Family
 John Woolcott 1)Notes: No attempt has been made to trace John's ancestry given the tentativeness of his connection to Thomas. See "Thomas Woolcott" for further details. Married 17 Nov 1751 St Decumans, Watchet, Somerset, England 2) to:  Sarah Brewer 3)Notes: No attempt has been made to trace Sarah's ancestry given the tentativeness of her connection to Thomas. See "Thomas Woolcott" for further details. Child: 1. Thomas Woolcott 4)Born ± 1754 5) 1) Baptised 14 Jul 1754 St Decumans, Watchet, Somerset, England 1) Died Feb 1803 Age: 49, approximately 49 years 5) Buried 24 Feb 1803 Nettlecombe, Somerset, England Age: 49 5) Notes: Identifying Thomas's ancestry is particularly challenging. There were certainly Woolcotts at Nettlecombe: 1686 - marriage between Thomas Woolcott and Sedwill Williams 1694 - marriage between Jane Woolcott and Nicholas Hurford 1714 - marriage between Hugh Woolcott and Alice Joyce 1715 - marriage between Laurence Woolcott and Mary Thomas 1717 - marriage between Thomasine Woolcott and Aldred Daw 1719 - marriage between Joane Woolcott and William Oatway And plenty of Woolcott baptisms and burials. It seems like the family were settled in around Woodadvent in Nettlecombe for at least two centuries. This poses a challenge. In that there are no surviving baptism records for Thomas at Nettlecombe. There is, however, a match at Watchet - 4 miles away. There is no further direct evidence, however, that suggests whether that Thomas is this Thomas... Summary of evidence: Thomas's son and grandson were tailors of Dunster. Isaac Woolcott, died 1759 aged 69, was described as tailor of Dunster. There are no Woolcott baptisms at Nettlecombe between 1720 and 1787. There are no Woolcott marriages at Nettlecombe between 1719 and 1785. There are 8 Woolcott burials at Nettlecombe between 1729 and 1798. These include no individuals born during the period of no baptisms (notwithstanding those where no age present on burial record so unclear). | |||
Sources
1) Source: Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1531-1812 Record for Thomas Woolcot of St Decumans: Thomas is probably the Thomas, son of John and Sarah Woolcott, baptised 14 July 1754, at St Decuman's Church, Watchet. Watchet and Nettlecombe are neighbouring parishes, there is no other Thomas baptised within 5 years of 1754 in Somerset, and the Thomas of Watchet does not marry/re-appear in the Watchet parish registers.. External Linkhttp://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=SomersetParishEarly&h=452529&indiv=try. Reference: Somerset Heritage Service; Taunton, Somerset, England; Somerset Parish Records, 1538-1914; Reference Number: D\P\st.d/2/1/4 (Questionable reliability of evidence)
2) Source: Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1531-1812 Record for John Woolcot If we accept that Thomas Woolcott was born in Watchet, then this is his father's marriage record.. External Link
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=SomersetParishEarly&h=455243&indiv=try. Reference: Somerset Heritage Service; Taunton, Somerset, England; Somerset Parish Records, 1538-1914; Reference Number: D\P\st.d/2/1/4
3) Source: Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1531-1812 Record for John Woolcot. External Link
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=SomersetParishEarly&h=455243&indiv=try. Reference: Somerset Heritage Service; Taunton, Somerset, England; Somerset Parish Records, 1538-1914; Reference Number: D\P\st.d/2/1/4 (Questionable reliability of evidence)
4) Source: Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1531-1812 Record for John Woolcott. External Link
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=SomersetParishEarly&h=4343376&indiv=try. Reference: Somerset Heritage Service; Taunton, Somerset, England; Somerset Parish Records, 1538-1914; Reference Number: D\P\net/2/1/4 (Data from direct source)
5) Source: Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1531-1812 Record for Thomas Woolcott. External Link
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=SomersetParishEarly&h=4012013&indiv=try. Reference: Somerset Heritage Service; Taunton, Somerset, England; Somerset Parish Records, 1538-1914; Reference Number: D\P\net/2/1/6 (Data from secondary evidence)