Survey: The Springthorpe Family

Morgan Family

My father, sister, and I are working on documenting the Springthorpe family and figuring out which children listed on Family Tree belong in the family.

Here's a brief summary. First, the line we're working on:

Jessie Maxine Morgan Tanner

Jessie Christensen Morgan

Frances Ann Thomas Christensen

Adeline Springthorpe Sparks Thomas

James and Frances Springthorpe

Leicestershire countryside, Flickr.

James Springthorpe married Frances Springthorpe on November 11, 1816 in Derbyshire, England.

James was born in 1785 in Leicestershire; Frances was born in 1797 in Lincolnshire. They tended to live in Leicestershire and Staffordshire after their marriage.

Leicestershire.

Lincolnshire.

Staffordshire.

Staffordshire, and West Bromwich in particular, were an active area for the early missionary efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That may be where Adeline Springthorpe was baptized in 1854, and she may have known noted missionary Cyrus Wheelock, the author of "Ye Elders of Israel."

Here is the family in the 1841 England and Wales Census.

1841 England Census, Wednesbury, South Offlow, West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England.

Jas Springthorpe, 50

Frances Springthorpe, 40

James Springthorpe, 18

John Springthorpe, 16

Adaline Springthorpe, 15

Charles Springthorpe, 10

Thomas Springthorpe, 5

Wm Howe, 20

Mary [Springthorpe] Howe, 20

Hannah Howe, 2

Augustus Howe, 6 Mo

Thos Smallwood, 20

Geo Bentley, 20

Wm Smith, 20

James Springthorpe died in 1849 in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire.

Here is the remaining family in the 1851 England and Wales Census.

1851 England Census, Thringstone, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire.

Francis Springthorpe, 52

Adeline Springthorpe, 23

Charles Springthorpe, 21

Francis Springthorpe, 17

Ayashe Howe, 16

Problem: This census lists a male child, Francis. The next census lists Frances as a female, married name Matchett. (She was probably married to Francis Matchett. Yes, Frances married Francis. Is this the same Frances that later married David Thomas as his third wife? That Frances had two sons, reportedly with the last name Hewitt. We need to figure out more about Frances!)

Here are Frances and a few family members in the 1861 England and Wales Census.

1861 England Census, Whitwick, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire.

John Springthorpe, 34
Jessie [Doman] Springthorpe, 32
Hyrum Springthorpe, 3
Francis Springthorpe, 64
Francis Matchett, 26

The census notes that Frances was blind due to old age. She died in 1862.

Adeline, now married to Elijah Sparks and probably widowed, was waiting until after her mother died to emigrate to America. A month later, Adeline was on the John J. Boyd, sailing for America. On the ship she met Welsh widower David Nathan Thomas. They were married in Utah.

Adeline's brother John Springthorpe and his family emigrated in 1869 and 1870.

I can't find emigration information for Francis Springthorpe/Hewitt and James and John Hewitt. 

And that's a brief summary of the current state of research on the family.