Susannah and Carpenter Gosach - Cool unusual surname

[lana6765]

I have a marriage record which shows my distant ancestor married a Susannah Gosach.

Here are the details (the handwriting is fairly clear):

Names: William Pettican and Susannah Gosach
Date: 10th July 1798
Marriage Place: Layer Marney, St.Mary The Virgin, Essex, England
In the presence of: Samuel Pettican and Carpenter? Gosach

This is probably the church: https://www.essexchurches.info/churc...Layer%20Marney

Gosach seems like a cool and unusual name. I can’t find much on this surname. Is there any way to trace this Gosach surname back? Also Carpenter sounds more like a trade than a first name, though I could be wrong. I can’t find anything on a Carpenter Gosach.

There’s a few similar surname found elsewhere e.g. a Ham Gosack in Suffolk in 1776. There’s also a Mary, Jon and Charls Gossach in Essex in the early 1700s. Maybe we’re related?

[razyn]

About 60 years ago I was in school with Richard L. Gorsuch, who went on to become quite an authority on the psychology of religion (not my field, btw). The surname is very similar, you might try that spelling.

[lana6765]

About 60 years ago I was in school with Richard L. Gorsuch, who went on to become quite an authority on the psychology of religion (not my field, btw). The surname is very similar, you might try that spelling.

It could be related somehow, but there’s nothing to link me with Gorsuchs.

Susannah is a very common name and I found a number of Susannah Gorsuchs up and down the country, but none specifically relating to Layer Marney. Carpenter is very rare as a first name. I could find some Carpenters, but none that seem like good candidates and no one called Carpenter Gosach, Gosack or Gorsuch.

Perhaps it wasn’t his real name. My first thought was that maybe Carpenter could be Susannah’s father, but he could also be her brother maybe?

[lana6765]

I don’t know if it’s correct because I found no source document, but in other trees people have put down 1777 as Suzannah Gosach’s birth year.

[lana6765]

I did some digging today and found a bit more information about my ancestor.

I looked up the baptism records for the children. It seems that they lived in Great Wigborough and returned to Layer Marney for the baptisms. Susannah was shortened to Susan. William Pettican was born in Great Wigborough, so maybe Susannah had some connection to Layer Marney? Having said that, the villages were 4 miles apart.

William’s profession is probably ‘Husbandman’, which means a small landowner or farmer.

Edit: Susannah must have been local because the cert says ‘of this parish’.

[lana6765]

Still no luck on this one. I’ve searched Essex for possible candidates, but Susannah Gosach does not exist in my searches before 1798.

I’ve searched for sounds like and similar. I think it’s likely that she was local going by the marriage certificate.

This Carpenter Gosach is also a complete dead end! I’ve checked the handwriting over several times to see if it’s something else, but it isn’t.

Any ideas? I feel like I have so many dead ends in my tree. This is one of many sadly, but at least I’ve broken 1800 with this line.

[lana6765]

Ahhh I think I’ve solved it!!!

Gosach is probably a misspelling of the name Gosch. This name is of German origin and is most common in Essex in the UK!

And here’s another thing... Carpenter may also be misspelled or perhaps anglicised.

I have found a record of a Susanah Gosch, daughter of Mary and Caifenter? Gosch: baptised 10 Jan 1779, Tolleshunt D'Arcy, St Nicholas, Essex, England.

Maybe this is her!

On second thoughts it may actually be Gooch. There’s a Carpenter Gooch mentioned on the same page. Why can’t they spell?

[lana6765]

I’ve been researching some more and I’m about 80% sure the surname was spelled ‘Gosch’ and not Gooch or Gosach.

The reason is that I have found possible other children of Carpenter and Mary Gosch, each of whom were baptised at TOLLESHUNT D'ARCY, St Nicholas. Each time the name is spelled differently e.g. Gooch, Cosch. But it makes the most sense if it were originally Gosch.

Maybe neither Carpenter nor Mary could read or write so they wouldn’t know to correct the spelling. But what a rollercoaster!

[lana6765]

I’ve been trying to verify whether this is the same person.

Layer Marney and Tolleshunt D’Arcy are only 6miles apart, so it looks very possible. Perhaps they lived somewhere in this area, close enough to be local to both.

Attachment 44760

I can’t seem to be able to trace this Carpenter Gosch/Gosach/Gooch back yet. If they are even the same person! The other potential children are named James, Carpenter and John.

[lana6765]

Well turns out it may be Gooch after all.

I found a marriage of a Mary Baker and Carpenter 'Cooch' at Tolleshunt D'Arcy.

These misspellings are impossible!

After all this work, I hope this is all actually connected to me and I've not gotten it wrong!