Thomas & Mary Burdge Family in 1851 Bridgewater, Somerset Census

Research Note by Wesley Johnston - last updated 27 Sep 2012

I am not certain that the Thomas Burdge and wife Mary listed in the 1851 census of the Union House in Bridgeater, Somerset are the same Thomas and Mary whose daughter Anna Maria Burdge later married Knapp and Butson and is buried with her mother Mary Boley Burdge Cryderman in Groveside Cemetery at Brooklin, Ontario. This note is to explain my rationale for leaning toward this being the correct Thomas and Mary.

Burdge Family Members in Bridgewater Union House

There are three groupings of Burdge family members on two pages of the listing of the 1851 residents of Union House.

http://search.ancestry.com/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=8860&path=Somerset.Bridgwater.ALL.Bridgwater+Union+House.9

Lines 6-8 (spelled BURGE)

- Elizabeth, age 29, unmarried, charwoman, born North Petherton, Somerset

- William, age 1, unmarried, born North Petherton, Somerset

- Mary Ann, age 7, unmarried, born North Petherton, Somerset

Lines 15-16 (spelled BURDGE)

- Mary, age 40, married, charwoman, born Mark, Somerset

- Eliza, age 7 mo, unmarried, born Huntspill, Somerset

http://search.ancestry.com/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=8860&path=Somerset.Bridgwater.ALL.Bridgwater+Union+House.10

Line 13 (spelled BURDGE)

- Thomas, age 49, married, carpenter, born Huntspill, Somerset

It does appear that, although they are separated in the census, Thomas and Mary were husband and wife. The connection, if any, of the North Petherton-born BURGE family members is not clear.

Where were the older children of Thomas and Mary?

If these were the parents of Anna Maria Burdge, then where was Anna Maria? And where were siblings? At this point, I do not know, and this is the most serious challenge to this being the right Thomas and Mary.