| The majority of our East Anglian ancestors came from the Lowestoft area, and many were involved in the fishing industry. Others came from Metfield in Suffolk and Reedham and Brooke in Norfolk. |
| Great, Great Uncle Robert Parker of Lowestoft was a sailmaker. He wrote the story of his life from 1857-1882. We can provide a transcript to anyone interested. |
Mary Agus married John French in Lowestoft in 1690 and died in 1737. We have no idea where or when she was born. back
Tabitha Allen, the daughter of Thomas and Sarah, was baptised in Lowestoft in 1637. She married Thomas Buxton in 1655/56. back
Samuel Ashmenal, (perhaps the son of John and Martha of Southwold) was a ropemaker in Pakefield. He died in 1699, leaving two children, John and Martha. Martha married William Lillystone in 1712 in Pakefield. back
Elizabeth Barrett married John Crispe in Lowestoft in 1748. Her baptism and burial have not been found. back
Sarah Bully was born about 1734. She married William Chilvers in 1758 in Reedham, Norfolk. After his death, she married Jeremiah Alborough, also in Reedham in 1768. Her burial has not been found. back
Thomas Buxton, son of John and Alice was baptised in Lowestoft in 1629/30. He married Tabitha Allen. Their daughter Tabitha, born 1667, married John Postle. back
Esther Clarke was the second wife of William Parker. They married in 1807 in Lowestoft, after the death of William's first wife, Amy Clarke. The births of neither of these wives has been found. back
Our link to the Colby family is not conclusive, but is possible. We have information about the ancestors of Alice Colby who was born in 1693 in Pakefield and married William Crispe in 1717. back
Robert Crispe was baptised in Lowestoft in 1755, the son of John and Elizabeth. He married Ann Lillystone in 1776. Their daughter Ann, born 1777, married Isaac Colman. We have traced the descendants of some of Ann's siblings. back
Mary Ellis married Francis Thornton in 1765 in Lowestoft. She died, aged 37, in 1778. Her baptism has not yet been found. back
We would like to think that our French line is correct, but it lacks proof. Our best guess begins with a marriage in 1597 of Andrew French and Elizabeth Cockeys in Lowestoft. Their son, Thomas, was born in 1600, with his son Andrew, being baptised in 1627. The next generation (which has more evidence to support it) shows John marrying Mary Agus in 1690. Their son Andrew was baptised in 1697 and married Ann Postle in 1725, again in Lowestoft. Their daughter Ann, born 1726, married Thomas Lillystone. back
Our ancestor, William Lillystone, first appears in Pakefield records in 1712, when he married Martha Ashmenal. Their son Thomas, born 1723, married Ann French. Their daughter Ann born 1755 married Robert Crispe. back
Diana Long married Samuel Burleigh in 1791 in Metfield, Suffolk. Records show her date of birth to be around 1770, but she has not been found. back
Lydia Maffrey married Simon Parker in Lowestoft in 1765. We believe she was born about 1741, but have not traced her parentage as yet. back
Mary Money married Jeremiah Colman in Brooke, Norfolk in 1731/32/ Mary is a new addition to our tree and we have not seriously started to research her line yet. back
Ann Moore was the wife of Francis Parker of Lowestoft. We have not found their marriage. We know Ann died in 1762 and this leads us to a date of birth of around 1679. back
Margaret Moss was the wife of Simon Parker of Lowestoft. We have not found the marriage and only have information from her burial entry which stated she was the daughter of Samuel and Margaret Moss and was born around 1710. We have yet to find out if this is accurate. back
John Postle was a sailmaker who died in Lowestoft in 1727. His daughter Ann was born in 1697 and married Andrew French in 1725. back
The earliest Thornton we have is Richard who was born about 1683 and married Elizabeth (date and place not known). He died in Lowestoft in 1722/3. His widow later married John Fairellis. Richard’s son, Francis, was born in Lowestoft in 1717. We believe he was first married to Elizabeth Sparham, then to Mary Ellis, by whom he had 9 children. Mary died in 1778, leaving him with a young family. The younger children appear to have been sent out of Lowestoft; certainly two girls, Martha and Sarah married in Reedham, Norfolk. Martha married James Layton and died in Reedham in 1811. Sarah Thornton married William Albrow and moved back to Lowestoft. We have a copy of Francis’ will, which gives details of property he owned. Francis’ son Richard married Sarah Ann Beane and lived in Lowestoft. He was a brewer. Some of his descendants lived in Beccles.
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