English/Gard family

My great grandmother Emily Ada English was born 7th May 1870 in Brighton Susses. Tracing her birth was, as usual, with this side of the family problematic at the time. Once found she disappears from sight until 1891. It is clear that her father Robert had died during this time and where her mother goes is a mystery.

Her father Robert was born in Lindfield, Sussex in 1819. He married firstly, Elizabeth Likeman and had a number of children. His next 'marriage' was to Elizabeth Francis Evans. To date, I have not actually been able to trace this marriage. On Emily's birth certificate her mother is recorded as Elizabeth English late Francis formerly Evans. Robert is a general labourer and they are recorded as living at 2 Oxford Street, Brighton. In 1871 they are in Elder Street, Brighton. Robert is 52 and Elizabeth is 44 recorded as being born Northfleet, Kent.

Tracking back the English family from Lindfield became a relatively easy matter. Robert's father was Thomas English born 1777, in Lindfield. There were two potential candidates for this Thomas but taking into account that he was married to Mary Gard by licence, and the licence states that he is a minor, and the fact that his sister Charity married Peter Gard, Mary's brother, the evidence supports my choice. The genealogy back to John English born c 1605 in Brighton is then clear. There a number of published trees with the family and its various branches easily found on the net.

Mary Gard provides an interest with the relatively rare surname and its spelling. By visiting the Sussex Record Office and through other records I have been able to trace her ancestry back to c 1610 to my 8x great grandfather Peter Gard where the family seem to have been settled close to Lewes, East Sussex.