Martha Nash - 3rd great-grandaunt

Martha Nash   1797–1874

Birth; 28^th May 1797 • Canterbury, Kent, England

Death; January 1874 • Mile End Town, Middlesex, England

3rd great-grandaunt

DNA Connection

Synopsis from my Ancestry Family Tree;

When Martha Nash was born on 28^th May 1797 in Canterbury, Kent, her father, Edward, was 37, and her mother, Elizabeth, was 37. She married Richard Eldridge on 25^th December 1816 in her hometown. They had 12 children in 23 years. She died in January 1874 in Middlesex having lived a long life of 76 years.

 Martha was a child of Edward Nash. There is an earlier article about a collection of Edward Nash named people, trying to identify the right one for my Tree. In this instance it is Edward Nash, 1760–1811, my 4^th great-grandfather. 

Burials Elizabeth Scott 19 Aug 1954; From Register of Burials at Victoria Park Cemetery, Hackney, Middlesex from 1853 to 1855

Edward Nash was born in 1760 in England. He married Elizabeth Hill on 14^th October 1776 in Canterbury, Kent. They had eleven children in 25 years. He died in 1811 in his hometown at the age of 51. Their first born was Ann Nash, but sadly passed away at about 2 years of age. Edward and Elizabeth had six girls and five boys, Of which three were believed to have died in infancy, including another Edward Nash. However, a year later the name was used again, and this time with more luck. Fortunately for me, as he was my 3^rd great-grandfather.

Tempting as it would be to follow that line, on this occasion we are exploring our 3^rd great-grandaunt, Martha Nash, the youngest but one of Edward's and Elizabeth's children.

Lets think again about the marriage of Edward Nash and Elisabeth Hill on 14^th October 1776. How do we know that? Read about the Holy Cross Book of records.

Baptism

Martha was Baptised on 28^th May 1797 at St. Dunstan's Church, St. Dunstan's Street, Canterbury, Kent, England.

Ann Nash, Martha's eldest sister was both baptised and buried at Holy Cross, Westgate, Canterbury, Kent, England. 

  Holy Cross Church has now been repurposed as council offices. It is only 6 minute walk between Holy Cross Church and St Dunstan's Church. John Nash, the third child, was baptised on 13^th March 1785 at St. Dunstan's Church, Canterbury, Kent, England, the fist of the Nash children so to do.

Daniel Nash and Edward Nash were buried on 14^th and 17^th May 1788 respectively, both by the parish. This was a poor family. Up until the time I am writing this Edward Nash was born and died in the year 1788. However, searching for baptism records, to validate other records, in part by proximity, I found an appropriate baptism record. Edward Nash baptised on 23rd November 1777 at Holy Cross, Canterbury, Kent, England. This makes him the first born. Thinking about that, first child born just over a year after being married, and named after his Father, which was not unusual at the time. This is a change, but not incongruous with other information.

The second child called Edward Nash was baptised on 18 Apr 1789 at St Dunstan's Church, Canterbury, Kent, England. All of the remaining children were baptised at St Dunstan's with the exception of John Hill Nash B 1790  and Esther Nash, who was born in 1803 according to Thelma141. Both of these two have limited substantiating records. Elizabeth would have been 43 years old at the time of Esther birth.

It seems therefore that the family stayed in the vicinity of the walls of Canterbury as they grew their family.

A review of the British Newspaper Archive, and in particular, the Kentish Gazette reveals there are a number of Nash families within Kent and of varying fortune, and occupations. I started the newspaper search  to see if I could find evidence of an epidemic of any sort, such as Scarlet Fever found in another article, which would help explain the two brothers being buried within three days of one another. Nothing to suggest that found so far.