William Trevithick of Kenwyn, Cornwall - UPDATE

This is an update of a previous entry - significant information is added to I'm re-posting.

My first ancestor in Australia was Thomas Trevithick born 1835 Kenwyn, son of William Trevithick and Ann Watkins Allen, died Hill End NSW 1913. There has always been a suggestion that this line is descended from Richard Trevithick.

There has been a great deal of difficulty establishing Thomas' parentage, however the fundamental facts have been established.

Thomas was born in 1835, baptised in Kenywn, Cornwall.

Source Cornwall online parish clerks site:

Parish: Kenwyn, Date: 08-Mar 1835

Name: Thomas TREVITHICK

Parents: William and Ann

Residence: St Clements

Father's rank/profession: Labourer

Thomas' third marriage certificate in 1900 in Hill End NSW to Mary A GREEN confirms the names of his parents as William and Ann nee ALLEN. Some confusion exists in the records because when Thomas married his first wife Elizabeth Randal CANDY in 1853 in Plymouth, England, his father was stated as Thomas, a Gardner. Thomas and Elizabeth's arrival records on the 'Panama' offer only scant information, and not parentage.

I had a great deal of difficulty finding a marriage for Thomas' parents William TREVITHICK and Ann ALLEN, this is because Ann ALLEN first married William PENGILLY in 1827:

Parish or Registration District: Kenwyn, Date: 25-Oct 1827

GROOM: William PENGILLY

BRIDE: Ann Watkings ALLEN

William PENGILLY died in 1830, Age: 40, Residence: Kenwyn Street, after they'd baptised only one child, William Henry, in 1828 (IGI).

The widowed Ann PENGILLY then married William TREVITHICK in 1834 (From Cornwall Online Parish Clerks site):

Parish or Registration District: Kenwyn

Date: 09-Jun 1834

GROOM: William TREVIDICK (Trevithick)

Groom's condition: Bachelor

BRIDE: Ann PENGILLY

Bride's condition: Widower

Witness 1: Thos Hicks

Witness 2: (mark of)Margaret Courtice

I believe a combination of the incorrect writing/transcription and Ann ALLEN's intervening marriage conspired to make it difficult to uncover them.

William TREVITHICK and Ann ALLEN/PENGILLY had two children that i've found:

Thomas TREVITHICK (1835-1913), and Elizabeth baptised Wesleyan, Truro 1837 and buried aged 4 in 1842. In the meantime, Thomas' father William was buried in 1838 (Cornwall online parish clerks site):

Parish: Kenwyn, Date: 08-Apr 1838

Name: William TREVITHICK

Age: 32

Residence: St Clements

I ordered a copy of the civil registration of William Trevithick's death (the above is the Church burial record), but it gives little more information and throws up some more cunfusion.

Transcript

Registration district Truro

1838 Death in the Sub-district of St Clements in the County of Cornwall

No. 133
When and where died: Fourth of April 1838 at Mitchell Hill, St Clement

Name and surname: William Trevethick

Sex: Male

Age: 32 years

Occupation: Laborer

Cause of death: Typhus fever

Signature, description and residence of informant: The mark of Maryann x Trevethick, present at his death, Pauls Row St Clement.

When registered: Seventh of April 1838

Signature of registrar: John Jennings, Registrar

So where does this leave us? The age of death given in the church burial and the civil death certificate both seem to say 32, meaning he would have been born about 1806 - no baptism for a William TREVITHICK seems to exist around that time in Cornwall. This includes checking www.familysearch.org and www.cornwall-opc.org. The death occured in St Clements (a parish just outside Truro) at Mitchell Hill, a road in the Kenwyn/St Clement area. Finally, the death was reported by Maryann Trevethick, 'present at the death' - I have no way to connect this person to William - mother? sister? Much to learn - so much to work out.

In the 1841 census, the widowed Ann Trevithick is living on Kenwyn St with Thomas and Elizabeth, along with her son William TREVITHICK (previously PENGILLY) from her first marriage.

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So William TREVITHICK (also written TREVIDICK) was born about 1806 according to his age at death, married the widower Ann Watkins PENGILLY nee ALLEN in Kenwyn in 1834 and died in 1838 in Kenwyn, Cornwall. If his age at death is correct he was ten years her junior. He was a labourer according to his sons baptismal transcript.

But who were his parents? And is the age wrong? There don't seem to have been any other Trevithick's in the Kenwyn/Truro/St Clements area - this wasn't an area the Trevithick family were actually from. I hope there's an answer that can connect me back to William.