The Tree of Me

During 2012 I visited three churches of significance to the family of Thomas and Betsy Dawson who emigrated to Australia from Renhold, Bedfordshire in 1848 aboard the Equestrian.  All Saints Church, Renhold, Bedfordshire, England St Leonard's Church, Old Warden, Bedfordshire, England All Saints, Ravensden, Bedfordshire, England

For the past few days I have been staying in Renhold, the village in Bedfordshire, England where my husband's Dawson ancestors lived. Elis Hare Dawson was born on 14 December 1821, the first child of Thomas Dawson and his wife Betsy Hare. Thomas and Betsy had been married in 1820 at Old Warden a few miles from Renhold. I had a reference to the baptism of Elis Hare. The reference was in the Renhold baptisms but indicated that the baptism took place at Old Warden. This was something of a mystery. I went to the Bedford Archive to investigate. Upon arrival I asked to see the specific register. They told me the baptisms were on microfiche and I would need to use those as the originals were not to be used. I told them that the information indicated that it wasn't a baptism but instead a reference to the baptism and that it was the last entry in the book. I showed them the screenshot I had taken from their online catalogue. The original baptism register for Renhold was gi...