The surname Buckeldee was quite rare in 1800s England. I discovered that it originated in the parish of Whatfield, Suffolk County, England.
Edward Aldous
Born: 1863 in Bedingfield, Suffolk County, England
Father: James Aldous (1840 to 1916)
Mother: Caroline Smith (1839 to 1919)
Spouse: Florence Jane Buckeldee (1857 to 1936)
Married: 1892 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England
Children:
Grace Edith Aldous (21 AUG 1894 to 1966)
Hilda Buckeldee Aldous (4 MAR 1898 to 11 DEC 1972)
Died: 1929 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England
Timeline:
1871 Bedingfield, Suffolk County, England
1881 Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England
1891 Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England
1892 Marriage to Florence
1894 Death of sister, Fanny
1894 Birth of daughter, Grace
1898 Birth of daughter, Hilda
1901 Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England
1911 Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England
1915 Death of brother, John
1916 Death of father, James
1919 Death of mother, Caroline
1929 Death of brother, William
1929 Death and Burial
Occupation: shoemaker (1881 and 1891), bootmaker (1901 and 1911)
Records:
1871 to 1911 England Census Records
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
England & Wales Christening Records, 1530-1906
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
Variation of Surname: none
Spouse:
Florence Jane Buckeldee:
Florence was born in 1857 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England. She died on 4 MAY 1936 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England.
Florence was the illegitimate daughter of Jane Buckeldee.
Jane Buckeldee was born in 1837 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1910 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England.
Jane’s father was William Buckeldee. He was born in 1811 in Whatfield, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1887 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England.
Jane’s mother was Jane Steed. She was born on 2 JUL 1815 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1898 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England.
Florence’s mother, Jane Buckeldee:
Jane never married. The England census records from 1851 to 1901 show that she was employeed by the Mason family of Kersey, Suffolk County, England. Jane worked for them for over 50 years.
Benjamin Mason owned the Kersey Mill. He was born in 1813 in Kersey, Suffolk County, England. He died on 18 DEC 1889 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England. After Benjamin died, his sons took over the business.
The Surname of Buckeldee:
When I first saw Florence’s maiden name, Buckeldee, I wondered at its origins. The Internet Surname Database had entries for Buckle, Bucklee, Buckleigh, Buckler, Buckles, and Buckley. Yet, it had nothing for Buckeldee.
I then discovered two websites that made mention of the Buckeldee surname:
Sounding Board Productions has a PDF file of Suffolk County (England) surnames. It has this description:
“Buckledee – Suffolk name through and through and can be traced back to one man in the 1700s just outside Hadleigh – meaning unknown.”
The History of Suffolk website has a list of 37 people with the surname of Buckeldee. The interesting part is that all but two of these individuals were born in the parish of Whatfield, Suffolk, England.
When I pulled up the Wikipedia article on Whatfield, Suffolk County, England, I found this informaiton:
“The parish council holds two meadows . . . the first meadow, known as Buckle’s Meadow, or Buckledees Meadow by some older parishioners, was purchased in the 1960s . . .”
This meant that the Buckeldees must have owned land in Whatfield, Suffolk County, England. I have sent an inquiry to the Whatfield Parish Council. I will update this post when I receive a response.
On my Ancestry.com family tree, I built the Buckeldee line back to one ancestor. Below is the trail that led to Florence Jane Buckeldee. Most of these individuals were born, married, and/or died in Whatfield unless otherwise referenced.
William Buckeldee was born in 1761 (birthplace unknown). He died in 1832.
William married Elizabeth Wright (1760) on 29 DEC 1783. Three known children were born to this marriage:
William Buckeldee (1784 to 1810) based on the birth of the other William.
John Buckeldee (1788 to 1789)
John Buckeldee (1790)
Elizabeth must have died around 1796. William then married Mary Marchant (1774 to 1851) on 23 OCT 1798. Seven known children were born to this marriage:
James Buckeldee (1799 to 1802)
Robert Buckeldee (1801)
James Buckeldee (1803 to 1804)
James Buckeldee (1805)
Sarah Buckeldee (1807)
William Buckeldee (1811 to 1887)
Joseph Buckeldee (1812)
William Buckeldee was born in 1811. He died in 1887 (Hadleigh).
William married Jane Steed (1815 Hadleigh to 1898 Hadleigh) on 2 JAN 1834 (Semer). Three known children were born to this marriage (Hadleigh):
William Buckeldee (1834)
Jane Buckeldee (1837 to 1910)
Charles Buckeldee (1839)
And, as shown above, Jane Buckeldee gave birth to one child:
Florence Jane Buckeldee (1857 Hadleigh to 1936 Hadleigh)
Florence passed on the Buckeldee surname to her daughter, Hilda.
Daughters:
Grace Edith Aldous was born on 21 AUG 1894 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1966 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England.
Hilda (or Hylda) Buckeldee Aldous was born on 4 MAR 1898 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England. She died on 11 DEC 1972 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England.
I should note that neither daughter ever married. Could it be that they felt the “independence” pull like their grandmother? I have the feeling they did.
Notes:
Here are some links to websites that helped with my Aldous family research:
Aldous.net (Aldous family history and family tree)
Ancestors of Tim Farr, Descendants of Stephen Farr (family tree)
Reid-Schroeder Genealogies (family tree)
The Tree of Us (family tree)
Family Search (family tree website)
The Internet Surname Database (surname meaning and origins)
House of Names (coat of arms)
Creating Your Family Tree
Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:
Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also an excellent source for vital records.
Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory passed down from generation to generation.
Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.
When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. Records should include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.
If you have a unique surname, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are other websites on the internet for countries like Italy and Germany.
Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on. There are also family trees that go “forward into time.” Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty. They would then move forward into the present time. The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline to that famous person.
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