Merriott Families Genealogy

The Raison Family - with connections to Merriott

Also spelt variously as Rayson, Raisen, Raisin

Although this family appeared only relatively briefly in the Merriott records, I had a query about the family from a lady named Jenny, and we have started researching the surname further.  I feel sure that if enough research is done, the various families listed in different villages in the censuses during the 19th century could well be connected further back.  The usage of unusual names such as Levi, Eli, Simeon, Isaac, Job & Tryphena among the families stirs the interest.   If anyone else has research to add to this page, please feel free to share!

Earliest Merriott Records - up to 1812

Marriage 1 October 1700 Mary Rayson and William Willmott
Marriage  21 April 1744 Mary Rayson? and Wm Geep
Baptism 20 January 1784 William, BC Elizabeth Raisin 
Burial 1 November 1803 Mary Raisin 
Marriage 4 January 1781 Mary Raison of Montacute, and John Eason

The Raisins of Merriott 

(1) Joseph & Barbara

On 4 September 1845, Barbara Lacey, a spinster of Church Road, Merriott, daughter of John Lacey, Labourer, married Joseph Raisin, also of Church Road, a Labourer and son of Robert Raisin, a Labourer.  Witnesses to the marriage were John Lacey jnr and William Pike.

The only child of this family baptised in Merriott was Mary Ann Raisin, born 19 January 1846 and baptised on 1 March 1846.

Please see below for more information about this family after leaving Merriott.

(2) Robert & Hannah

Robert & Hannah Raisin/Raison baptised three children in Merriott:

26 March 1849 James, born Feb 26.  Father Robert noted as a Labourer of England's Row, Merriott
25 Dec 1853 Elizabeth, born Nov 5.  Father Robert noted as a Labourer of Eight Acres, Hill Gate, Merriott
11 October 1863 Charles, born 20 August 1863.  Father Robert noted as the Gate Keeper of the Haselbury Turnpike Gate.

I think this Robert Raison (born about 1824)  was brother to Joseph (born about 1819) and therefore son of Robert Raison (born about 1790)

(3) William & Ann

A William & Ann Raison are listed on the 1841 census of Merriott:
Ref:  21;  Bow,  Raison?  William 80, Shepherd born Somerset
Ditto:  Raison? Ann 80, born Somerset

These two are later listed in the Burials:
2 March 1845 Anne Raisin 86 of Merriott; by coroner's warrant; died 23 February [ ie born about 1759]
20 February 1848 William Raisin 88  of Kingstone; died 16 February  [ ie born about 1760]

Could these possibly be the parents of Robert Raison (born about 1790)?

(4) Others

The only other mentions of the surname in the Merriott parish registers and censuses are the following:

Censuses:
1861 52 056;  High Street, Merriott.    Raison Mary Ann Servant U 15 Som, West Coker
1871 29 058; Crewkerne.   Raison Thomas Lodger U 42 Gardener Som, Crewkerne

Marriage:  29 September 1923 William George Raison, aged 28,   Bachelor of Haselbury; Signed the register; a  Labourer .  Father:  John Raison, a Mason married
Bessie Saunders 26, a  Spinster of Merriott, signed the register;  Father: Alfred Saunders, a  Dealer 
Witnesses:  Michael Saunders and Ethel Pike.

The Joseph & Barbara Raison Family after moving from Merriott

A contact by email from Jenny, whose Great Grandmother was Martha Raison, daughter of Joseph & Barbara.  Jenny has sent for some certificates relating to this family.   See below.

I've found this family in other villages' censuses:

Information from the IGI and Certificates received by Jenny:

The names in the Joseph & Barbara Raison family are interesting, in that the censuses show other families of Raisons using these same unusual Christian names.  There was another Levi Raison at Chiselborough, another Levi Raison at Puckington, plenty of George Raisons, Martha Raisons and so on. Almost as if all these families living in different areas of Somerset (but not too far away from each other) were using a bank of "family names". Levi is the one that stands out quite a lot, as it is not a generally common name in my experience.  This area needs more research to attempt to link the families together.

The Previous Generation:  Robert Raison (senior)

I have last found him in 1861, but I still have to search 1871.  So far I think his children were: (tentatively)

Hannah abt 1818
Martha abt 1818 (not sure if Hannah = Martha and one was just written wrongly)
Joseph abt 1819
Robert abt 1824
Levi abt 1828
Samuel abt 1830

I’ve found Robert Raison (senior)  in the 1871 census of West Chinnock – aged 81, Widower, head of household also containing daughter Hannah Geard aged 54 years,  and son in law James Geard, Blind, aged 49.   Both Robert & James are listed as Agricultural Labourers not able to work.  

Robert Raison's (senior) death is  listed as aged 84, Yeovil District Volume 5C Page 367 in the March quarter of 1874.

The Next Generation:  Levi, son of Robert Raison and Mary Patten

I found a website pertaining to the immigration of Levi to New South Wales , Australia , with his first wife Frances Parker and first child.  I have tracked Levi through the death of Frances, his second and third marriages, and children in New South Wales .   The website said Levi was the eighth child of Robert Raison and Mary Patten…    which means there should be a lot of other children to find.    Also during tracking Levi I found a Samuel emigrating to NSW two years after Levi, with wife Margaret and child Tryphena,  and moving to the same district as Levi.     I tried to contact the authors of the website but the mail bounced back.   

This Samuel Raison was the brother of Levi.  He married Margaret Salisbury of West Chinnock in 1855.
Levi married Francis Parker of Chiselborough about 1850.

Immigration to New South Wales, Australia

Information from New South Wales Immigrant Index 1844 - 59 at: http://www.records.nsw.gov.au

The Families in New South Wales

Information from the New South Wales Births Deaths and Marriages Indexes at:  http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au

Immigration to Canada

I've had a few people contact me about immigration of Raisons to Canada.

NOTE:  I have made a few corrections to this section on 16th July 2007 - notably changed all the "Tabitha"s to "Talitha"s, after an email from Doug Sly. 

Doug Sly's wife is a descendant of the Raison family, who came to Leeds County in 1875 from West Chinnock, Somerset.   Sarah Jane Gray was a daughter of William Gray and Harriett Chant, of West Chinnock.    Sarah Jane married John Raison, one of the sons of Joseph Raison and Barbara (nee Lacey).  Their daughter Sarah Jane Raison was born about 1871, just before her mother died.   John remarried Talitha Selina Langdon in 1874, and daughter Susannah was born in January 1875. The family then emigrated to Canada later in 1875.   Sarah Jane married Edward Randall in Delta, Leeds County, Ontario, Canada, in 1898.

John & Tabitha Raison went on to have 11 children together.  The following shows the descendants of John Raison:

Thanks to Doug and also to Jenny Addison for the detail on these Canadian Raisons.
The John Henry Pattemore mentioned above was son of George Pattemore, born 26 Dec 1853 in West Chinnock, and Martha Ann Leeder.   George and Martha married in Chantry, Ontario, Canada in 1878.   In turn, George was one of 10 children of Thomas Pattemore (born about 1820, Merriott) and Anne Hallett (born about 1818 West Chinnock). 

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