- Born: 1774 at Ditcheat, Somerset and baptised on 20 August
- Parents: Isaac Oram 1745-1802 and Elizabeth Clare 1747-1795
- Siblings: John Oram 1772-1802 ; William 1780- baptised Oarm; Frances Oram 1782- baptised Oarm; Sarah Oram 1785-1860 baptised Oarm; Melior Oram 1788- baptised Oarm
- Married: Susannah Bartlett 1782-1838 13 Jan 1806 at South Barrow, Somerset
- Offspring: William Oram c1810-1873, Mary Oram c1813-1888, Susannah Oram 1817-1899, Elizabeth Oram c1818-1787, Sarah Oram 1820-1869, and John Oram 1824-1907
- Died: 22 Oct 1839 at Weston Bampfylde, Somerset buried 27 Oct 1839 in South Barrow churchyard with Susannah
Map of places mentioned is at the bottom of the page
Our great-great-great grandfather James Oram was born in Ditcheat in 1774. In the 1960s we were told that he was the younger of only two offspring of Isaac and Elizabeth Oram. In 2019 DNA tests showed that John had younger siblings. In 1806 John married Susannah, daughter of James and Mary Bartlett who owned and worked their own farm in South Barrow.
We assume the inquiry in the above letter was because in 1905 lawyers needed facts about all family members to finalise the estate of Albin Guppy 1846 – 1905.
James and Susannah’s first son William was born in South Barrow, no doubt at Susannah’s parents’ farmhouse. Their four daughters were baptised in Queen Camel the village where Susannah’s parents had lived before Susannah was born. Maybe the Bartlett family had an interest in a dairy at Queen Camel. Their second and youngest son John was baptised in Castle Cary in 1824, this being the only documentation to indicate that the family ever lived there. We do know that the family were living at the dairy farm ‘next to the church’ in Weston Bampfylde by the time their daughter Mary was married in 1837. The family oral tradition is that John rode to school in Castle Cary. William continued to run the dairy at Weston Bampfylde after his parents died.
The family oral tradition is that Susannah died from cancer, but thanks to the research of Robert Senior we know that Susannah, named Susan Oram died at The Infirmary, Fisherton Anger (part of Salisbury, Wiltshire) on 7 February 1838 from gangrene and was buried in South Barrow churchyard on 14 February 1838.
Nearly two years later on 22 October 1839 James died at Weston Bampfylde and was buried in the same grave as Susannah in South Barrow on 27 October 1839. The cause of death was ‘Paralytick’. Does this mean that he was paralysed from the side effects of working as a dairyman for years or had he overindulged in the local cider?
View James Oram 1774-1839 in a larger map
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Ditcheat
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South Barrow
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Weston Bampfylde
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Queen Camel
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Castle Cary
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Kingston (upon Thames)
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