Research

New Research Discovered on Elizabeth Bristow

In search of our Elizabeth BRISTOW
by Karen Mills

Elizabeth BRISTOW has always been a source of great interest but also an enigma, because we know so little about her. Family stories have circulated for many years stating that she was either “the daughter of Captain John Bristow, R.N., Commander of H.M.S. Oceanic under Lord Nelson”¹ or alternatively “daughter of Captain Abraham Bristow, who fought under Lord Howe in the famous battle of the “First of June” at Ushant, and who later was well known in Australia as part owner and master of several whaling vessels in Southern Seas”.²

In the past it had been thought that these statements lent support to the view that Elizabeth’s parents were Abraham BRISTOW and Rachel JOHNSON. Abraham BRISTOW was an apothecary who, at one point, also served time in the Royal Navy (although not under Lord Nelson or Lord Howe, and certainly never as a captain in the navy).³

Back in 2003 and 2004, Grono Family Researcher, Robert Taylor received a couple of email messages, from two different people, one indicated that Abraham and Rachel’s daughter Elizabeth had actually married a Nathaniel PARKINS and the other that she had died in England in 1854, possibly unmarried. Unfortunately Robert did not have the opportunity to pursue the veracity of these statements.

Recently I began re-examining these messages and conducted my own research into their claims. I believe that I have now found very conclusive evidence which definitively corroborates these email messages. This evidence is set out below and means that our Elizabeth BRISTOW is NOT the daughter of Abraham BRISTOW and Rachel JOHNSON, as was previously thought.

Elizabeth BRISTOW, the daughter of Abraham BRISTOW and Rachel JOHNSON was baptised in Begbroke, Oxfordshire, England on 3 March 1776. This contrasts with what we know about our Elizabeth whose estimated date of birth is 1771 (derived from the information on her tomb (click here to view inscription)).

We know that our Elizabeth married John GRONO by licence on 20 July 1790 at St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe, Surrey, England. The marriage allegation states that both John and Elizabeth we above the age of 21 years. If this is true then Elizabeth’s date of birth is more likely no later than 1769.⁴

I began my search by first looking at marriages in the County of Oxfordshire and found a marriage for an Elizabeth BRISTOW, of the parish North Aston, for 1820 in Oxfordshire to Nathaniel PARKINS, of the parish Elmdon, Northamptonshire.⁵ The next step was to look for Nathaniel and Elizabeth PARKINS in the UK census and death records to see if I could find out more about them. I was unable to locate Nathaniel in any of the UK census records available, but I did find Elizabeth. It appears that Nathaniel died some time before 1841 – I found a possible death for him in 1834 in the National Burial Index for England and Wales.⁶

In 1841 the UK census states that Elizabeth PARKINS was living in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, England, she was of independent means and had one servant residing with her. Her age was given as 65 years (making her birth year 1776). The census record also states that she was born in the county of Oxfordshire.

Image source: 1841 England Census, HO107/890, Folio 3, p.4, GSU Roll 474576 (accessed via Ancestry.com.au)

In 1851 Elizabeth PARKINS was living in Childrey, Berkshire, England with her sister Sarah ROSE and niece (also named) Sarah ROSE. Elizabeth was a widow and her occupation was given as “landed proprietor” and she also received “interest from money”. Her age is given as 75 years (making her birth year again 1776) and clearly stated that she was born in Begbroke, Oxfordshire .

Image source: 1851 England Census, HO107/1689, Folio 90, p.3, GSU Roll 193597 (accessed via Ancestry.com.au)

I could not find Elizabeth in the 1861 UK census so I then started looking to see if she had died. Given that she appeared to be a lady of some wealth I also searched for and discovered the will of Elizabeth PARKINS (nee BRISTOW). It appears that Elizabeth PARKINS died in the June Quarter of 1854 in the District of Woodstock, Oxfordshire.⁷ Her will was then proved on 10 June 1854 in London in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.

However, before delving into the contents of Elizabeth’s will, it is useful to have a family tree for Abraham BRISTOW and Rachel JOHNSON on hand to more easily determine whether any of their other children were mentioned in Elizabeth’s will. A copy of this family tree is provided below, followed by a transcription of her will.

Family Tree for Descendants of Abraham BRISTOW and Rachel JOHNSON

---

Will of Elizabeth Parkins (nee Bristow)

Source: The National Archives; Kew; England; Prerogative Court of Canterbury and Related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers; Class: PROB 11; Piece 2193; p.246 (Accessed from Ancestry.com.au)
(NB: punctuation and paragraphs added by the transcriber to enhance readability)

This is the last will and testament of me Elizabeth Parkins widow lately at Childrey in the county of Berks.

I direct payment of my debts, funeral and testamentary expenses.

I give to my niece Elizabeth Soden twenty five pounds and to my niece Sarah Rose twenty five pounds.

I give to my niece Elizabeth the wife of John (?Narotis or Narufis?) of Birtsmorham thirty pounds.

I give devise and bequeath unto Martha the widow and Susannah the daughter of my late brother Charles Caesar Bristow all my estate and interest in a rent charge due from the Borough of Chipping Norton in the County of Oxford to hold to term their heirs executors administrators and assigns as joint tenants.

I give to my Grand nephew John Benjamin Bennet ten pounds.

I give to Elizabeth Adelaide and Thomas Benjamin the children of my late nephew Thomas Bristow Bennet thirty pounds cash.

I give to Christiana Parkins the sister of my late husband fifty pounds free of legacy duty.

All the residue of my real and personal estate I give devise and bequeath unto my nephew Abraham Bennet and my friends Charles Richard Wilkes of New Woodstock in the County of Oxford, Coach Maker, and William Woodford of the City of Oxford, Gentleman, and their heirs executors administrators and assigns upon trust during the life of my sister Sarah Rose to continue the same at interest and to pay the interest of my personal estate and rents of my real estate unto my said sister for her life and after her decease direct them to collect my personal estate and to sell my real estate such by public auction or private contract and after converting my said real and personal estate into money out of the proceeds of the same to pay to Mary Ann, the natural daughter of Mary Hemmings who was the daughter of James Hemmings of Neithrop near Banbury in the County of Oxford sixty pounds to be payable to her at twenty one years of age the interest to be applied for her benefit during her minority at the direction of my executors and to pay distribute and divide the remaining proceeds of my said real and personal estate unto and between the children of my sisters Susannah and Sarah and the children of my late brother Samuel their heirs executors and administrators and assigns as tenants in common.

I give and devise all mortgaged and trust estates now vested in me unto the said Abraham Bennet, Charles Richard Wilkes and William Woodford to hold to them their heirs executors administrators and assigns upon the equities and trusts affecting the same respectively. And I declare my will to be that the receipts of the said Abraham Bennet, Charles Richard Wilkes and William Woodford or the survivors of them and the heirs executors or administrator of such survivor shall be good discharges to the purchaser or purchasers of my real estate who shall not after (?rating?(calling)) such receipts be bound to the appreciation of such monies or be answerable for the misappropriation or nonappropriation thereof.

I desire that the legacies which I have given to be paid previous to my sister Sarah’s death shall be paid as soon as may be after my decease.

I also declare my will to be that in the distribution of my estate the several legacies and also shares of residue bequeathed which may be given to or devolve upon a minor shall be vested and payable at twenty one years of age.

And that legacies or shares of residue payable to married women shall be payable to them alone and that the same shall not be liable to the debts or controul of any husband and that the receipts of each married women alone shall be good discharges to my executors.

I appoint my nephew Abraham Bennet and the said Charles Richard Wilkes and William Woodford joint executors of this my will ?? witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand the second day of August one thousand eight hundred and fifty one – Elizabeth Parkins.

Signed by the Testatrix Elizabeth Parkins in the presence of us present at the same time was in her presence at her request and in the presence of each other have hereunto set our names as witnesses. Stephen Cox – Thos Mills

Proved at London 10th June 1854 before the Judge by the oaths of Abraham Bennet the nephew, Charles Richard Wilkes and William Woodford the executors to whom admon was granted having been first sworn by Comon duly to administer.

---

From the above we can see that Elizabeth’s will refers to a number of her siblings including Charles Caesar BRISTOW, Samuel BRISTOW, Sarah ROSE (nee BRISTOW) and Susannah BENNET (nee BRISTOW). As a result I believe that this document conclusively identifies Elizabeth PARKINS (nee BRISTOW) as the daughter of Abraham BRISTOW and Rachel JOHNSON.

I have also found the corresponding wills for Hester COLLIER (nee BRISTOW), and John BRISTOW and they both mention their sister Elizabeth PARKINS, along with numerous other family members. Hester COLLIER (nee BRISTOW) died in 1833, she married late in life and had no children of her own. In her will she divided most of her estate between a number of her siblings and various nieces and nephews. A transcribed excerpt is provided below …

…I give and bequeath the same unto my brothers the said Charles Caesar Bristow and Samuel Bristow, Esquires and my sisters Elizabeth Parkins and Sarah Rose share and share alike and I appoint my said brother Charles Caesar Bristow sole executor of this my will in witness whereof I the said Hester Collier…⁸

John BRISTOW died in 1838, he did not appear to have married or had any children and divided most of his estate also between a number of his siblings and nieces and nephews…

I give and bequeath unto my sister Elizabeth Parkins two hundred pounds three and a half per cent reduced bank annuities.⁹

Combined together they prove beyond doubt that our Elizabeth is NOT the daughter of Abraham BRISTOW and Rachel JOHNSON.

So where does that leave us?

Well, while we are back to square one in the search for the origins of our Elizabeth we can now eliminate this family from the possibilities. I know some people will be disappointed by what I have found, but the truth cannot be ignored. Hopefully one day we will find out more about our own Elizabeth’s origins – and who knows there may be some other maritime connection in her real family that we are yet to discover?

Return to top of page