Surname Saturday, today my Chasmar Line

Today I'm looking at my Chasmar line. Some times I see it spelt Chasmer and figure they weren't that literate back then.  I used the Surname Database to find the meaning of Chasmar  and discovered that  this unusual surname is of early medieval English origin. Something I didn't know.  It gives seven different ways that is can be spelt and also mentions Benenden, Kent, where my Chasmars' came from.


My ancestor, Charlotte Chasmar was born in Benenden, Kent around 1821 to Robert Chasmar and his wife Elizabeth Chasmar, nee Gardner. Her Christening record show that she was christened on 21 December 1821.

I'm going to jump around here and just do Charlotte and then add other details.

Charlotte arrived in Sydney on 1 September 1839, on board the 'Cornwall'. The spelling of her surname was given as Chaperance. (With the spelling conventions, of that time, the letter p might well have been an S.)  She was 18 years old, a Protestant, from Benenden and was sent to Mrs Havared(sp) at Ultimo House, for a year, with rations.

How or where Charlotte met Henry Vaughan, is a story we don't know but in 1841 she had their first child, Elizabeth, another nine followed. Henry Edward, 1842, William N 1845, Isabella Mary Ann, 1847, ( she is mine), Louisa, 1850, George D, 1852, Catherine Charlotte, 1856.  It is here in 1858 that Henry and Charlotte finally marry. The next two children are Frederick John, 1860 and Rachel W, 1864.  I purchased Rachel's birth certificate, with the hope that ALL previous children would be listed, no just Frederick!

Charlotte was widowed in 1871 and died in 1893.

Isabella Mary Ann, b 1847 married August Frederick Conrad Jasper in 1884. My Grandmother Eveline Maud Jasper was born in 1885, followed by Lydia M, 1887-1888, Violet M 1889-1891 and Walter F, 1891-1892.

You met Eveline, last week with my Galbraith line. 

Back to the Chasmars.

Robert Chasmar is the son of Thomas and Ann Chasmar. His Christening date is listed as 18 May 1777. They also had Catherine, 1780, Charles, 1783 and Hannah, 1786.

Robert married Elizabeth Gardner in 1798, with the banns being published on 28 January 1798, 4 February 1798 and 18 February 1798.  From what myself and others have been able to find, they had 10 children; Thomas, 1799, Elizabeth, 1800, Robert, 1802, Ann, 1804, Eliza, 1806, Sarah, 1808, Mary Ann, 1811, Harriet, 1813, George, 1815 and Charlotte, 1821.

Robert died in 1845 at the age of 68 and Elizabeth joined him in 1846, aged 66.

This was the line I spent most of my Salt Lake City research on and it was wonderful to see the entries, in the microfilmed copies of the Parish Registers.  I will take you back further, another week.

Bye for now,
Lilian.