William Hunt and Marianne (Mary Anne) Holmes

Hunt, William - Holmes, Marianne marriage 1816

Clearly illiterate, they were married 13 Feb 1816 Rampton, Cambridge, England marking the document with an X. Marriage was announce by Banns, and was with the consent of parents. Witnesses seem to be James Paine and Joseph ??? . William’s trade was scissor sharpening. We see from the censuses of 1841 and 1851 that children came and went from the family home (maybe they were on the road sharpening scissors?). Isaac for instance is not present in 1841 but appears in 1851 age 22. Ages especially Marianne’s are varying with time. Because we have varying numbers of children at census time, we cannot be certain if children are missing (being not present at both census). Number of children in trees varies from 7 to 12. I make it conservatively 8 from the census, but 11 is probably the correct number as a very nice Mormon Memorial,   written probably after talking to her son Isaac, writes (I put my 8 in bold):

Mary Ann Holmes is the daughter of Amelia Webb and John Holmes. She married William Hunt on February 13, 1816 at Rampton, England. They had eleven children: William Hunt, Sarah Hunt, James Hunt, John Hunt, Thomas Hunt, Mary Ann Hunt, Abraham Hunt, Isaac Hunt, Emmanuel Hunt, Levi Hunt and Stephen Hunt.

They lived in England and were of English descent. There were two political parties in the town where they lived namely the Whigs and the Tories and according to their son, Isaac he thought they belonged to the Whigs. They belonged to what was then known as the Church of England.

The family was not rich and they all had to work very hard to make a living William’s trade was scissor sharpening. He used to go about the streets with his little emery wheel and sharpen scissors.

When William and Mary Ann first heard the gospel of Christ they accepted it at once and began to save money so they could go to Utah with the other Saints.

When Mary Ann was 60 and William was 70 they decided to cross the plains to Utah with the Richard Ballantyne Company in 1855. Unfortunately Mary Ann and her husband died while crossing the plains. Their two youngest sons, Levi, age 22 and Stephen, age 19 who were traveling with them were left to finish the journey without them.

She died 1855 in Mormon Grove, Atchsn, Kansas and was buried in Ft. Laramie, Goshen, Wyoming.

I have a technical issue with this memorial in that I think 3 not 2 of their children finished the journey without them.

The time line from the marriage is:

  • In Rampton they had 3 children: William, Mary Ann and John.
  • Between 1825 and 1827 they moved from Rampton, Cambridge to Reed, Hertfordshire (About 30 miles by road)
  • In Reed they had Abraham Hunt 1827-, Isaac Hunt 1829–1904, Emanuel Hunt 1832–1863, Levi Hunt 1833–1921, Stephen Hunt 1836–1905
  • In 1853 Isaac left to Salt Lake City.
  • In 1855 William and Mary, left to Salt Lake City along with their 3 youngest children Emanuel Hunt, Levi Hunt, Stephen Hunt. William and Mary died on the trip.
  • Finally in 1856 Abraham left for Salt Lake City (he travelled with Eliz Hunt (nee Barton)).

I am of the opinion that these Isaac didn’t know or acknowledge that his brother Abraham had arrived in Salt Lake City, otherwise it would have been mentioned when he talked about his mother.

None of the other of the 8+ children went to Salt Lake City. So at least three people were probably left in the UK. Here I follow the DR tree as it is the most conservative (least people):

William Hunt   6 Jun 1818 – 24 Jul 1851

No trace of offspring, he died before the move to Salt Lake City.

John Hunt  2 Mar 1823 – Jan 1896

No Trace of offspring, but he died in Reed.

Mary Ann Hunt   6 Mar 1825 – 1908

27 Feb 1842 married George Dellow  who was born ABT 1818  Reed, Hertfordshire, England.

They had 11 children born in Reed.

We know of three marriages of daughters which add the names:

Faroway, Todd, Moule to our search for the group R cluster. None of these or Dellow appear at present in these trees. In Dec2019 we now have Dellow in a tree in this group: Valma Dalrymple Managed by Bradley James McKenzie

In addition I feel I must take seriously the 3 names in the memorial to the mother:  Sarah Hunt, James Hunt, & Thomas Hunt

Sarah Hunt (1818-1877)

Married Thomas Webb and went to Utah some time between their last child being born in 1859 and 1877, probably after 1868 as they are not listed a Pioneers. She had nine children, 6 survived to be adults in the UK, research is required to find the names of their descendants. I wonder if Thomas is related to Sarah’s grandmother Amelia Webb.

James Hunt (1820-1886)

Married Mary Martin and stayed in Hertfordshire dying in Barkway. Mary had six children, but research is required to find the names of their descendants.

Thomas Hunt

Is not in any trees I can find I assume he died young.

Also to find surnames to search for in the cluster I look at those that made it to Salt Lake City, except for Isaac as he is already used in our search. Stephen had zero offspring, Levi 10, Emanuelle 3, and Abraham zero. However the trees do not further list offspring.

Research Notes:

1841 Census UK

William Hunt 60
Mary Hunt 55 (CJO Guess: 50)
William Hunt 20
John Hunt 15
Mary Hunt 15
Emanuel Hunt 10
Levi Hunt 9
Stephen Hunt 6

1851 Census UK

William Hunt 70
Mary Ann Hunt 56 (CJO Guess: 60)
William Hunt 33
Abraham Hunt 24
Isaac Hunt 22
Emanuel Hunt 19
Levi Hunt 17
Stephen Hunt 15

First to leave was Isaac (through whom we have DNA links)

Daniel A. Miller/John W. Cooley Company (1853)

Isaac Hunt  29 Jan 1829 – 21 Dec 1904  


Next the old couple and 3 youngest children

Richard Ballantyne Company (1855)

Most people in the fourth emigrant company of 1855 were Perpetual Emigration Fund (PEF) passengers who, under Elder Richard Ballantyne, had traveled from Liverpool, England, to America aboard the ship Charles Buck.

     Departure   17 Jan 1855 from Liverpool
    Arrival   14 Mar 1855 at New Orleans
    On-board:

Hunt, Emanuel  , Hunt, Levi,  Hunt, Mary Ann,  Hunt, Stephen, Hunt, William

William Hunt  (27 July 1783 – July 1855)   Age 71

Marianne Hunt  died before departure (Last Name  HUNT  First  Name Mary Ann  Age 66 when getting on boat 1855)  

Emanuel Isaac Hunt  1 Apr 1831 – 2 Mar 1863 (Age: 24)

Levi Hunt 21 Aug 1833 – 02 Aug 1921
 

Stephen Hunt 11 Oct 1834 – 26 Jun 1858


Finally Abraham:

Edmund Ellsworth Company (1856), Age 30

Abraham Hunt  12 Nov 1826 – 26 Mar 1884 

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No evidence of being Moron Pioneers:

William Hunt   6 Jun 1818 – 24 Jul 1851

John Hunt  2 Mar 1823 – Jan 1896

Mary Ann Hunt   6 Mar 1825 – 1908