The Family Tree

The Giddings family of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire

Map of March, Cambridgeshire

The Giddings family join my ancestral tree through my Great Great Grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth Giddings's marriage to my Great Great Grandfather, James Martin on 30th January 1874 at The Providence Chapel, March.

Sarah Elizabeth was born illegitimately in 1852 to Elizabeth Giddings (b.1831) of March, Cambridgeshire. Elizabeth was the daughter to Daniel Watson Giddings (1798-1878) and his wife Sarah Jane Franks (1803-1892). Elizabeth went on to appear on the 1861 census as an Agricultural Labourer living at Burrow Moor just West of March and until August 2005, it was suspected that she married a few years after Sarah's birth. Through cross-referencing information held at freebmd.org.uk and my notes on March, i managed to whittle the possibilities of a wedding down to two Elizabeth Giddings. One of these Elizabeths (in 1864) was "of James Giddings" and i already had this in my notes, so clearly it wasnt that one. This left me with a reference on the freebmd.org.uk site to the other Elizabeth with a marriage to a Charles Lincoln in 1862. As there was no father listed, or place other than the North Witchford district, i took a gamble and ordered the certificate from www.gro.gov.uk using the reference numbers found on freebmd.

Just a few days later the certificate arrived and proved me right. Her father was correctly listed as Daniel and two of her siblings are noted as witnesses. This confirmed that she married Charles Lincoln. Having already had a little look at the 1871 and 1891 Censuses that I have on cd-rom, I found the couple on the 1871 Census. It noted that Charles Lincoln was of Little Downham (born in Potton, Bedfordshire) and the couple were living at Main Drove, Little Downham at the Railway House with Charles being a Railway Labourer. The couple are noted on the 1871 census with a daughter, aged 7, who is no longer with them by the time of the 1881 Census. During this and not far away, lived her earlier daughter , Sarah Elizabeth Giddings, with her husband James Martin.

Sarah Elizabeth married my Gt. Gt. Grandfather, James Martin, a platelayer for the railways, and was mother to twelve children. Her first when she was 22 (Isaac Watson Martin, 1874) and her last at the age of 47 (Albert Martin in 1899). Tragedy struck her family as 1890 brought the untimely death to her son William Martin following an accident with a horse and cart (there's more information about the inquest on his page); as well as during an 11 month period during the First World War; Herbert Martin (my Gt. Grandfather) died in a train accident in France, Albert Martin (the youngest of her children) died as a P.O.W in a German coalmine, Emma Jane and her husband John William Goodge also died during this time - leaving their orphaned daughter Mary Goodge to be brought up by Sarah.

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