parish registers do not record the cause of death in burial registers as I would love to know what happened to cause Jessamine’s early demise….
And where did the name Jessamine come from? It doesn’t appear – according to my current research on the family – prior to Jessamine Douglas’ baptism in Elstead (pictured below). More digging required, I think.
