by John Slaughter  

Although the number of members that attended the Gathering at Bamber Bridge in October was disappointing, we still had a very good day.

I was pleased to meet Norman Saul, Peter Saul and Eileen Wolfenden again and Martin Saul for the first time. Martin, a relatively new member, has been researching his Leamington Spa Sauls with great enthusiasm and I am delighted that Martin has agreed to take on the role of Saul Coordinator for the Midlands area.

I have one new member to welcome this time around, Bradley Saul from Australia. I have been in correspondence with Bradley’s wife Stacey over the last twelve months. Bradley descends from a James Saul who emigrated to Australia in 1855 and was one of two brothers who emigrated from Cawston in Norfolk. Lorraine Stacker actively researches this tree and is a descendant of the other brother William. Bradley is the first living descendant of James that Lorraine has had contact with.

The Discussion Forum continues to be a useful vehicle to attract new contacts and enquiries. Kerrie Shakells posted a message enquiring about the family headed by Isaac Saul and Mary Ann Arnott who had married in 1864 in Victoria, Australia. Dorothy Hughes kindly responded as she had researched this family some years ago to establish whether there was any connection to her Saul family, before concluding that there was not. Dorothy has provided Kerrie and myself with the information she obtained at that time.

I have been trying to establish the origin of Isaac in the UK. It looks likely that Isaac was the Isaac who arrived in Australia in July 1853 as an unassisted passenger aboard the “Ladybird” and I was initially attracted to an Isaac Saul who was born in Leamington Spa in 1838 to William Saul and Charlotte (nee Carter). This Isaac appears in his parents’ household in 1851 but we lose him after that. However this theory now looks untenable, as Kerrie has informed me that on the 1864 marriage certificate Isaac’s place of birth is recorded as Manchester and his parents as William Saul and Roberta Graham. We have not so far been able to identify this family.

Jennie Saul posted a message on the Forum concerning her great grandfather Charles Lepard Saul, a timber merchant of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. This means that Jennie connects with Les Saul of Canada. Jennie has provided me with details about Charles Lepard Saul, who I had previously had no further information on. Charles married twice and had four children and I have now been able to add his descendants to this Norfolk chart. I have provided Jennie with Les’s contact details.

An enquiry was received from Lauren King, who is interested in a Bridget Saul. All she knows about Bridget however is that she is shown as the mother on a marriage certificate of a James O’Reilly. James is stated as having been born in Dundee, Scotland and was either 21 years or 27 years when he married in Melbourne, Australia in 1924. This information is insufficient to enable me to make any positive connections but I suspect that Bridget may have been of Irish extraction. I have provided Lauren with some ideas on furthering her research.

Andrew Bartley is interested in the connections between the families of Saull and Clare in Winslow, Bucks. His brother in law is a Bernie Clare whose father Percy drew up a family tree and which included thereon a Saul Saull. Bernie remembers visiting a cousin in Eastbourne called Frank Saull. I was able to inform Andrew that there had been a marriage in 1859 between a Saul Saull and an Elizabeth Clare. They had nine known children of whom a John Clare Saull in turn had nine children. One of these, Frank George Saull, is almost certainly the Frank that Bernie visited.

Bryan Pemberton contacted me having found an article on our web site written by Trevor Saul about his WW1 ancestors Frank and Thomas Pemberton Saul. He is connected on the Pemberton side and has provided me with snippets of new information about the Saul descendants of Robert Saul and Mary Jane Pemberton of Preston.    

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