I’m looking at DNA matches near James Jennings Smith and Elizabeth Cummings.

I managed to trace and connect 18 matches to James and Elizabeth, seven via their daughter Rebecca (married George Norvell) and the rest via their daughter Susannah (married Ralph Rodgerson).

I’m now taking a look higher up in the tree on the Cummings side. There are suggestions that Elizabeth’s parents were John Cummings and Margaret Carter.

In the 1851 census Elizabeth Cummings stated she had been born c.1811 in New Painshaw, which is a mining community in the parish of Penshaw, between Houghton le Spring and Washington.

Previously (25 Sep 2024) I found a baptism of an Elizabeth Cummings in 1811 in Penshaw but also found her burial in 1812. She was the daughter of Robert Cummings and Elizabeth Hunter. Robert, a pitman, also died in 1812 aged 32.

I have several DNA matches with a suggest through John Cummings and Margaret Carter. Two seem to via a daughter named Jane who married a Milburn.

I also have three matches who seem to descend from Margaret’s supposed parents John Carter and Margaret Robinson via a sister Jane Carter who married a James Reed, via sister Elizabeth who married George Oats and via a brother John.

I found the marriage of John Cummings and Margaret Carter in Penshaw:

John Cummings and Margaret Carter both of this Chapelry were married in this Chapel by Banns this 1st Day of May 1802.¹

I then read forward in the register to see if I could see any children:

Mary Ann Cummings, born 8 Nov, bap 8 Apr 1804, 1 dau of John Cummings Pitman na. of Houghton Par. by his wife Margaret Carter na. of this Chapelry²

then:

Elizabeth Cummings, born 24 Apr, bap 24 Aug 1806, 2 dau of John Cummings. Pitman, na. of Houghton Par. by his wife Margt. Carter na. of this Chapelry³

This could well, be my ancestor Elizabeth, though she is born five years earlier than I was expecting.

Margt. Cummings, born 25 Jul, bap 25 Sep 1808, 3 dau of John Cummings. Pitman, na. of Houghton Par. by his wife Margt. Carter na. of this Chapelry⁴

I checked baptisms and burials up to the end of 1814.

I then had another look for James Jennings Smith and Elizabeth Cummings marriage. Their first child was Susannah, baptised 1832 in Hetton le Hole, a chapelry created from Houghton le Spring in 1832. On the census she seems to have been born in about 1830.

I checked the Houghton le Spring marriages from 1827-1832 but there was no trace. I did the same for Penshaw from 1827-32 and for the neighbouring parish of Easington 1827-1832.

I gave up on that and returned to the Carters. I found a tree by Anthony Jennings⁵ that looked well sourced and set about looking up the baptisms of the Carter family in the Bishops Transcripts.

2 Aug 1778, marriage of John Carter of this chapelry and Margaret Robinson of the parish of Herring, by banns

7 Feb 1779, baptism of Cuthbert Robinson Carter, son of John and Margaret Carter of West Herrington Water Side

22 Sep 1779, burial of Cuthbert Robinson the son of John Carter of West Herrington Water Side

1 Oct 1780, baptism of Mary, dau of John and Margaret Carter of West Herrington Water Side

7 Jul 1782, baptism of Ann, dau of John and Margaret Carter of West Herrington Water Side

25 Jul 1784, baptism of Margaret, dau of John and Margaret Carter of West Herrington Water Side⁶

10 Sep 1786, baptism of Elizabeth, dau of John and Margaret Carter of West Herrington Water Side

9 Dec 1792, baptism of John, son of John and Margaret Carter of West Herrington Water Side

3 Nov 1793, burial of John the son of John Carter of West Herrington Water Side

30 Nov 1794, baptism of Robinson, son of John and Margaret Carter of Coxgreen

7 Jan 1798, baptism of John Carter 4th son of John Carter, Keelman, Coxgreen by his wife Margt Robinson, native of the Parish of Mornington, born 3 Nov 1797

9 Jan 1803, baptism of Jane Carter, 6th dau of John Carter, Keelman, na of this Chapelry by his wife Margaret Robinson, na. of Church Mounington Par