[If you don’t see a navigation bar on the left then click here]
Almost all the information that I have on the early Astwoods comes from:
Bermuda index, 1784 - 1914: an index of births,
marriages, deaths, as recorded in Bermuda newspapers.
Hollis Hallett, C. F. E., 1898.
A copy is in the genealogical section of the State Library, Victoria.
There are hundreds of Astwoods in this source, but I was only able to link a few of them into our family. These are:
Thomas Astwood d. between 1821 and 1836
m. Sarah <> b. abt 1786, d. shortly before 22 Jan 1856 in Inagua
Sally Parker Astwood
m. 2 Feb 1836 in Warwick Bermuda, John Smith
Mary Jane Astwood
m. 24 Jan 1849 in St Mary's Ch Warwick Bermuda, John Samuel Darrell
William George Astwood (yst son) b. abt 1821 d. 17 Jan 1880 Rae Town, Jamaica
m. 23 Mar 1853 in St Andrew's Ch Kingston, Euphemia Frances Gilroy Paterson
The early Handasydes have been reported in detail by Pat Wyatt. However, in my way, I decided to start afresh using a quick search though the IGI on the web. What I found basically matched one of the two possible lines of descent that Pat has. I found some differences, and don't trust the IGI on several points explained below. All the events below occurred in Inveresk, Midlothian, Scotland (not far from Edinburgh). One possible line of descent (a hybrid of IGI and Pat's data) is:
1. Archibald Handisyde
m. Marion Forrest
2. Charles Handisyde b. 1696
2. Isobel Handisyde b. 1689
2. Charles Handisyde b. 1703
2. Robert Handisyde b. 1711
2. Achibald Handasyde bap. 19 Nov 1714 (mason)
m. 26 Mar 1742 Janet Craig
3. Catharine Handasyde b. 1 Mar 1743
3. Janet Handasyde b. 9 Jan 1745
3. Marion Handasyde b. 12 Nov 1746
3. Janet Handasyde b. 12 Jan 1749
3. Charles Handasyde b. 23 Dec 1750 d. 1814 (farmer)
m. 5 Mar 1792 Helen Briggs
4. Gilbert Handasyde b. 1793 d. 1858 (farmer)
m. 8 Mar 1818 Mary Ann Murray
5. Charles Handyside b. 14 Jan 1819, d. 1845
5. David Murray Handasyde b. 12 Jul 1820, bap. 12 Aug 1820, d. 1845
5. Catherine Handasyde b. 27 Nov 1821, bap. 4 Jan 1822
5. Gilbert Handasyde b. 15 Jan 1823, bap. 21 Mar 1823, d. 1869
m. ? ? 1855 Dora Letitia Paterson
5. Helen Handyside b. 27 Aug 1824
m. 1 Jul 1845 Thomas William Nicholson
5. Mary Ann Handyside b. 5 Mar 1826
m. <> Henderson
5. William Handasyde b. 27 Sep 1827, d. 1865
m. 1859 Ann Thom(p)son
5. Alexander (Mackay) Handasyde b. 15 Jun 1829
5. Robert Wilson Handyside b. 25 Mar 1831
5. Elizabeth Handyside b. 3 Jul 1832
m. Joseph Curtis
5. Margaret Euphan Handyside b. 22 Oct 1835
4. Margaret Handasyde b. 1794
m. 28 Mar 1819 Robert Wilson
4. Helen Handasyde b. 1798
3. Archibald Handasyde b. 2 Feb 1755
m. 4 Nov 1786 Elizabeth Bowie
3. William Handasyde b. 30 Jan 1756
3. Thomas Handasyde b. 16 Apr 1760
3. Janet Handasyde b. 21 Nov 1762
Alternative names and dates are:
Handasyde / Handyside / Handisyde / Handesyde
Marion Murray
David Murray H. b. 1821
Catherine H. b. 1822
Gilbert H. b. 1824
Helen H. b. 1825
Alexander H. b. 15 May 1829
Alexander H. b. 1830
Elizabeth H. b. 1836
Margaret Euphemia H.
By the way, the marriage between Charles Handasyde and Helen Briggs also appears in Edinburgh records on 23 Feb 1792. This is good; often the marriage "banns" were "published" in several places.
Pat Wyatt's chart doesn't have the siblings of Charles (i.e. other children of Janet Craig) or the marriage to Robert Wilson. The IGI doesn't have the siblings of Archibald (i.e. other children of Marion Forrest).
Most of the IGI birth dates come from derived sources, "sealings for the dead". This means that the baptismal register for Inveresk is NOT on the IGI. So it comes as no surprise that the IGI is missing the family of Handasydes listed below. Pat also has the following alternative origin of Charles, which is perhaps more likely than the one above:
1. Gilbert H. (weaver)
m. 1729 Euphan Briggs
2. Thomas H. b. 1730
2. Archibald H. b. 1733
2. Charles H. b. 1735
2. William H. b. 1737
2. Janet H. b. 1740
2. Alexander H. b. 1742
2. Charles H. b. 1754
m. 1792 Helen Briggs
Perhaps I should point out that - although all the events above (with the exception of some later marriages) occurred in Inveresk, Midlothian, Scotland - there were Handasydes living elsewhere in Midlothian, and elsewhere in Scotland, and in England.
Here would be the correct place to talk about the ancestors of Ellen Saunders and James Montgomery Adamson, but all I know is the names of Ellen’s parents (from her marriage certificate), she was born in Liverpool to Richard Saunders & Eliza Corbett in 1844 or 1845.