I was working on my 5x grandparents Jacob WELLS and Elizabeth BISCAM when I came across two different sets of family, many of whom did not include my 4x great grandmother at all. So, I set about answering the question:
Were the Jacob WELLS and Elizabeth BISCAM married in Airmyn and living in Melbourne on Spalding Moor the same Jacob and Elizabeth living in Haxey?
After researching and locating documents, the easiest way to lay this out was a timeline.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1762 | Jacob WELLS is born in Haxey, Lincolnshire. Only one Jacob Wells born during that time at Haxey. |
| 1762 | Elizabeth is born to William BISCAM at Eastrington, Yorkshire |
| 1786 | Elizabeth “BRISKHAM” in Airmyn is a pauper and has an illegitimate daughter Mary |
| 1787 | Jacob WELLS living in Misterton, Nottinghamshire, south of Haxey [farmer] marries Elizabeth “BRISKHAM” of Airmyn, Yorkshire in Airmyn |
| 1788 | The family is living at Melbourne on Spalding Moor, Yorkshire [labourer] with birth of first son Stephen – baptism record indicates wife is Elizabeth BISCAM, daughter of William |
| 1789 | The family is living at Melbourne on Spalding Moor, Yorkshire [labourer] with birth of second son William |
| 1792 | The family is living at Melbourne on Spalding Moor, Yorkshire [labourer] with birth of third son John |
| 1794 | The family is living in Haxey parish, Lincolnshire with birth of fourth son Esau |
| 1804 | The family is living in Haxey parish, Lincolnshire with birth of daughter Jane |
| 1805 | Jacob witnessed his step-daughter Mary’s marriage to Samuel Holgate at Hatfield, Yorkshire |
| 1806 | The family is living in Haxey parish, Lincolnshire with birth of daughter Elizabeth |
| 1816 | Elizabeth’s-granddaughter Elizabeth died at Westwood, Haxey Parish, Lincolnshire |
| 1817 | Elizabeth’s granddaughter Sarah Holgate born at Newbigg, Haxey Parish, Lincolnshire |
| 1818 | Jacob is listed in directory of Haxey at Newbigg, Haxey Parish, Lincolnshire as Yeoman |
| 1820 | Jacob died at Westwood in Haxey Parish, Lincolnshire |
| 1827 | Elizabeth died at Westwood in Haxey Parish, Lincolnshire. |
| 1841 | Both the grand daughter Sarah, now married to Jonathan Lee, and Jacob and Elizabeth’s son Esau are living at Rawcliffe Bridge. |
So, there are no overlaps on the timeline. There are many connections in the timeline to the same places as Elizabeth’s daughter Mary and granddaughter Sarah. There are no other Jacob WELLS born in the correct timeframe in Haxey or Misterton, nor near Melbourne on Spalding Moor. There is definitely a strong possibility that they are the same couple.
Although the points on this timeline cover three different counties, the places are not that far apart. Mapping the points covered, using the wedding at Airmyn as the centre point, the longest distance is from Airmyn to Misterton is a distance of approximately 30 km. We know this distance is acceptable as the home of Misterton is included on the marriage documentation. From Eastringham to Airmyn is less than 10 km and it is therefore reasonable that Elizabeth would have moved there, whether to have her baby or before she had her baby. From Airmyn to Melbourne on Spalding Moor is less than 15 km, so again reasonable. Most of the points south of Airmyn are clustered fairly close together.
Finally, DNA matches were found with several descendants of Esau Wells confirming the link to the Haxey part of the family. No DNA matches were found with trees linking to Stephen, John or William. However, at the sixth cousin range that is not unusual that there are be no matches at that range. The first three have solid documentation that includes the name of Elizabeth’s father.
Conclusion
A reasonably exhaustive search indicates that Jacob WELLS and Elizabeth BISCAM are the same couple that married in Airmyn and lived both in Melbourne on Spalding Moore and in Haxey. The family of the couple is shown below.
References
Baptisms (PR) England. Haxey, Lincolnshire. 01 October 1762. WELLS, Jacob. Collection: Lincolnshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 05 January 2026.
Baptism (PR) England. Eastrington, Yorkshire. 28 March 1762. BISCAM, Elizabeth. Collection: Yorkshire Baptims. PE150/5. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 04 January 2026.
Baptisms (PR) England. Airmyn, Yorkshire. 02 November 1786. BRISKHAM, Mary. Collection: Yorkshire baptisms. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 05 January 2026.
Marriages (PR) England. Airmyn, St David, Yorkshire. 4 January 1787. WELLS, Jacob and BRISKHAM, Elizabeth. Collection: Doncaster and Surrounding Area, Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1558-1812. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 04 January 2026.
Baptisms (PR) England. Thornton on Spalding Moor, Yorkshire. 06 July 1788. WELLS, Stephen. Collection: York, Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 04 January 2026.
Baptisms (PR) England. Thornton on Spalding Moor, Yorkshire. 13 June 1789. WELLS, William. York, Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 04 January 2026.
Baptisms (PR) England. Thornton on Spalding Moor, Yorkshire. 27 May 1792. WELLS, John. Collection: York, Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 04 January 2026.
Baptisms (PR) England. Haxey, Lincolnshire. 02 April 1794. WELLS, Esau. Collections: Lincolnshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 05 January 2026.
Baptisms (PR) England. Haxey, Lincolnshire. 01 January 1804. WELLS, Jane. Collection: Lincolnshire baptisms. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 05 January 2026.
Marriages (PR) England. Hatfield, Yorkshire (West Riding). 30 December 1805. HOLGATE, Samuel and WELLS, Mary Bisken. Borthwick Institute for Archives, Yorkshire, bishop’s transcripts of marriages. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 1 January 2019.
Baptisms (PR) England. Haxey, Lincolnshire. 19 October 1806. WELLS, Elizabeth. Collection: Lincolnshire baptisms. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 05 January 2026.
Burials (PR) England. Haxey, Lincolnshire. 28 April 1816. HOLGATE, Elizabeth. Collection: Lincolnshire burials. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 05 January 2026.
Baptisms (PR) England. Haxey, Lincolnshire. 8 January 1817. HOLGATE, Sarah. Lincolnshire Archives. Lincolnshire Baptisms. p 29. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 31 December 2018.
Directories. England. 1818. WELLS, Jacob. Collection: UK, Poll Books and Electoral Registers, 1538-1893. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 05 January 2026.
Burials (PR) England. Haxey, Lincolnshire. 31 October 1820. WELLS, Jacob. Collection: Lincolnshire Burials. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 05 January 2026.
Burials (PR) England. Haxey, Lincolnshire. 03 October 1827. WELLS, Elizabeth. Collection: Lincolnshire Burials. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 05 January 2026.
Census Records. England. Rawcliffe Bridge, Yorkshire. 06 June 1841. WELLS, Esau [head] H)107/1307/18 p 43. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 05 January 2026.
Census Records. England. Rawcliffe Bridge, Yorkshire. 06 June 1841. HOLGATE, Samuel [head] H)107/1307/18 p 44. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 05 January 2026.
