Rebekah Chapman was Tony’s patrilineal great great grandmother. Rebekah or Rebecca, there is much confusion about the spelling of her name, was born in Sawston. She was the daughter of Richard Chapman and Elizabeth Geffard.
Richard Chapman was born around 1795, as was Elizabeth Geffard, and typically he had worked as an agricultural labourer all of his earlier life. Richard and Elizabeth, who was from Norwich, Norfolk, married around 1825 and by 1841 had six children and they were Joseph b1826, Elizabeth b1827, Harriet b1829, Rebecca b1830, James b1833 and Eliza b1837.
In 1851 at the census, Richard described himself as a Fruiterer, operating in the Sawston district. Wife Elizabeth was working at the Sawston paper factory as a bag-cutter and her daughter Eliza also, as a paper-glazier. By 1861, however, Richard was back labouring on the land although they were both still living at High St., Sawston, where they continued to live until around 1871. In that year Elizabeth, aged 75, moved to live with son Joseph and his wife but Richard aged 77 had entered the Sawston Almes House, now a pauper.
Taking a step back to look at the children’s stories. In 1851 daughter Rebecca, then aged 21, had married Joseph Parsons, an agricultural labourer, also from Sawston. She will continue our story as Rebecca Parsons.
Eldest child Joseph married Mary Ann in 1843 at Sawston and they eventually had eight children and they were William, Richard, John, Sarah, Jane, Fred, Alice and Elizabeth.
No other records identified to date.