9th March 2014
I now have a copy of the entry for the Ellingham marriage, which at least confirms that it did go ahead in the parish stated. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, it doesn't say whether Daniel was a widower or a bachelor: "Mar: 6. Daniel Annets & Mary Hunt". The year is 1725 Old Style, 1726 New Style. So, a confirmation at least that this Daniel Annets was in Ellingham, Hampshire, on Wednesday the sixth of March 1725/6.
I think for this particular problem, a three-pronged approach is in order:
- I need to look for a burial record for "his wife" of Gussage All Saints between 1723 and 1726, to strengthen the case for the Ellingham marriage being the groom's second marriage.
- I need to find out where the Ellingham couple had children, if any. They certainly didn't have them in Gussage All Saints.
- I need to revisit the parishes surrounding Binsted and Bramshott and make absolutely certain there are no Daniel Annetts baptised there during the relevant range of birth dates. I consulted the records for Binsted and Bramshott myself a long time ago, and recently acquired microfiche copies, so I'm pretty confident he wasn't born there. It's my understanding that previous Annett researchers have investigated other parishes, but I don't have the documentary proof to support that, so it won't hurt to begin again. An ever-increasing circle centred on Binsted seems like a good plan.
Basically, regarding Dorset Daniel and Hampshire Daniel, don't hold your breath. It's going to take a long time to either confirm or refute this one.
Meanwhile there are many leads to follow concerning the activities of later generations of Annetts, where we are on much less speculative ground. That is of course the "proper" way to do things, working from the known to the unknown. But I get bored adhering too rigidly to that rule.
