25 Sep 2024

I’ve been looking for more information on James Jennings Smith and his wife Elizabeth Cummings, parents of my ancestor Dinah Smith.

I found the birth of a hitherto unknown child also called James Jennings, born in 1838:

Birth in the Registration District of Darlington, Durham, 1838, no. 383. Born 17 May 1838 at Darlington; James Jennings Smith; Boy; father James Jennings Smith; mother Elizabeth Cummings. Occupation of father: Engineer. Informant was Elizabeth Cummings; Mother; Bridge end; could not sign name. The birth was registered 4 Jun 1838.¹

Interestingly his mother is named as Elizabeth Cummings not as Elizabeth Smith formerly Cummings as is more usual. She is recorded as Cummings in the Mother box and the informant Box. I’m not sure where Bridge End is. There is a Hamlet called Bridge End in Stanhope about 20 miles northwest of Darlington. There is also a house called Bridge End in Piercebridge a few miles west of Darlington.

I ordered what I thought was the baptism of Elizabeth Cummings from Durham Records Online but it turned out to be a burial:

9 Mar 1812, All Saints, Penshaw, Durham, Burial of Elizabeth Cummings, of New Penshaw, age: 1 year 6 months, died 7 Mar, daughter of Robert Cummings (pitman, native of Houghton Parish) by his wife Elizabeth Hunter (native of Heworth Parish)²

There is a corresponding baptism in 1811. These parents are the ones frequently shown on other people’s trees as Elizabeth’s parents, but since this is a burial it can’t be my ancestor.

I ordered another baptism record, this time of Elizabeth Cummins at St. Thomas church in Stockton, Durham:

7 Feb 1812, St. Thomas, Stockton, Durham, Baptism of Elizabeth Cummins, born 4-Nov 1811, 2nd daughter of John Cummins (husbandman, native of Croft, Yorkshire) by his wife Elizabeth Stodard (native of Aycliffe, County Durham)³

Stockton is in the south of Durham, on the border with Yorkshire. Aycliffe is a large rural parish a few miles north-west of Stockton. Croft is in the north of Yorkshire on the border with Durham, several miles west of Stockton. Like Stockton it lies on the river Tees.

There were also two more siblings, Ralph:

9 Oct 1808, St. Thomas, Stockton, Durham, Baptism of Ralph Cummins, born 8-Jul 1808, 4th son of John Cummins (husbandman, native of Preston in this parish) by his wife Elizabeth Stothart (native of Aycliffe, County Durham)⁴

and William:

27 Dec 1807, St. Thomas, Stockton, Durham, Baptism of William Cummins, born 27-Jan 1807, 3rd son of John Cummins (boatman, native of Croft, Yorkshire) by his wife Elizabeth Stodard (native of Aycliffe, County Durham)⁵

I looked up some baptisms of the children of James Smith and Elizabeth Cummings:

3 Jun 1838, St. Cuthbert, Darlington, Durham, Baptism of James Jennings Smith, of Darlington, son of James Jennings Smith (engineer) & Elizabeth Smith⁶

1 Jul 1836, Holy Trinity, Sunderland, Durham, Baptism of Rebecca Jennings Smith, of Burleigh Street, born 2 Oct 1834, daughter of James Jennings Smith (engine man) & Elizabeth Cummings⁷

16 Dec 1832, St. Nicholas, Hetton-le-Hole, Durham, Baptism of Susanna Smith, of Hetton Houses, daughter of James (engineer) & Elizabeth Smith⁸

16 Dec 1832, St. Nicholas, Hetton-le-Hole, Durham, Baptism of Elizabeth Smith, of Hetton Houses, daughter of James (engineer) & Elizabeth Smith[^bap1832n]

19 Nov 1848, St. Hilda, South Shields, Durham, Baptism of Dinah Smith, of South Shields, born 20 Nov 1842, daughter of James Jennings Smith (engineer) & Elizabeth Smith⁹

No sign of their daughter Jemima at all.

I found a burial of a James Jennings Smith in Sunderland 1837:

30 Apr 1837 James Jennings Smith, of Burleigh Street, age: 1 year 2 months¹⁰

This must be an earlier child.

I also had a look for James and Elizabeth’s marriage. There didn’t seem to be any marriages of a James Smith and Elizabeth Cummings or Cummins in the 20 years before 1840. Nor were there any Cummings with names like Elizabeth marrying a Smith.

The search did bring up a few James Smiths marrying an Elizabeth so I sampled a couple of ones from likely locations but they didn’t seem to fit:

One in Houghton-le-Spring, Durham:

28 Dec 1816 St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring, Durham, James Smith (of this parish) married Elizabeth Cook (of this parish), by banns, Witnesses: William Davison; Mary Bowlby¹¹

Another in Stockton:

31 Oct 1825, St. Thomas, Stockton, Durham, James Smith (of this parish, bachelor) married Elizabeth Bottle (of this parish, spinster), by banns , Witnesses: Thomas Appleby; Samuel Chipchase¹²

I looked again at baptisms found a couple more that turned out not to be children of James and Elizabeth, but the name Jennings is suggestive of a link so these could be cousins of Dinah and her siblings:

28 Feb 1836, St. Andrew, Lamesley, Durham, Baptism of William Jennings Smith, of Eighton Banks, son of Edward (pitman) & Jane Smith⁷

23 Nov 1853, St. Hilda, South Shields, Durham, Baptism of Richard Thomas Jennings Smith, of South Shields, born 24 Oct, son of Richard (publican) & Mary Smith¹³

I looked this last child up in the 1861 census and found him living with his father and mother, six siblings and a cousin at Thrift Street in South Shields. The father, Richard Smith, was an innkeeper, born about 1813 in South Shields.¹⁴ However, in 1851, Richard is still an innkeeper in Thrift Street but states he was born in Hawnby, Yorkshire.¹⁵. The 1871 census also gives his place of birth as Hawnby, and his wife’s as Cowton, Yorkshire.¹⁶

Cowton is a neighbouring parish to the south of Croft. Hawnby is 10 or 15 miles south east of there.

There is a baptism of a Richard Smith, son of Thomas and Ellen Smith in Hawnby on 7 Mar 1813. I looked but couldn’t find a James born to a Thomas and Ellen in the area.

I’ve always assumed that James Jennings Smith was Scottish, but perhaps he is linked to these Yorkshire Smiths.