Hi – my GGGG grandmother was Jane Laurence nee Selmes. She had married Francis Molloy, who died and then Charles Laurence. I have just started tracing her line and have found many siblings of Simon Selmes (1790) and Ann Matson. Slightly confused at the moment as who Simon Selmes’ (1790)parents are… I have had two options come up in IGI – one is Simon Selmes and Sal Aylward and the other is his brother Stephen Selmes with Hester Hubbard. Stephen and Simon were sons of Samuel Selmes (1717) with Elizabeth Baker. Any proof that might help me??? Lynne
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16 responses to “Selmes Family”
Hello Lynne,
Simon Selmes (bachelor of Mountfield) married Ann Matson (spinster of Rye) at Rye on 28 December 1802. So,he couldn’t be Simon Selmes, son of Stephen and Esther/Hester Hubbard because he would have been too young to have married in 1802 and also because their son Simon died in 1797 – buried at Bodiam 15 January age 6, and ‘of Mountfield’.
More likely your Simon could be the Simon Selmes baptised at Ewhurst on 15 July 1781, son of Simon (no mother’s name) but likely to be Simon and Sarah (Sal).
I have a lot of Selmes info so happy to help further.
Best wishes
Caroline
Hi Caroline – I have Simon Selmes 1745 who married Sarah (Sal) Aylward 1757 – who had a son Simon Selmes (1781) who married Ann Matson (1780)- who had 12 children. One of them is my Jane Selmes who is my GGG Grandmother. It would seem as if a lot of the remaining siblings left for Australia for a while – I’m presuming following Nelson Selmes when he was transported for 7 years for stealing. Have you much info on this line at all? Lynne.
Hello Lynne
I have 11 children for Simon Selmes and wife Ann, all baptised at Rye:-
Spencer bap 1803, he died in Chichester, Sussex in 1848; Nelson bap 1807 who was transported to Tasmania; William born c1808, possibly the William who died age 76 in 1880 in Rye district; Jane bap 1811, your ancestor; Gillinger bap 1812, died in Tenterden area,Kent in 1877; Charles bap 1814; Prudence Sarah bap 1817; Caroline bap 1820, married William Barnes in 1841 and went to Australia 1843; Eleanor Aylward bap 1821, buried 1821; Eleanor Hilder bap 1823, buried 1823; Alfred Simon bap 1826.
My Selmes line comes from Stephen Selmes b1752 in Sedlescombe, who was a younger brother of your Simon born 1745.
Best wishes
Caroline
Hi Caroline thanks for that. Have managed to do quite a lot of digging on this part of the Selmes family. I have found it really interesting. With Gilinger being a lawyer (so the census says), to Charles and Caroline going to Australia. With Gilinger and Alfred going to Australia and going missing – newspaper article (Sidney Herald 1872)… quite a bit of larceny (Nelson and Alfred)… oh and a few babies born out of wedlock!!! And to add to it their father was living in a rough lodging house, ‘The Jolly Sailor’ in Church Square, Rye at the ripe old age of 82 (1861 census). Had a little look at your line, Stephen Selmes and it looks a fairly similar picture! Reckon a pretty good book could be written!!! 🙂 Best Wishes Lynne
Hello Lynne
I agree – the Selmes folk are a fascinating family to research. They give their children unusual names too,and seem to like those beginning with the letter S. As Selmes is usually mistranscribed by Ancestry, having unusual first names is very helpful in tracking them down.
It’s extremely unlikely that Gillinger Selmes was a lawyer.Looking at the census entries, the occupation reads as sawyer to me.
Best wishes
Caroline
Hi do you know of any Selmes family in the Ore area, in paticular William Selmes born 1833, John Selmes, Rose Selmes, Charley Selmes all born in the Ore area. Any info would be appreciated as at a loss.
Hello Emma
Edmund Selmes married Sarah Gallop at Ore on 21 November 1831. They had 7 children baptised at Ore, with William being the eldest and he was baptised on 5 May 1833.
If you’d like more info on the family just let me know.
Kind regards
Caroline
Oh wow, that is fantastic. Was at a loss. Don’t no much about our Selmes side of the family as my dad did not grow up with his dad. I’d love it for you to give me some more info if possible. My mum is into doing the family tree and William was as far back as she could go. Many thanks. What relation are you in the link? My dad’s dad was called Arthur William Tuttlebury Selmes, my dad is Terrance Selmes. Would be fantastic to see how far back we could go …
Hello, this may or may not be any relation, but it seems like somewhere my grandfather may fit into the relatives you have listed . He was Charles Selmes Laurence Born 1886. I don’t know much about his family, and my father was a product of a later-in-life, second marriage for Charles.
Hi Clare – all sounds interesting. My family line is Charles Laurence (known on birth certificate as Molloy. He was born in 1848. His mother was Jane Selmes. He was called Charles Laurence on the census right up to when he married Louisa Smith and then took his name from his birth certificate, Molloy. My uncle Derek Molloy did a DNA test and we are in fact Laurences! It would seem very likely there has to be a connection – what other info have you on Charles Selmes Laurence. If you let me know i can see if it fits with any other info I have.
Lynne
Hi Lynne,
I really do not have a lot of information prior to Charles Selmes Laurence, only know that he was born January 31, 1886, in Hastings-Sussex-England (as shown on his birth record). He was married to a woman (last name Mitchell) and had at least 2 children, Joan Laurence (1920-1977), and Trevor Laurence (unconfirmed 1921-1989). Joan was married to a Mr MacKay who passed away, then married Dennis W Westoby (1920-2008) in 1972. After Charles’ first wife (last name Mitchell) passed away, he married my grandmother, Florence Hilda Griffin (1909-1972)in 1942, and had my father Anthony Edwin Laurence in 1946. Charles Selmes Laurence died in 1969 in Kidderminster (where my father was born and they lived). And Hlida (as she went by) died in May 1972…. all this before I was born. My dad, Anthony Edwin Laurence and our family emigrated to Canada in 1981 and have been here since. Let me know if any of this might fit into what you know!
Thanks,
Clare
Hello Clare,
Charles Selmes Laurence (b 1886) and his brother William Victor Selmes Laurence (b1884) appear to be sons of Sarah Laurence who married John Beeching in the Hastings area in 1887. They appear together in the 1891 census and Sarah’s birthplace is given as Elsted, Essex and her age as 27 (so b1863/1864). That should be Halstead, Essex and a Sarah Laurence of the right age was living in Halstead with parents Alfred and Eliza Laurence at the 1871 and 1881 census. There’s a birth for a Sarah Laurence in the June quarter 1863, Halstead district. Alfred Laurence was born in Winchelsea, Sussex in 1821, son of Stephen and Alice.
Sarah (and her 4 children) must have left her husband John Beeching at some point after 1891 as she’s not with him at 1901, although his marital status is given as ‘married’. He has lodgers, a widow Martha Barnes and her children. I haven’t found Sarah or the children at 1901 but I’ll keep trying!
The father of William and Charles may well be a Mr Selmes, rather than that there is some connection with the Charles Laurence who was the second husband of Jane Selmes see Lynne’s message.
I’ll post again when I have any further info.
Best wishes,
Caroline
Hello Lynne,
Jane Selmes married Francis Porter Molloy in Rye in 1836 and they had a son William Strand Molloy born at Rye in 1837, before Francis died in 1839.
Jane remarried to Charles Laurence in 1849, Before she remarried she had a son Charles (birth reg 1848 as Charles Molloy) and quite probably also a daughter Susan Prudence Molloy born 1845 at Rye and buried there age 3 weeks.
It’s good that your uncle has been able to confirm that Charles was a Laurence.
I expect you have the above info but thought I would include it to help with this ‘Laurence’thread.
Best wishes,
Caroline
Hello Clare,
Charles Selmes Laurence (b 1886) and his brother William Victor Selmes Laurence (b1884) appear to be sons of Sarah Laurence who married John Beeching in the Hastings area in 1887. They appear together in the 1891 census and Sarah’s birthplace is given as Elsted, Essex and her age as 27 (so b1863/1864). That should be Halstead, Essex and a Sarah Laurence of the right age was living in Halstead with parents Alfred and Eliza Laurence at the 1871 and 1881 census. There’s a birth for a Sarah Laurence in the June quarter 1863, Halstead district. Alfred Laurence was born in Winchelsea, Sussex in 1821, son of Stephen and Alice.
Sarah (and her 4 children) must have left her husband John Beeching at some point after 1891 as she’s not with him at 1901, although his marital status is given as ‘married’. He has lodgers, a widow Martha Barnes and her children. I haven’t found Sarah or the children at 1901 but I’ll keep trying!
The father of William and Charles may well be a Mr Selmes, rather than that there is some connection with the Charles Laurence who was the second husband of Jane Selmes see Lynne’s message.
I’ll post again when I have any further info.
Best wishes,
Caroline
Hello Clare
I’ve just found mention in the Hastings & St Leonards Observer newspaper dated 18 December 1886, that the father of Sarah Laurence’s two children was Victor Selmes. He was ordered to pay maintenance.
From my Selmes records I see that he joined the army on 9th February 1887.
Best wishes,
Caroline
Hi Lynne, I saw your message from 2010 and wonder If you possibly have any info about Nelson. I’m starting on an assignment and came across nelson’s name and thought I’d try and work out his background and what happened in Australia.