A contribution from descendants of millers
at Houghton, now living in the USA.
To contact them
please email us and we will pass it on.
We have an interest in Houghton Mill. Our direct
ancestor's brother, JOHN FUTCHER, was baptized in
Houghton on 24 April 1803. John's parents were
WILLIAM and SARAH (Underwood) FUTCHER. In the 1881
census, John lives in Ryde, I of W, and is listed as
being born at Houghton Mill, Hampshire.
From a Three-part Indenture dated in 1792, JAMES
FUTCHER of Broughton is listed as a miller. His
brother WILLIAM, also of Broughton, is a shopkeeper
and the father of John, above. As far as we have
been able to determine, John's father WILLIAM, might
have taken over the running of the mill upon the
death of his brother JAMES. Or perhaps James ran a
different mill in the area. At any rate, James
seems to disappear from Overseers of the Poor
Accounts and Rate Books, Broughton, after 1797.
The Overseers accounts, Broughton, show "Mrs.
Futcher" paying the rates in 1799, and that is the
last year she is found on the accounts. We have a
few more details of the Overseers accounts from 1792
to 1800, if you are interested. [38M72/PW1 at the
Hampshire Record Office]
Also, 2M37/340, an account book for Thomas Edwards
who lived at Horsebridge and farmed in Broughton and
surrounding area, indicates that in 1798 he sold
barley to "Mr. Futcher", and, in the same year, sold
some wheat to "Mrs. Futcher". In 1799 he sold
wheat to "Mr. Futcher of Houghton". In the 1800
Land Tax Returns, William Futcher pays a tax; no
other Futchers mentioned.
James Futcher, the miller, possibly died 1798, or he
could have died as early as 1796 or as late as
1799. No records have been found. His wife,
Elizabeth, remarried in 1802. William and his wife,
Sarah, both died in 1809, leaving four orphaned
children.
J. S. Futcher
Minnesota, USA
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