The abbreviation SC refers to St. Catherine's House Indexes at London, England. The Registration District (which includes many towns and hamlets in the general area), the volume number, and the page number are given here so that you can order the documents you need for proof. Supplying the reference saves you money and time.

IGI refers to the International Genealogical Index compiled by members of the Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). Entries need to be proved, but offer an excellent starting place for research.

I am most grateful to the Reverend Frank Best, former Rector of St. Botolph's, Sibson, for accumulating Choyce/Choyce vital statistics from St. Botolph's Church at Sibson and St. James Church at Twycross. These records were made accessible to me directly through Reverend Best. Also, through Rev. Douglas R. Hayball, Rector of St. Botolph's in the 1980s, who offered copies of them to John Samuel Choyce of Glen Parva, who forwarded them to me. Thanks also to Jessie (Holness) Moretti, of Wymeswold, Leicestershire, who contributed statistics directly from Parish Registers and Bishops Transcripts right up until a few weeks before her untimely death. Jessie's family will be found in the chapter for Robert Choyce, Husbandman, of Congerstone. As Jessie liked to say, she is "thrice-related to Choyces."Jessie's husband, Alec Moretti, has continued to send Choyce contributions since her passing.

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FAMILY OF ELSIE (SHARPE) AND JOHN SAMUEL CHOYCE formerly of Glen Parva, Leicester, presently of Nuneaton, Warwickshire Back row: Colin, Arthur, Chris, Don and John Samuel Next row: Ronan, Ciara, Peter, Sally Seated: Alison with Mark, Fran, Sue with James, and Elsie with Jess

This chapter has been named for Thomas Choyce because I am not certain of the identity of his father, Samuel Choyce.

Prologue

SAMUEL CHOYCE OF TWYCROSS? (SPECULATION)

We learned from Thomas Choyce's marriage record in the Measham Parish Register, that his father's name was Samuel. Samuel was a rather common name among the early Choyce and Choice families, therefore I can only speculate on his origins, but at least it does offer a starting point for further research.

Perhaps this was the Samuel Choice (although his name was later spelled Choyce) who married Sarah (Insley) 29 Jun 1812 at Sheepy Magna, Leicestershire. Sarah (Insley) Choice would have been born about 1789, according to her death record. Samuel Choice would have been born about 1783, based upon his death record.

The IGI says that Sarah (Insley) and Samuel Choice had six children: Thomas, born 30 May 1913, at Higham-on-the-hill, and at least five more children all born at Shackerstone: John, born in 1821; Samuel,born 1824 probably died as an infant; Sarah, born 1829; Ann, born 1831, married John Jackson; and Samuel, born 1835. Thomas (born in 1913) was born at the right time and in the right place to have been the subject of this chapter. His surname was spelled Choice.

To speculate further, still relying on the IGI, Samuel Choice (who married Sarah Insley) may have been the Samuel Choyce (note spelling) who was born 25 Nov 1781 (death records are often off a few years) at Ashby Magna, Leicestershire. That Samuel may have been the son of Eleanor (Sedgley) and John Choice. He was one of nine children. (Note the qualifiers, "perhaps, probably, may have been,etc." This must all be proved.)

At the same time, I must admit that there are other families into which Samuel would fit as snugley, but as we progress we will see why I favor this family over other possibilities.

In the 1851 Census for Shackerstone, forwarded by Jessie (Holness) Moretti, there is a family headed by Sarah Choyce, age 62, born at Shackerstone, a grocer. Also in the house were her son, Samuel, aged 16, born at Shackerstone; her married daughter Ann Jackson, age 20, born at Shackerstone, assistant grocer; and John Jackson, age 22, son-in-law, an agricultural laborer, born at Billeston.

Samuel Choice who married Sarah Insley, died 5 Apr 1845,(SC, J-1845,Mkt.Bos.,v.15,p.139) at Shackerstone, at the age of 62 years. Sarah (Insley) Choice died 1 Sep 1856, at Shackerstone, Leicestershire, at the age of 67. Her death is not in SC.

Of possible interest to this family: there is a will for Samuel Choice of Shackerston who died 26 Jul 1910 at Shackerston. In it he mentions Samuel Jackson, a gardener, and Thomas Jackson, a traffic inspector.

KEZIA (CLARE) and THOMAS CHOYCE, HUSBANDMAN of TWYCROSS, APPLEBY and MEASHAM

Thomas Choyce, son of Samuel Choyce, was born about 1812. That date is an estimate based on his age at the time of his death.

Thomas Choyce, married Kezia Clare, 9 Dec 1847, at Measham, Leicestershire, according to their marriage record discovered in the Measham Parish Register by Jessie (Holness) Moretti. There is an entry at SC for a Thomas Choice who married within the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Registration District (SC-D-1847,v15,p.29). I am not sure he is the same Thomas, but will proceed on that assumption..

In their marriage record, Thomas was described as being "a husbandman of full age of Shackerstone son of Samuel Choyce". (Jessie told me that in the 1800s, the term "husbandman" was applied to a person who tilled the soil and worked with farm animals.)

Kezia was also "of full age, daughter of Henry Clare of Measham." It is interesting to note that one witness to the marriage was Sarah Choice (note spelling). If Sarah were Thomas's mother, it would lend some credence to the speculation that she may have been Sarah (Insley) Choice. That same rationale could be applied if she were Thomas's sister.

Shackerstone is about two miles northeast of Twycross and Measham is about four miles further north of Shakerstone.

We learn from the 1851 Census for Twycross, forwarded by Jessie, that Kezia (Clare) Choyce was born in Appleby. Jessie said that Appleby was located in Derbyshire in the mid-1800s, but today it is in Leicestershire. I estimate that Kezia was born about 1817, based upon her age at death. In the 1881 Census for Twycross, Kezia was 64 years old, reaffirming her birth year as 1817, and her place of birth as Appleby, Derbyshire.

Kezia (Clare) and Thomas Choyce had six children. The first four were baptized at Shackerstone: Henry Choyce in 1849; Ann, 1851; Samuel Arthur, 1854, and Thomas, 1856. Their fifth child, Mary, was born in 1859 (SC,D-l159,Mkt.Bos.,v.7a, p.64). and does not appear to have married. Sarah Choyce, their youngest child, was born in 1861 (SC, J-1861, Mkt.Bos.v7a, p.76). According to the 1881 Census for Twycross she was born at Norton, Leicestershire, which may refer to Norton-Juxta Twycross. She did not marry.

Kezia and Thomas appear to have lived a relatively long life for their times. Thomas was buried 8 Aug 1891, at Twycross, at the age of 79 years (SC,S-1891,Mkt.Bos.,v7a,p.42). Kezia was buried 4 Dec 1896, at the age of 77 years (SC,D-1896,Mkt.Bos.,v7a,p.44). They are both buried in the graveyard at St. James Church, Twycross. It is interesting to note that the death record for Kezia describes her as being "of Norton-Juxta, Twycross". Perhaps she had been living with one of her children at the time of her death.

HENRY CHOYCE OF SHACKERSTONE AND TWYCROSS

Henry Choyce, son of Kezia (Clare) and Thomas Choyce, was born about 1849. The IGI offers a baptismal date of 3 June 1849, at Snarestone, Leicestershire, about three miles north of Shackerstone. He may have been two years old when he was baptized.

In the 1851 Census, forwarded by Jessie, Kezia and her son, Henry are "visitors" at the "White House" at Measham. Henry was described as being "age 1, born at Shackerstone."

In the 1851 Census for Shackerstone, there is also an entry for one "Thomas Choyce, age 38, Head, widower, ag. lab., born Shackerstone". Ag. lab. is an agricultural laborer.

This sounds like "our" Thomas, but he would not have been a widower. He may have been born at Shackerstone. He could be from a different family altogether.

Actually, there's little to show that Henry Choyce existed. Except for the baptismal record, and his presence in the 1851 Census for Measham. We have no further knowledge of his existence.

Perhaps he did not survive childhood, or perhaps he is in records which we have yet to discover.

Mrs. A.M.Higgott, Registrar of the Hinckley Registration District, Hinckley, Leicestershire, responded to my request for birth records for the children of Kezia (Clare) and Thomas Choyce. She could only produce records for Ann, Samuel, and Thomas. As an afterthought, Mrs. Higgott also included a birth record for "Sarah Choyce, daughter of John and Ann Choyce of Shackerstone, born 1858." This clearly indicates that there was a second Choyce family having children at Shackerstone at the same time Kezia and Thomas were having their family. Could this John Choyce have been the son of Sarah (Insley) and Samuel Choice, therefore brother to Thomas (if speculation is correct)?

Back to Henry. In the chapter in this book titled Henry Choyce, Licensed Victualler, of Sheffield, that Henry was also born about 1850, place unknown. I do not advocate that he was the son of Kezia and Thomas but it may bear investigation. That Henry married in Shardlow, Derbyshire, about 18 miles north of Twycross. He had his first four children in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. The one point which brought the two Henrys together in my mind is that the name Clare appears in both families. A tenuous relationship to be sure, but maybe worth a look-see.

There is a cryptic entry found in WRIGHT'S DIRECTORY OF LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND, 1895/1896 (13th Edition) which reads simply, "Henry Choyce, Cottager, Twycross". This entry evokes more questions than it answers.

ANN CHOYCE OF SHACKERSTONE AND TWYCROSS

Ann Choyce, daughter of Kezia (Clare) and Thomas Choyce was born about 1851 at Shackerstone.

I have not been able to isolate a marriage record for Ann Choyce.
In the 1881 Census for Twycross, forwarded by Jessie, there is no mention of an Ann Choyce, daughter of Thomas.

CATHERINE JANE (MARGRAVES) AND SAMUEL ARTHUR CHOYCE, GROOM, OF SHACKERSTONE AND TWYCROSS

Samuel Arthur Choyce, son of Kezia (Clare) and Thomas Choyce, was born 26 Jan 1854, at Shackerstone, (SC,M-1854, Mkt.Bos., v.7a, p.70) according to his birth certificate obtained by his grandson, John Samuel Choyce. Samuel's father, Thomas, is described as a "Husbandman". His mother's maiden name is Kezia Clare. Unfortunately, the print is too light to lend itself to duplication here. Samuel's middle name, "Arthur", does not appear on his birth certificate, although he was known throughout his adult life as Samuel Arthur Choyce.