My Searle Family Research

So far I have traced my Searle family to Thomas Sarel living in the East Devon village of Woodbury in Devon circa 1713.

For a few generations the family moved around East Devon from Rockbeare to Aylesbeare and finally  settled in Littleham and Withycombe Raleigh later to be called Exmouth.

Thomas married Mary Webber and had three children. Their youngest  son, Thomas married Elizabeth Beavis in Woodbury. They also had a son Thomas who moved to Rockbeare and married Mary Perriam. They had nine children.

Mary died in 1886 in her sons house in Exmouth and the local paper - Trewmans Flying Post wrote -
"Mrs Mary Searle, who had been a bed layer for 16 years, was born on a Thursday ,baptized on a Thursday, married on a Thursday and her first child was born on a Thursday. She died on a Thursday age 81 and was buried on Thursday the 10 inst."

William Searle was their fourth surviving son and was "examined" in 1807 for his suitability to remain in the village of Littleham after  running away from his master - Thomas Hayman in Talaton. It is alleged that Hayman misused him badly.

William who had recently married Susannah Austin, a local girl from the tiny village of East Budleigh, was allowed to settle in Littleham. The examiners must have thought he was unlikely to be a charge on the parish and he proved them right and was a successful shoemaker  and when he died left four houses in his will.

His son William born 1807 started a "fly" business providing a coach service around the local villages and becoming post men. William owned twenty four houses.

When William died in 1875 the family split and the youngest son, another William took over the fly business whilst the eldest son George moved with his wife Iset and children to Pimlico, London. From there they moved to Fulham where their son, William married Emily Hitchcock. Later the family moved to Catford in South London and then to different parts of Sussex.

Tragedy befell the family in Fulham where Gilbert, the youngest of William and Emily Matilda's children drowned in an accident on the Thames whilst on an outing with his brother Ernest. The story made all the National newspapers with accusations that trippers and watchers from the bank stood and watched whilst Gilbert floundered and drowned in just a few feet of water.

The parents who were  devout Baptists were given the news on the steps of Fulham Road Church as they prepared for evening worship.

   More details of my family can be found by pressing the buttons on the left.