Solving Mysteries and Creating More

I've been focusing on my Montomgery County PA roots lately, working on the burials from the Limerick graveyard (also known as St. James Union, which caused me to spend some time reviewing records from the other St. James (the Episcopal one over in Evansburg). Since some of the Evans family from Limerick are tired to the Lanes in Evansburg, I took some time exploring the Lane family again, and found some new information on Edward Lane's family back in jolly old England. 

I have laready written about the fact that Edward's mother was NOT Cecily Lvoe, as is so often reported, incorrectly. The records from the Bristol & Somerset meeting to which Edward's father, WIlliam, belonged, show clearly that William did not marry Cecily until 1678, whereas all five of his children were born by 1671. FamilySearch provides acces to the Non-Conformists records from England, where it can be noted that his children are listed with Christian named as their mother. Christian died in 1674. Of even more interest, however, was the discovery in the Men's minutes from that meeting, the notice of William's intention to marry Cecily Love in 1678, which mentioned that his mother, Alce Lane, consented. Finally, a name! Back into the records I went, finding was looked like the real deal - an Alce Chandler married in 1628 to Thomas Lane! The marriage took place at St. Olaves, in London, and a couple of children, incuding a daughter Francis and a son William, born in the 1630's. This was looking pretty good so far; even though London is not very close to Bristol, it wasn't completely out of the question.

If I had stopped there, as I suspect many researchers do, I would have thought I had some real answers. Unfortunately, digging further hrough the registers for St. Olave's, it turns out both Francis and William died in 1640 of the plague, followed by their mother in 1643. Since both William and Alce are still above ground in 1678 when he prepared to marry Cecily, this is obviously NOT the right family group. So much for that connection! It was fun while it lasted, though.

Just to make things a bit more confusing, there is a record of the burial of a "William Lane, son of William Lane" in 1675, for which I can find no corresponding birth record in the Bristol records, so it is possible that he is the fifth child of William and Christian. There is also a Matthew Lane in the Bristol records who had a son named William, born in 1676, so he may well be related as well. Obviously, still more research is needed.