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Ancestors of Mandy Willard |
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The BACK / BECK Families of Sussex
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My Back/Beck AncestorsMy Great Grandmother Annie Back (1871-1935) was born in Brighton, Sussex, as were several generations before her. She married William Charles Willard (1866-1950) in 1891 in Portslade, Sussex which is where the family settled. Her father John Simmons Back (1843-1898) was a bricklayer and builder. He married Jane Spicer (1842-1885) and her ancestors were Brighton fishermen. John's parents were John Simmons and Ann Back (1824-1847). They did not marry and his mother died when he was only 3½ years old. I don't know what became of his father. John was probably raised by his mother's younger sister Jane Back (1827-?). She married 3 times but doesn't appear to have had any children of her own.
The sisters, Ann and Jane, were the daughters of
George Beck
(1797-?) and
Later generations seem to have been more consistent with the spelling of their surname, but even siblings sometimes differed. My Great Grandmother's birth was registered as Ann Back, she married as either Ann Back or Buck (can't quite make out the writing on the certificate) and on her son's birth certificate she was Annie Beck. I think Back was the most common spelling across the various families, but it changed from one event to another. William's father John Beck (1725-?) settled in Kingston, near Lewes, although he had been born in Newhaven, Sussex. He married Ann Hyland (1724-1804) in 1753. She was born in Ringmer, Sussex. His name would seem to have been incorrectly recorded as John Boxall when he married. John was the son Daniel Beck of who had been born in 1696 in Arlington, Sussex. He married twice and raised his first family in Newhaven and the second one in Piddinghoe, Sussex. Daniel's first wife was Mary Reeve (1699-1737) who was born in West Grinstead, Sussex. At the time of their marriage in Cowfold, Sussex, Daniel was said to be of Bishopstone, Sussex. Bishopstone to West Grinstead/Cowfold is about 25 miles as the crow flies, so heaven knows how they came to meet. Perhaps there was a land owner with property in both parishes, by whom Daniel was employed. Daniel's second wife was Ann, but so far I haven't found their marriage. Daniel's father was Andrew Backe (1663-?). He was a tenant on land owned by the Folkington Estate in Sussex. Andrew was born in Wilmington, Sussex and he married once or possibly twice and was also named as the father of an illegitimate child. He married Barbara Fuller in 1689 by whom he had 1 child. He then had 3 children between 1694 and 1698 by Margery. But I have not found Barbara's burial before 1694, nor his marriage to Margery. I think it likely that Barbara and Margery were one and the same. My reason being is that Barbara was a fairly uncommon name at that time, and 1 of Andrew's sons by Margery named a daughter Barbara. In 1708, Andrew fathered a child by Elizabeth Jones Andrew's father Henry Backe (1630-1680) had been born in Seaford, Sussex, as had his father and grandfather.
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