Teasing apart the Shaws

Ann Shaw married in 1791 at Chesterfield to Nathaniel Gee. What has turned up lately is banns at Sheffield as 'Ann Shay', just a few months earlier to same man, surely it's her.

Her only child was born in 1792 Chesterfield, marries 1807 Rotherham, and settles 1808 in Eyam, Derbyshire having a dozen children including my ancestor Millicent baptised 1826. 

Not knowing Ann's parents, I would be interested in this couple: William Shaw of Dore who marries 1772 at Dronfield to Millicent Marsden of Holmesfield, and their burials appear in 1815, 1817 at Holmesfield parish church with place of residence given as Eam (Eyam) for William and Chesterfield for Millicent.

Nathaniel Gee's second wife (m. 1794 Sheffield) is Millicent Damm also known as Amelia.

Milly's parents could well be Ann Marsden who married 1768 at Dronfield to Thomas Damm. Ann Damm left a will in 1810 living at Unthank in the Lordship of Holmesfield and the Parish of Dronfield and names a lot of children including Ann Elliott, Alice Thompson, Martha and Millicent Gee.

(Five years ago in 2020 I was sure that these children's baptisms pointed to Ann being the widow of Stephen Damm, but I can clearly now see this points exactly as I had wanted, to widow of Thomas.)

So Nathaniel Gee's first wife Ann Shaw jolly well seems to potentially be first cousin to his second wife Milly Gee. Milly or her sisters ought to have some descendants in the female line that would help us prove this through mitochondrial DNA, as Ann has plenty of female-line offspring. Milly's daughter's line proved tricky to locate.

So were Ann Marsden (?1746) and Millicent Marsden (?1756) sisters? Fathers John? Millicent is listed as 61 at her burial in 1817 but if so there ought to have been a note about her marrying under-age, at Dronfield in 1772.

Another helpful clue is that William Elliott of Brampton Moor was the bondsman at the administration of (victualler) William Shaw's estate in 1815, and his wife is the Ann Elliott above, this if our story is correct a niece and perhaps neighbour of William's widow.

I do not now think that the stonemason of Eyam sundial in 1780s is the same William Shaw (or Shore).

I also conclude that the Millicent Marsden baptised 1756 at Hope, Derbyshire is perhaps nothing to do with it, although her brother James (1752) does seem to have had a daughter Millicent at Eyam a few years later.

Also, Robert Ellis Marsden 1767-1844 is baptised at Holmesfield (father John again) and has a daughter called Millicent. Robert went down to Teversal as a farmer, and there was a John and a William hovering around the area at a similar time.

There is also the first husband of Ann Shaw's son-in-law, Sarah Hague, whose mother Millicent Dalton of Totley marries in 1775 at Dronfield.

The next best step in any direction is probably the mtDNA route for Ann Damm's female line, which should keep me occupied. And/or mining any more clues from her will of 1810. I have actually visited the church at Holmesfield but not so many clues were there at that time...