Omnium-gatherum (miscellaneous collection, assortment)

This page is simply a storeroom for various bits of information that I have come across over the years but which I have not been able to associate with individuals on the family tree.

Updated: 28 Dec 2017

The Familysearch website shows a marriage between Eva Louise Blunderfield and George Howard Johnson in Bell County, Texas on the 2nd January 1908 but no Eva Blunderfield has been found in any of my US or Canadian Census searches. A descendant of George and Eva says there was a family story that Eva's mother was a Jewish girl but the father wasn't. The Jewish girl's parents wouldn't permit a marriage and so the child was either adopted and raised in Texas, or, another story, brought up by one of the father's sisters.

The maiden name of Blunderfield is clearly stated at her marriage, on the birth certificates for her own children and on her death certificate - no transcription error here! She was therefore, either brought up with that surname or told, by her adopted parents, her biological father's surname. Her date of birth is given as 3rd December 1890 on her death certificate. Most documents support a birth-date around this time but the place of birth varies (5 x Ohio, 3 x Texas and 1 x Tennessee). General opinion is that she was born in Hamilton, Cincinatti, Ohio - in the 1920 Census she must have stated Cincinatti as her birthplace (the enumerator initially entered Cincinatti but then struck it out and wrote Ohio, as required). I haven't seen any documents that specifically state Hamilton though. Eva seems to have had a stronger bond with the Blunderfield surname, compared to that of her mother or adopted parents - whenever parents details were requested (on official forms), Eva never named a mother and only stated the surname Blunderfield for the father.

In the 1900 US Census, there is an Eva L Rice in the home of George W and Louisa ? Lohr in Temple, Bell County, Texas. This could well be her; the initials, age, place of birth and location all fit. Also, although she is listed as their daughter, she has a different surname. Both the 1900 and 1910 censuses record that Louisa had 4 children - all of whom died. All of which suggests that this Eva was adopted. However, one thing that doesn't add up is her adoption by them in 1890. George and Louisa married in 1892, so, if the four failed attempts for a child was theirs, it would seem more likely that Eva would be adopted by them much later. I haven't found any record of births or deaths for children of a Louisa Lohr in that time period, so it seems more likely that Louisa had a previous marriage (Rice?) and, after four failed attempts to have children of their own, adopted Eva Louise in 1890/91. The 1910 census shows Louisa being 10 years older than George but the 1900 has them the same age. It will be worth while trying to find out more about Louisa.

I have identified three male Blunderfield’s, in North America, who could have been the father of Eva in 1890.

B0426 -  George Edgar BLUNDERFIELD b. 8 Oct 1865 in Norfolk, England, arrived in Winnipeg in 1887. He didn’t marry until 1897 and then spent the rest of his life in Winnipeg. He could have travelled a little between 1887 and 1897. Eva named her first born son George but this could have been after her husband George Howard, her adopted father George W Lohr as much as George Edgar Blunderfield.

B04FU -  Alfred Thomas BLUNDERFIELD b. 28 May 1865 in Knox County, Tennessee. He also didn’t marry until 1897, in Missouri where he raised his family. He did however, have one surviving sister Mary Ann Susanna BLUNDERFIELD who could have raised Eva but she lived in Kansas and didn’t marry until 1894 (in Kansas). Eva is not with either of them in the 1900 Census.

B04FQ -  James Charles BLUNDERFIELD b. 5 Mar 1852 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Although James married Viola White-Dillard in 1875 (Texas), they later separated, possibly before 1880. When James married Laura Black in Jun 1891 (Arkansas), he was working as an inter-state engine driver, so he could have fathered Eva in early 1890 - it's possible, but unlikely, that Laura was the mother and had Eva adopted before they decided to marry. James was killed in Aug 1892, when the boiler of the locomotive he was driving exploded near Memphis.

George and Eva remained in Temple, Bell County, Texas after their marriage but moved to Dallas in the early 1920's. They had nine children; Edna (1908), Nora P (abt 1912), Gladine Estelle (1914), Evelyn Virginia (1916), George (1918 -Still Born), Howard (1920), Leota Hope (1922), Sybil Marie (1924) and Hal M (Abt 1925). In 1926, their daughter Edna died in Dallas at the age of 17 (and already divorced!) from gunshot wounds. Eva was working for the Salvation Army in Dallas when she died on the 3rd September 1950.

Sergeant William Blunderfield - 7th Light Dragoons. William was awarded the Peninsular Medal (Military General Service Medal), with a single clasp for the battles at Sahagun on the 21st December 1808  and at Benavente on the 29th December 1808, both near Leon in Spain. At that time, the 7th was under the command of Henry, Lord Paget. In another document, William is recorded as being present at the Battle of the Nive in Bayonne, France (9th - 13th December 1813) but doesn't appear to have received a clasp for that action. This medal was listed For Sale in a London Auction House catalogue in July 1919 with a guide price of £8 (See Folder B0658 in Document Archive).

The MGS medal was a retrospective award which wasn't approved until June 1847 and recipients had to apply for the medal. This tells us that he was alive in June 1847, also that the rank of Sergeant was probably his rank when he eventually left the army. It seems reasonable to assume that he would have been at least 18 years old when he fought in 1808 and perhaps no older than 40. A birth range of 1768 to 1790. The most probable candidate is the William Barker Blunderfield (B0658), son of William Blunderfield (B0747), who was baptised at Gt Yarmouth 26th February 1787.

A Robert Blunderfield is named in the Courts-Martial of Col J F Cawthorne of the Middlesex Militia which was ordered into service in 1793. It records that Robert Blunderfield was in that Regiment at Lydd in Kent in August 1794.

The following question appeared in this issue of 'The Oxford Journal' 6th Aug 1881 (Page 109)

BLUNDERFIELD FAMILY - Where can I procure a copy of the 'History of the Blunderfield Family', published, I believe, in the country?
Signed E.L.F.

Unfortunately, there was no response to the question in later issues but It does beg the question "Was there such a book"?

Lawrence Blunderfield appears in the 2nd class passenger lists of the Cunard Steamship 'Scythia', which left Liverpool on the 10th February 1922 bound for New York. His occupation is recorded as a Priest,  aged 57 (born therefore around 1865), the country of last permanent residence was England and the country of intended permanent residence was the USA. He gave his last address in the UK as the Catholic Church of St John's, Fountains Road in Liverpool but this may have just been where he lodged prior to embarkation. Who was he? I can't find him in the UK Birth Registers or Census.

Subsequent searches have turned up a Father Laurence Blanderfield who was Pastor of The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Mendocino, California between 1905 and 1915. In the 1881 census of Wales there is a Frederick Blanderfield, a 15 year old student at Pantasaph Monastery, who is almost certainly Charles Lewis Frederick Richard Horwood Blanderfield who was born in Bristol around May 1865. Also, the death in Thirsk, Yorkshire of a Laurence Blanderfield, aged 67 years, in 1934. A strong link between these events is a connections with the Franciscan Capuchins.

The Blunderfield name in the Cunard passenger list is therefore a spelling error.

Thomas Blunderfield -  Another Murderer!

A search of Passenger and Immigration Indexes found the name of Thomas Blunderfield in the following two publications:

On page 674 of the book:
"The Complete Book of Emigrants: A Comprehensive Listing 1661-1699"
of Those Who Took Ship to the Americas for Political, Religious, and Economic Reasons;
of Those Who Were Deported for Vagrancy, Roguery, or Non-Conformity; and
of Those Who Were Sold to Labour in the New Colonies.
Compiled by Peter Wilson Coldham from English Public Records and published in 1990 by The Baltimore Genealogical Publishing Co.
Thomas Blunderfield is listed as arriving in Barbados or Jamaica in 1697

On page 79 of another Peter Coldham book:
"The Complete Book of Emigrants in Bondage, 1614-1775". published in 1988 by The Baltimore Genealogical Publishing Co. Thomas Blunderfield is also listed, again in 1697. The abbreviated summary records that he was reprieved of a crime and sentenced by a Middlesex Court to transportation in May 1697, and was awaiting transportation to the American Colonies in July 1697.

The description of the book says that the following information is given:
Date and port of arrival, or date of sentencing or reprieve for transport and port of arrival. Name of ship, crime convicted of, and other information.

Of the Blunderfields known to me at present, he could be Thomas Blundeville (B1209) who would have been aged 44 years - it is interesting that he is using the Blunderfield name in 1697,

 as the change from Blundeville didn't begin in earnest until some  30 or 40 years later.

Does any reader have access to either of the above publications? They may give more details.

In the collection of State Papers of William III, a Warrant is listed on the 25th January 1697, at Kensington, for the reprieve of Thomas Blunderfield, found guilty at the last sessions at the Old Bailey, of the murder of Henry Harris. As a result of this reprieve, the death sentence must have been commuted to transportation

A search of the on-line Old Bailey Proceedings for 1696/7 suggests that the accounts for the Sessions held in January 1697 may not have survived. However, the search revealed a possible earlier crime.

Old Bailey Proceedings - 24th May 1694. Thomas Blundevill was Tried for being a Common Defrauder and Cheater of Their Majesties Subjects of their monies, which he did by Forging and Counterfeiting Letters signed with the Sign of the Post-Office General; particularly, he delivered two Letters to one Mr.  Robert Tempest, supposed to come from Ireland, and Mr. Tempest paid 10d. a piece for them; and there were several such Letters produced in Court against him; and one Gentleman Swore that the Prisoner confest that he had been us'd to practice such doings; and that he had delivered several Letters to other persons besides Major Tempest, which agreed with his own hand that he was seen to write before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor; one Letter was read in Court, which he sent to Mr. Dodd from the Poultrey Comter, telling him that he would discover other People that were Accomplices with him, provided Mr. Dodd would be favourable to him, and make him an Evidence against such that he would impeach. The Prisoner denied the Fact, and said he never did act any such thing; but there was another Person in Court who produced 12 Letters that were of the same stamp and Character: So he was found guilty of a Cheat and was Fined 40l. and ordered to stand in the Pillory Three times, and to find good Sureties.

John Blundeville, English Musician. 1662 to 166?: Master of the Choristers of Lincoln Cathedral. Also referred to by the name Blandeville. He died in 1692

Old Bailey Proceedings - 31st August 1692

Richard Blundervill  (Yet another murderer!) of St.Giles in the Fields was Tryed for the wilful Murder of one John Farmer, by giving him one Mortal Wound near the Right Pap, of the breadth of one Inch, and of the depth of seven Inches, on the 17th of July last, of which he died; the act was thus committed; The Prisoner and the Deceased, and two Men more, were walking along the Street together in Drury Lane, and they were Quarrelling, calling each other Rogues, etc. and presently the Prisoner's Sword was drawn, and likewise was the Deceased's, and they fell to Fighting, and immediately Farmer fell down dead, and the Prisoner was wounded very much; the Prisoner alledged that he and the Deceased had always been Friends and the thing was done in a sudden heat of passion; So he was found Guilty of Manslaughter. The Tryal being over, the Court gave sentence as followeth: Burnt in the Hand.