Canton Family History

‘No news to report yet’, I wrote yesterday, and overnight there was some!

The first two tests sent off have been tested for 12 markers - a week or two later will come their results at 25 markers, then 37 markers.

The tests are by PM/S01 and PR01, and the results at 12 markers are identical. Because the testers share a surname, it is considered that this indicates a 99% likelihood that they have common ancestor in the period when surnames have been used. Further markers should narrow this time-scale down.

It’s early days but an exciting start, as my hypothesis has always been that the constant appearance of the surname in Pembrokeshire documents from the middle ages reflected a single family. These results keep this possibility open. 

To keep up to date with all Canton results go to http://www.familytreedna.com/public/CantonSurnameProject/

This is an informal summary: Line PM/S goes back into early 18th century  Martletwy (where a Canton family had lived since at least the mid-17th century). Line PR descends from an illegitimate birth in Rhoscrowther PEM in 1832 where, fortunately, the Canton father was named, though we really had no idea which line he came from.  

To narrow down the possible candidates, but also to expand our knowledge of  all the various Canton lines throughout the centuries and to solve similar genealogical mysteries, we really do need more people to test. Please remember that there are further discounts available to group members  - please apply to me direct. It is very important we keep up the present rate of progress.

I have mentioned the very kind offers sent at Christmas - though they have not yet been followed up we hope very much that they will be soon.

Once again, grateful thanks to the pioneers who took tests to start this exciting project off.

Variant Surnames In the Canton Surname Project

In the Guild of One-Name Studies website, you will see that Canton, Cantan, Canten, Cantin and Cantons appear as registered variants. Members are restricted to five variants, so I chose real, not theoretical, variant spellings found in 19-20th century records, for which I could compile at least a small pedigree chart.

In the Canton Surname Project I have now added some other names, which may or may not turn out to be connected. I’m mentioning this here as it may be confusing to suddenly see them appear. Briefly, they are surnames from place-names with a resemblance to the very early forms of Canton (in records as Canteton, Cantington, Caunton). It is now thought by many authorities that surnames from place-names, where they can be traced back, frequently have a single source. DNA testing has reinforced this belief in many cases. I have no documentary evidence to suggest that the extra names I have listed (see below) have a common origin but, as none of them are already taken as projects, it seemed wise to take them under our wing. I shall not go looking for them at this stage - I want to pursue the basic surname more thoroughly first - but hope that some will come across our project as time goes on.

The names are: Cannington, Caunton, Kenton - others may yet be added.

We have had various distractions recently so this blog has been quiet, besides which there is no news to report on the DNA Project just now. I said I would write about Canton surname-variants but am in the middle of a particular line of research and want to finish that first.

We are soon to spend a few days at the National Library of Wales, chiefly for John’s research, so that my own programme is quite flexible. If anyone has some fairly specific wants in parish registers, wills, deeds, etc - in other words, anything which cannot be seen online - please let me know by Saturday, when I have a day to myself to plan my research (visitors after that, so this is a strict deadline). Cantons have priority, but I am happy to look for associated families.

Please write to me at the one-name.org address (at the Guild of One-Name Studies site).

British History Online has an excellent section about Spital Square in London, where John Canton ran his school. From this I have learned that he lived at No. 3 Spital Square - sadly, the house is long demolished but, by visiting this site, it is possible to reconstruct what life there was like.
http://www.british-history.acuk/report.aspx?compid=50153

Also worth reading is the (earlier) section on Norton Folgate, the extra-parochial area where members of the Canton family lived - for example, John Canton’s grandson, Nathaniel John Canton, also a schoolmaster.

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50148

The Royal Society, of which John Canton was a Fellow, has a good outline of his life and scientific work at

http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search2?coll_id=5994&inst_id=18

You may like to know that the National Burial Index (published by the Federation of Family History Societies) can now be seen at www.findmypast.com (used to be 1837online.com). This is a fee-paying site, but units can be purchased quite reasonably - I always seem to have plenty in reserve, by the way, for anyone wanting a quick search. It has been rather overshadowed by www.ancestry.co.uk but has excellent BMD index search and certificate-ordering facilities and is steadily adding many unusual sources.  

I have the NBI in its beautifully produced CD format and it is a basic working tool for genealogy - 13 million names in the second edition. What, I wondered, could the online version add, especially as, intriguingly, it contains (only!) 10 million names.

When I compared the two versions for Canton (and variants) I found that several counties are not represented in the online version. A major omission is that London burials are missing, but these are available elsewhere, on a diferent fee-paying site. For a useful summary see

http://homepages.gold.ac.uk/genuki/MDX/ChurchRecords.html#Burials

I did, however, find about fifteen ‘new’ Cantons, added more recently to NBI. Some of these are early (17th century) and in unexpected places - they may represent lines which have died out, possibly with different origins from those which have survived. It’s impossible to pass judgement without seeing the original parish registers and I would observe that ‘Canton’ is very often misread in documents - perhaps a topic for another blog.

Among other new Canton entries are two offspring of Edwin James Canton (Line PM/P). Their deaths are registered as Pontardawe Registration District, a large area to search, but the burials took place at St John, Clydach, Glamorgan, which narrows the search and provides a new churchyard to explore!

These last are from Glamorgan FHS project work, which has covered a huge amount of ground and is shared generously. Key Canton areas such as Pembrokeshire are not covered at all in the published NBI. On the other hand, when I thought about it, I have many Canton burials for that county - fewer for other non-NBI areas - in my own records. I will look into publishing my list online.

A happy New Year to all readers!

My Christmas post included two further offers to take DNA tests, both from different and well-separated branches of the very large PM line (first certain ancestor in Pembrokeshire, Martletwy). This was marvellous news as these tests will provide most useful base information. Moreover, a female member of another key line, GL (descendants of John Canton FRS, born Gloucestershire), is going to approach close male relatives about taking a test.

Altogether, these were great Christmas presents!  Thanks to all who wrote to me about this.

News also came from Family Tree DNA that the first two test kits had been received at the laboratory. The predicted date for results is mid-February, though I imagine this is so as to be covered for unforeseen delays and that, in fact, we can hope for them rather earlier. It looks as if 2008 will hold a lot of new Canton information.

Just before Christmas I was in London at a family event and spent a few hours at TNA (the National Archives), this time looking at some Canton Divorce Petitions of the 1920s and 30s - just three in total. The TNA references are: J77/2665/2758,  J77/2293/1825 and J77/3322/1489. The online catalogue gives brief details of the parties involved.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

You can order copies of the papers online, or I am able to pass on details to anyone researching these lines (PL, GL/A3 and GL/A4). Bear in mind that divorce then, and indeed not so long ago, involved ‘guilty’ parties and a certain amount of dirty family linen. In terms of family history this is, of course, very interesting!

[Added later] For a detailed account of the problems attached to divorce in the not-so-distant past, read

http://www.worldwidewords.org/nl/wpbz.htm

I hope to be at TNA for a few days in late February/March (subject to it being open at the specific time) and would be very glad to meet London-based readers over coffee - do get in touch.