Children of William and Jane Bird Kellett

To the best of our knowledge, William and Jane only had three children. A son, known only by a reference to his returning from a sea voyage and leaving again, never to be seen again. Ellen Kellett, christened in Leyland, Lancashire, England, on 23 May 1794. She married Joseph Seddon in Leyland on 07 Feb 1814. I don't know who raised her, or why Mary and Thomas never spoke of her. Perhaps Mary never knew about her. The third child was our Mary Kellett (married to gggGrandfather Thomas Stubbs), Christened in Leyland on 04 May 1798. She was born 14 April 1798, but Jane's OUR MOTHER letter states that Mary told her daughter that she was born in the village of Shap in Westmorland (near Appleby, where she was raised). Mary was fostered to Thomas & Hannah Farrer in Appleby, but there's no doubt that she was Christened in Leyland. That's one of the stumbling blocks in this story. Both Ellen and Mary were Christened as children of Jane Kellett. No mention of William. Another dead end, for now.

Marriage of William Kellett and Jane Bird

On July 8, 1792, in the Barton parish church of St. Michael, William Kellett married Jane Bird. Sarah Robinson and William Bird witnessed the marriage. William, of Newton Parish, was 22 years old, but Jane was still a minor (under 21). According to the stories told by her daughter, Jane's "near relatives" disowned her for marrying "beneath her station". I haven't found a Newton parish yet, but I'm still looking. William was from the Cartmel area of Lancashire County, but the parish register usually noted the county when it was different than Westmorland. I, also, don't know who those "near relatives" of Jane's were. I'm still looking . . .

The Birds of Brougham

No feathers or wings here, although we do have a nest. Right now, I'm up to my neck in research for the parentage of my ggggGrandmother, Jane Bird. She married William Kellett in 1792, in Barton, Westmorland, England, and was disowned by her "near relatives" for marrying "beneath her station". Her Uncle Bird in Scotland claimed to have proofs of rightful ownership to part of the estate of James Bird, but that's another mystery. Unfortunately, I have to work on both things, or there is no hope at all of finding her parents. So, back to 1726, when a daughter and two granddaughters sold the "Bird's Nest" (aka Brougham Hall) to John Brougham---possibly against the entailment of the estate in James' will. See you there . . .