Catherine Maskell c.1752-1832

Parents: ? Maskell
Born: c.1752
Baptised: ?
Married (1): Samuel Hilsdon, on 4th Nov 1774 at St Mary's Parish Church, Haverhill (1)
Children: Elizabeth Hilsdon b.1775
Married (2): James Whiting, single man, on 12th November 1775 at St Mary's Parish Church, Haverhill (1) James Whiting, Single, and Catherine Hilsdon, Widow, Banns on 8^th, 15^th and 22^nd Oct 1775 (4)
Children: James Whiting b.1782, John Whiting b.1785, Stephen Whiting b.1793 and Hephzibah Whiting b.1795.
Died: January 1832 in Burton End, Haverhill. Buried on 11th January 1832 at St Mary's Parish Church, Haverhill.(5)

Bio: The SFHS's Suffolk Marriage Index 1754-1812 shows that when Catherine married Samuel Hilsdon in 1774 her maiden name was Maskell.

It is unclear who her parents were - Maskell doesn't seem to appear as a Haverhill name around this time, so it seems likely she was from elsewhere.

Catherine had a child, Elizabeth Hilsdon, who was baptised on 6th August 1775.(2) Sadly, several months earlier Samuel had died; he was buried on 2nd February 1775.(6)

Catherine quickly remarried, to James Whiting on 12th November in the same year.

Catherine and James had several children together, and as far as is known remained in Haverhill.

James died before Catherine in 1827, she lived until January 1832. They are both listed on the parish registers as being from Burton End.(5)

There is some confusion as the Suffolk Burial Index(6) gives Catherine's age as 8 weeks at time of death, but having looked at the registers myself I'll go with my transcribed age of 80 years which puts her birth at around 1752, and makes her a similar age to James.

Sources:

(1) Suffolk Records Office, Bury St Edmunds, Parish Registers of St Mary's Church, Haverhill. Fiche 578/4/p18 of 37
(2) Suffolk Baptism Index, SFHS, Clare Deanery, 1754-1812
(4) Suffolk Records Office, Bury St Edmunds, Parish Registers of St Mary's Church, Haverhill. Fiche 578/4/p16 of 37 Marriage banns 1754-1795
(5) Suffolk Records Office, Bury St Edmunds, Parish Registers of St Mary's Church, Haverhill. Fiche 578/4/p32 of 37
(6) SFHS, Suffolk Burial Index, issue 2, 1538-1900