Skaife?

[sikorae]

I have been on IGI for Pateley Bridge where my Skaifes hail from, but am confused. I know years ago Skaife was spelt Scaife, Scafe etc. My dilemma is I have a list of potential children born to William Skaife and Jane. Do I count all the ones listed as born to William and Jane, there are 16 children all with these parents, but sometimes William's name is spelt Skaife, Scaife, Skaiffe, Scafe, etc. From what I have learned the spelling was due to whoever wrote it down for the records.
What do you think, since they changed the spelling around quite a bit, its very confusing. What are the odds on the children all having parents with the same fornames, and not being related.
Incedently Benson Skaife my direct ancestor, is on IGI with his name spelt as Scafe, and later spelt Skaife.

Julie

 

[Minden]

The spelling issue would be due to whoever wrote down the record, as you suggest. As you don't say what period you're looking at, or what kind of people they were, it's difficult to say whether they would have been able to write. My lot couldn't write before around 1830. The parish records would show you their signature or mark, if you have a look at the originals or the microfilm. Failing that, I'm sure there's a local history group who might be able to help you.

I would suggest that you go back another generation or two, if possible. It's well within the realms of possiblity that there was more than one William Skaife, if William was a popular name in the family; they could be cousins, for instance. Jane is hardly an unusual forename, either. If you find two marriage entries for William Skaife with a Jane Somebodyorother, then you're on the right lines. I just did a two-second search on the IGI and found all these Williams who married Janes, somewhere in Yorkshire:

International Genealogical Index / British Isles - 9
Select records to download - (50 maximum)
1. WILLIAM SCAFE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 17 SEP 1829 Marske By Richmond, Yorkshire, England

2. William Scaife - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Banns: 29 JUN 1761

3. WILLIAM SCAIFE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 29 JUN 1761 Hampsthwaite, Yorkshire, England

4. WILL. SCAFE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 30 JUN 1733 Garsdale, Yorkshire, England

5. WILLIAM SCAFE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 18 MAY 1778 Saint Mary Castlegate, York, Yorkshire, England

6. WILLIAM SCAIFE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 31 DEC 1830 All Saints Pavement And Saint Peter The Little, York, Yorkshire, England

7. WILLIAM SCAFE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 28 NOV 1732 Hawnby, Yorkshire, England

8. William Scaife - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Banns: 29 JUN 1761 Hampsthwaite, Yorkshire, England

9. WILLIAM SKAIFE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 26 NOV 1817 Kirby Wiske, Yorkshire, England

That's 7 different marriages. I don't know what period you're looking at, but the 1829 and 1830 ones could cause some confusion. Number 6 could easily be the grandson of Number 5, and the cousin of number 1, given that they would have been married close to the bride's family.

Failing that, look at when the children were born. In my family they tended to pop them out every two years or so, so 16 children without twins indicates a very long period of fertility

 

[sikorae]

Hi Mindon, the children were born between 1783 to 1810. All the children were born in Pateley Bridge, how would I go about finding a local history group (do you mean local to Pateley Bridge?)
I have William's death aged as only 39yrs, and Benson (my direct line also) died aged 39 yrs. So I am assuming there was something in the genes of the males?

 

[Minden]

Something is wrong here; William couldn't have died at 39 in mid 1809, after fathering children since late 1782. Even in Yorkshire they don't start having children when they're 12.

I got this from the IGI a list of the children of Willliam and Jane in Pateley Bridge in the years you gave. The dates are christening dates:

Name Day Month Year
William 14 Aug 1783
Thomas 18 Sep 1785
Robert 13 Feb 1786
Pally (Polly?) 8 Apr 1787
Ailsey 16 Mar 1788
Willy 26 Jul 1789
Jinny 24 Aug 1791
Ann 2 Mar 1795
Sally 3 May 1795
Benson 21 Feb 1797
Micheal 21 Dec 1798
James 26 Jan 1800
Thomas 4 August 1801
Tommy 18 Oct 1803
William 2 Jun 1807
Margaret 17 Jul 1808
John 21 Mar 1810

did your info on the death of William include a year, or did it definitely say his age at death? From the list above I would guess that the first William, Willy and the two Thomases all died relatively young.

The gaps in the christening dates work out except for Ann and Sally, and one could have been delayed if Sally was sick.

There were at least another 6 Scafe families in Pately Bridge at the same time, so it's not beyond the realms of possiblity that there was more than one William, including one who died aged 39.

 

[sikorae]

Whoops :redface: sorry I really don't know where I got that from. Looks like he was in his 70's when he died. The children I have listed are slightly different to yours.
William 14th Aug 1783
Smith 20th Jan 1785
Robert 13th Feb 1786
Pally 8th April 1787
Ailsey 16th March 1788
Willy 26th July 1789
Jinny 24th Aug 1791
Sally 3rd May 1795
Benson 21st Feb 1797
Michael 21st Dec 1798
James 26th Jan 1800
Thomas 4th Aug 1801
Tommy 18th Oct 1803
William 2nd June 1807
Margaret 17th July 1808
John 21st March 1810

Do you think its a bit much that they would have had all these children.