Family Events
There are some areas where the researched material can be strengthened and I present some on this page.
Joining the Society
Ann’s obituary in the Methodist Magazine tells us that she had been a member of the society for 62 years. If we interpret this statement as “she had been a member more than 62 years but less than 63 years” (rather than by rounding) then she must have joined the society before her marriage in 1770. This means that she would have joined under her maiden surname of “Richards”.
It’s not fully clear to me where information regarding her joining the society would lie. I have written to the John Rylands Library but they state that they would have no information of this nature in their archives. I have also written to New Room in Bristol where she presumably would have joined. Unfortunately all their archives are in storage until summer 2017 while they upgrade their visitor areas. I intend to look into this further once those archives become available.
Alternatively the Caldicot Circuit may have such information in their archives. I will look into this as and when I can.
Baptism and Burial Records
I’m aware that quite a number of baptism and burial records for Ann’s family are “invisible to me”. Indeed, some descendant children in the family who died young are only visible due to having a gravestone at Earlswood Chapel itself. Additionally I can find no burial entry for Ann Rosser herself in any of the Registers.
This is leading me to the belief that at some point Ann and her followers started recording these events at the Chapel itself – possibly without “official permission” and that these records have become either mislaid or lost. I have raised this with Gwent Archives but they have confirmed that they do not have any such records.
Where would they be? In the archives of the Caldicot Circuit? Lodged at New Room?
Update – September 2017
I have now contacted both the John Rylands Library and New Room. Neither was, at this time, able to find suitable documentation to take my researches further. I have also funded Gwent Archives to look at Bishop’s Transcripts for 1780-1800 to see if we can identify burial dates for Ann’s daughters, one of whom is buried beneath the Chapel. This search also turned up with no relevant information.
The missing information
It is possible that if Ann was keeping her own register that it could have been destroyed in the fire that consumed her cottage, just prior to her death.
This does not explain everything, though. We have her son, William, born in 1772 and who must have died before another William was born in 1786. His burial is also not in the register and this pre-dates all of the other missing information, most of which is burial information. Perhaps Ann was reluctant to register deaths in her family?