| One of my paternal great-great-grandmothers was Maria Symonds (1829-95). She was born at Martham, the fifth child of Edmund Symonds (1798-1861+) and Mary POWLES (1795-1854).
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| Maria Symonds (1829-95) married James STARKINGS (1829-1909) at Martham in 1850. This was over a year after the birth of their first son James. In the 1841 census the Symonds and Starkings families appear to be next door neighbours. In 1851 James and Maria's household is located in the censuses between those of their parents. Throughout his life James junior (1848-?) used Symonds for some records and Starkings for others. He married as Symonds but always appears as Starkings in the censuses. His children were not registered as Starkings but continued the habit of using Starkings for some records. James Starkings senior and Maria had seven more children at Martham after they married.
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| Edmund Symonds (1798-1861+) married Mary Powels (or Powles) at Horsey in 1817. They had eight children at Martham. Three of their five sons: William, John and Robert are known to have married and had families. Robert moved to West Somerton where he and his wife Mary Ann had at least eight children. After the death of Mary in 1854, Edmund Symonds married Frances. It is believed that Frances had also been widowed, she was about the same age as Edmund so there were no children from this marriage.
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| Edmund's age in the 1851 censuses indicated that he was born at Martham in 1793. A Symonds contact of mine did not find Edmund's baptism around that time. The 1861 census indicates that Edmund may have been born rather later, probably in about 1798 but another researcher has also failed to find a suitable baptism. It is possible that he was the son of another Edmund and Mary (née FISH). Edmund and Mary Symonds senior appear in the 1841 census, both aged 80. This is a very good age for the times but the 1841 census does not give birthplaces so it is not known where they were from.
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