Brian and Gail Turnbull's Family Tree
The Blandford's in England
The Blandford's in England
Joseph Blandford is the oldest known Blandford of the family that would later immigrate to Newfoundland and become a prominent family there. Two generations from Joseph would all live in the Farnham area. Joseph Blandford Snr. was born in Semley, Wiltshire about 1719 and married Hannah Kearly in 1746 in Tarrant Hinton (Farnham area). Their eldest son Joseph born 1748 in Pimperne (Farnham area) married Mary Cookman in Sixpenny Handley (Farnham area). His eldest son Joseph was christened in 1774 in Gussage All Saints Church (Farnham area). Gussage All Saints lies in a vale on Cranborne Chase, 8 miles North-East of Blandford Forum and 10 miles North of Wimborne Minster. Little is known about the the family of Joseph Blandford born 1774 in Farnham except he was a big strong man of 6" 2" and several of his male sons were Blacksmiths like him. Several documents refer to them as "paupers". Pauper is a term meaning poverty or generally the state of being poor, but in English usage particularly the condition of being a "pauper", i.e. in receipt of relief administered under the English Poor Laws. The father and sons also suffered several skirmishes with the law for poaching or fighting. Three sons immigrated to Newfoundland in 1829. The oldest Daniel settling in Herring Neck. The youngest Darius only a teenager settled in Greenspond. It is believed that a third brother David also came to Newfoundland but at the time of this writing no information can be found.