Susannah Symonds (1832-1906) and her family of mariners

Susannah Symonds (1832-1906), Henry George Martins (1828-1857) and Charles Downing (1824-1883). My 3rd great-grand aunt and uncles. Susannah was baptised on 8 October 1832 at St Nicholas’s Church in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, to parents Charles Robinson Witchingham Symonds and Susanna Waters. She was still living at home at the time of the 1851 census and […]

Frances Ann Witchingham and my other Witchingham ancestors

Frances Ann Witchingham (1773-1847). My 5th great-grandmother. Witchingham is a reasonably common surname in Norfolk and may well derive from the village of Witchingham, north-west of Norwich. Over time the name has been spelled in a variety of ways including Wychingham, Wichinham, Withingham and even Wichengim. See the Witchingham family tree and where they fit […]

Harriet Symonds (1841-1899) and her struggles with alcohol

Harriet Symonds (1841-1899) and Henry Swan Chapman (1838-1904). My 3rd great grand-aunt and uncle. Harriet was born on 29 August 1841 to parents Charles Robinson Witchingham Symonds and Susannah Waters. She was baptised on 8 September at St Nicholas’s Church in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. She married young in 1858, her husband being Henry Swan Chapman […]

Samuel Symonds (1836-1909) – saving lives at sea

Samuel Symonds (1836-1909) and Ann Maria Masterson (1836-1912). My 3rd great-grand uncle and aunt. Samuel was born to Charles Robinson Witchingham Symonds and Susannah Waters baptised on 20 July 1836 at St Nicholas’s Church in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. He married Ann Maria Masterson there on 28 December 1856. She was also a Yarmouth native, born […]

Elizabeth Maria Symonds and my other Symonds ancestors

Elizabeth Maria Symonds (1826-1911).My 3rd great-grandmother. Elizabeth Maria Symonds was the first of the Symonds to marry into my family. The Symonds came from Norfolk, while the surname is considered patronymic – it generally referred to someone as the son of Simon. There have been many variations on the surname’s spelling over time including Simmons, […]