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From at least the early 18th century there were Brush and/or Brash families based in what is now South London but was then still part of Surrey and Kent ( and in London, Holborn, Westminster and in what we now refer to as the East End).
Different conclusions about 'who is who' have been reached by different researchers, one of whom was my father (FWB). I have also been helped by work done by those looking at the Brash family. I have attempted to go back to basics and start from the source material.
1706 : Baptism of Thomas [0011 ] son of John Brush[001], a brushmaker, & Elizabeth [001a] at St Saviour's Borough High Street.
1712: Baptism of Samuel [002] son of John Brush[001], a brushmaker, & Elizabeth [001a] at St Saviour's Borough High Street. In 1726 Samuel son of John is taken on as apprentice merchant tailor and in 1736 Samuel Brush, merchant tailor, takes on an apprentice. It is unclear whether he was admitted as a guild member in 1736 or earlier. (As far as I know John is the only Brush ever recorded as a brushmaker!) ;
1734 : Marriage of Thomas Brush to Elizabeth Lewis at Southwark. This could be Thomas [0011] bapt 1706.
1734: Samuel Brush [003] marries Susanna Rice[003a]. By the dates, this could be Samuel [002] son of John but he is described in the entries for one of his children as a cooper, which is very different from being a master merchant tailor.
1736: Baptism of Susannah [004], daughter of Samuel and Susannah, on 30 January 1736 (born 22 January 1736 - old style?)Christ Church, Newgate Street, Southwark.
1739 : Baptism of Samuel [005] son of Samuel and Susanna Brush born on 10 September 1739 and baptised in October 1739, at Christ Church, Newgate Street, Southwark.
1744 : James [006], son of Samuel and Susanna is buried, age 2. Samuel is described as a cooper.
1747 : James Brush [007] son of Samuel and Susanna Brush is born on 17 April 1747 and baptised on 8 May 1747 at St Mary Magdalene, Bermondsey.
1742-3 Imputed YOB of Mary [008], who died in the Bermondsey workhouse and was buried on 3 March 1820 at St Mary Magdalene, Bermondsey. Her age was given as 77. It seems probable that she was the widow of James [009] but the record does not show if she was widowed, married or unmaried.
1744-5 : Imputed YOB of James [009] buried in 1815, age 70, resident of Bermondsey workhouse = YOB 1744-5. This could be James 1747 if his age in workhouse records was overstated.
1754 : Burial of Mary [010], daughter of James Brush[011], at St Mary Newington. Mary could be anything from 0 to 18, and possibly older if unmarried. If we take an arbitrary YOB for Mary as 1744 the YOB for James could be in the range 1704-1724 . He cannot be James [009] born1744-5 or James [007] born 1747
1757 : Marriage of Susanna Brush to Henry Hill at St Mary Newington. Probably Susanna [004]
1767-1768 : Imputed YOB of James [012] who died 29 Sept 1846 in Lambeth workhouse . 1841 census shows James in the workhouse age of 70 = YOB 1768-71
1772 : Baptism of James [013] son of James [014] & Mary [015] Brush at Chatham. James [014] could be James [011] but it is a very wide gap between children. It seems more likely that he and and Mary [015] are James[009] and Mary [010]
1776 : Bapt of James Brash [016] son of Matthias Brash [017] in Holborn.
1780 : Bapt of Matthias Brash [018] at St Saviour Southwark (FHL only)
( a Matthias Brash, son of Matthias, was also baptised in 1781 in Darlington where there was a Brash family before and after this date)
1776-77 : Imputed birth of Thomas Brush [ 040 ] who was buried on 23 January 1848 at Peckham age 71. I believe this Thomas comes from a completly different group and that he was born in Inglesham Wiltshire "Thomas the much married" - although there is a discrepancy betwen this imputed birth date and a baptism in 1779
1775-1781 : Imputed YOB of Margt Brash [019] age given as 60 in 1841 census in Kennington district of St Mary Lambeth parish, livng alone. Her birthplace is given as Scotland. In 1851 census at Lambeth workhouse her age is given 73 = YOB 1777-1778 and her birthplace as Fort George in Scotland ( which is near Inverness - an army barracks). The record is unclear but it looks as if she was widowed or married. There are Margaret Brash baptism entries in Scotland around this time but none that match to Fort George. 1777-78 is also the imputed YOB of Margaret who died in Lambeth workhouse in 1851. Almost certainly [019]. This could just possibly be Margaret nee Anderson[0 ]who married James[0 ] in 1793 but that would make her just 16 at marriage
1780 : Baptism of Thomas Bruch[041 ], son of Thomas[042] and Francis[042a] at St Paul, Deptford. Some assert this is Thomas [040] who died in Peckham in 1848 but as suggested above I believe he came from another family group completely. Many people seem to have misread the entry and claim that Frances' surname was Giffen. I belive that Giffen is written as the name of the street they lived in.
1783 : Imputed birth of Thomas Brush[050] who died age 60 in 1843. Since he was a Boatswan in the Royal navy his birth could be anywhere
1786-7 : Imputed birth of Charles [020] who married Jane Wallis in 1809. The 1851 census says he is 64, living Erith in Kent . The 1841 census gives a range of 1786-1791. The 1871 census, for Charles in Dartford workhouse, gives his age as 89 as does the 1851 death record (=YOB 1781-2) Despite the disparity between the ages there is no other possible Charles.The 1841 census says he is not born in Kent.The 1851 census says he was born in Erith, Kent but the 1871 says he was born "on the sea". The only known baptism of a Charles Brush or Brash aroud this time is a 1788 baptism in Derby, the son of Samuel and Ann - which is not an area with an established Brush or Brash population. Who Charles was is a complete mystery but I see nothing to place him as a son of any of the known James Brush.
The solution suggested by many ( including FWB) is to attribute him as being named Thomas Charles, echoing the name of Thomas Charles who married in 1829. There is clearly some link. Charles and Eliza Wallis are the witnesses at the marriage of Thomas Charles. Having determined that Charles was also named Thomas,many trees then conclude that he was Thomas[041] the son of Thomas and Francis baptised in 1780. Others, on the basis he was called Thomas, then suggest he was Thomas [040] who died in Peckham in 1848 age 71 which seems inconsisent with the census evidence. /p>
1793 : Marriage of James [021] Brush to Margaret Anderson[021a] at Deptford ( fairly sure it is Brush but also claimed as Brash). This could be James [016] born 1776 but he would be rather young - just 17. It seems more likely that he be could be James [012] born 1767-8 or James [013] born 1772. Margaret could be Margaret [019] who was born around 1777 but that make her her just 16 at marriage. James [021] seems the most likely candidate to be the James imprisoed in 1805 for stealing copper at Deptford dockyard
1796 : bapt of James Brash[022] son of James, labourer and Margaret at Deptford
1798 baptism of Margaret Brash[023] daughter of James, and Margaret at Deptford on 6 May.
1795 : Marriage of Margaret Brush[024]to William Rainbow,witnessed by James Brush (mark X) at St George the Martyr, Borough High Street. If she was around 25 at marriage we are looking for a birth around 1770. There is no known baptism but she could be a child of James [014] & Mary [015] Brush of Chatham OR a sister of James Brash [016] and a child of Matthias Brash [017] OR : a sister of James [012] born 1767-1768 . If she was rather older at marriage she could be a daughter of James Brush[011]
1798 : Marriage of James Brash[025] to Eleanor Burnett[024a] on 25 December at Whitechapel. James could be James Brash [016] the son of Matthias Brash [017] OR James [013] son of James [014] & Mary [015] of Chatham. By the dates it could be a remarriage of James[021] but we have no death for Margaret [021a] and James is identified as a bachelor.
1799 Baptism of James[026] , son of James and Eleanor Brash at Scots Church, Woolwich. Unlike most entries in this register James is not identified as military.
1803 : Baptism of Maria [027], daughter of John[028] and Maria[028a] Brush at St James, Piccadilly, Westminster. Could this John be John [ 0 ] the father of Margaret who married in 1839
1805-1811 : Imputed birth of John [029] living in Bethnal Green at 1841 census age 30
1808-09 : Imputed birth of John [030] in Lambeth, from 1861 census age 52 .Probably the same man as John [029].
1809 : Birth of James Brush [0 ] son of John and Elizabeth, baptised at Colchester. Also the given YOB of James discharged from Camberwell workhouse in 1880. An admission of James into the workhouse at 1868 gives imputed YOB of 1807-8. A death of James in Camberwell RD in 1881 gives an imputed YOB of 1807-8.
1809 : Marriage of Charles Brush[020] to Jane Wallis[020a] 1809 St Mary Newington. The 1841 census has them living at Erith plus Ann age 15 and Eliza age 12. It shows them not born in Kent and his occupation as brickmaker . The 51 censuses still have them living in Erith, Dartford and gives Charles' birthplace as Erith, and his occupation as a fishmonger with an imputed birth year as 1786-7. Jane's age is given as 62 =YOB 1788-89 and her birthplace as Camberwell .Jane dies in 1869 at Dartford age 80 = YOB 1788-9. Ancestry indexes them in 1851 as 'Bush'.
1809 : birth of Thomas Brush[042], son of Thomas[0420] and Jane, and baptism at St Giles Camberwell. No marriage of Thomas and Jane is known. Many researchers consider him to be the son of Charles [020] & Jane but he may be the son of Thomas[040] or [041]. See also 1829 marriage of Thomas Charles. 1806-1811 is the imputed birth date of Thomas, brickmaker, living in Dartford with Sarah and son Thomas in Dartford in 1841. 1808-9 is also the imputed date of birth of Thomas who died age 45 in Peckham, Camberwell in 1854.
1811 : Jane Eliza [0201], daughter of Charles and Jane, born and baptised at St Giles Camberwell.
1813 : Baptism of James John[0202], son of Charles and Jane of Walworth Common, labourer at St Mary Newington. The James living with brother Thomas and sister in law Eliza in1851at Crayford?
1805-1811 Imputed birth of Thomas who at 1841 age '30' is a brickmaker living in Dartford with Sarah 30 and Thomas 3.
1810 : Burial of Thomas Brush ,Wycliffe Chapel commercial road. No age given
1810-1816 Imputed birth of James [031] living in Bethnal Green at 1841 census age 25 (=YOB 1810-1816). He may be the James named as having made Sarah French pregnant in 1840
1810-1816 Imputed birth of James [0], brickmaker living in Erith at 1841 census age 25
1814 : Marriage of James Brash [032], labourer, to Jane Croney[032a] at St Mary Lambeth. Is this James[022] born 1796 age 18? Or James [016] born 1776 age 38? Or a remarriage? Jane's imputed YOB from 1841 census is1780-86
1814-15 : Imputed YOB of James, labourer, a boarder in Camberwell in 1861 census. This may be James John, son of Charles and Jane, bapt 1813
1815 : bapt of Margaret Brush [033] daughter of James & Jane at St Mary Newington
1820 : Bapt of William James [034] son of James and Jane (Brush or Brash) St Mary Newington. In 1841 census William ( age given as 20 = YOB 1820-21) with wife Ann is in St Mary Newington district. Jane age 55 (YOB = 1780-86) is in the same household. So are Louis and Margaret Heron. Margaret Heron's's age is given as 27 (=YOB 1813-14, unusual precise age for 1841 C.)
Bapt of James [035] son of James and Jane (Brush or Brash)1820 St Mary Newington
Bapt of Mary Ann [036] daughter of James and Jane (Brush or Brash) bornSt Mary Islington 1824, bapt Peckham 1830
1821 : Marriage of Margaret [037] Brash to John Blackburn[037a] St Mary Newington. This could be Margaret [23] born 1798
1829 : Marriage of Thomas Charles Brush to Eliza Grub at St Mary Newington. This seems to be the truly solid foundation of a large extended family based in Dartford in the 19h century as detailed in xXx. It is universally assumed that Thomas Charles is Thomas[042] born and baptised in 1809 and the Thomas, brickmaker, who dies age 45 in Peckham in 1854. The issues are who his father was. The baptism of Thomas[042] (as just Thomas, not as Thomas Charles) identifies his parents as Thomas and Jane - which is a surprise. Everyone looking at the records from 1809 to 1824 expects Charles[020] and Jane to be the parents (an assumption which probably requires Jane Wallis to have been pregnant before marriage) . Yet at Thomas Charles' marriage, Charles Brush and Eliza Wallis are the witnesses and in a later census a James Brush is identified as Thomas's brother - a James Brush who looks to be a son of Charles. This has led many to conclude that Thomas [0420] and Charles [020] are one and the same man - also called Thomas Charles. Tempting as this is there could be other explanations that do not involve a completly incorrect register entry. Being a witness does not automatically signal being the father of the groom. A Thomas was buried in 1810 - could this have been the father of Thomas [042], possibly a brother of Charles? Who might also have been Thomas [041] the son of Thomas and Francis. Or could Thomas [0420] be the Navy Thomas[050] away at sea? In both these scenarios it is plausible that 'uncle' Charles brought Thomas up, that the adoption of the extra name Charles by Thomas[042] recognised this and that he regarded his cousin James John as his brother.
1839 Marriage of Margaret Brash[038] Daughter of John Brash, decd[039], to Lewis Hearon[038a] on 19 May 1839 at Saint Mark's, Kennington - witnesses William Brush and Mary Brash. The naming of John, decd, as father means this cannot be Margaret [033] born 1815 who was the daughter of James.Margaret is 35 at 1851 census so born 1815/16. John decd[039] must have been born sometime in the 1790s or earlier - there are no obvious candidates.
1841 census : John and Margaret Brush are listed in Brixton district of Lambeth. Margaret is given as age 26 ( unsually precise for 1841 C.) so YOB = 1815 , John is unclear.Possibly 30? or 70? If 30 then YOB is 1806-1811. Allso daughter Margaret age 2
1846 : Marriage of Mary Ann Brush[036] Daughter of James Brush[032], brickmaker at St Giles Cripplegate - witnesses Lewis and Margaret Heron[038]. Margaret Heron is the daughter of John, decd.[039] So, not Mary Ann's sister but a cousin - the 1851 census puts her YOB as 1815-16. If she was a cousin then James[032] & John[030] were brothers