EARLIER SHORTS
The earliest member of the Short line that can be traced is Henry Short - born in 1736. Though he was married at St Saviour's Church in Dartmouth there is no evidence of him, or his family, in that town prior to that date.
It seems likely that he came, originally, from a village further up the Dart - from Dittisham. On the 15th July, 1736 a Henry Short was baptised there, the son of John.
Using information from the IGI checked against the Parish Registers, John was probably married to Mary Pentecost and was the fifth child of Henry Short. Henry was married twice, firstly to Frances Terry - who died in childbirth - and secondly to Ursula Diamond; who was John's mother.
Henry must have been born around 1660-1670 and it is tempting to speculate that his father was the Henry Short who appears in the Dittisham records with other children in that period. The fact that one of these children was called Stephen lends some credence to this theory as the name crops up in later generations. However the parish records are very difficult to read!
On the basis of the above the early Short family tree, in Dittisham, looks like this:
1 Henry Short
Children:
2 Elizabeth Short - baptised 31/12/1661
3 Steven Short - baptised 1/2/1665
4 Henry Short - married Frances Terry 10/7/1692 (died 22/8/1696); married Ursula Diamond 27/12/1698 (both Dittisham)
Children:
5 Henry Short - baptised 4/5/1693
6 Dorothy Short - baptised 22/8/1695
7 Alice Short - baptised 22/4/1701. Married William Firr 25/3/1722 at Dittisham
8 Stephen Short - baptised 21/7/1703
9 John Short - baptised 29/5/1706
10 Jane Short - baptised 20/5/1708
11 Mary Short - baptised 20/5/1708
8 Stephen Short - wife Grace
Children:
12 Grace Short - baptised 19/7/1737. Married Joseph Blampy 4/1/1757
13 Mary Short - baptised 20/3/1738. Married Henry Ferris 24/11/1761
14 Elizabeth Short - baptised 18/7/1742. This may be the Elizabeth Short who married Richard Parr at St Saviour's Dartmouth on 12/12/1767. Curiously, this marriage was "witnessed" by Hercules Solomon senior and Hercules Solomon junior who appear elsewhere in the family tree.
15 John Short - baptised 10/8/1746
16 Stephen Short - baptised 11/7/1749
15 John Short - married Mary Southcote 5/8/1771. Moved to Totnes, all children baptised there.
Children:
17 Mary Short - baptised 21/7/1777
18 Thomas Short - baptised 21/7/1777
19 John Short - baptised 29/2/1781
20 Edward Southcott Short - baptised 5/10/1783
9 John Short - married Mary Pentecost 3/8/1729 For the Pentecost line - further back - click here!
Child:
21 Henry Short - baptised 15/7/1736 - this is most probably the child who leads to the Short family tree!
Looking at other records for both Dittisham and Dartmouth, I suspect
that Henry was not John and Mary's only child - there may also be these:
22 John Short.
At St Petrox, Dartmouth, a John Short junior married Mary Start on 3/2/1755; the marriage being witnessed by John senior - presumably his father. There are no children to this marriage in any of the three Dartmouth parishes. However, there are children to a John and Mary Short at Dittisham, starting in 1756. The family tree above includes every one of the Short records in the Parish Register of the village from 1660 to 1750 so this couple must have come into the village - or, if I am right, returned to it.
23 William Short.
Analysis of Dartmouth records suggests another possible son in the form of William Short, a hellier, who married Ann Frost on 24/11/1765 - again at St Petrox. William and Ann had a son, also William, baptised 1/12/1771. William, now a widower, married Hellon Thompson (herself a widow) on 12/5/1782 and had seven children. William was buried at St Saviours, Dartmouth on 11/2/1814. His age - 70 years - would put his birth in 1743 or 1744 and he is almost certainly the "William, son of John" baptised at Townstal on 8/5/1743 and can fairly safely be added to the tree!
24 Thomas Short.
Another "extra" son is to be found back at Dittisham. On 12/12/1771 Thomas Short married Agnes Steere. This couple subsequently had two sons baptised at Dittisham.
The dates for these three plus the other information make them eminently suitable candidates while also sorting out the "stray" Shorts I have come across in Dartmouth and Dittisham. The Short family tree thus continues:
9 John Short - married Mary Pentecost 3/8/1729
Children:
21 Henry Short - baptised 15/7/1736 at Dittisham
22 John Short - born c 1730 - place unknown
23 William Short - baptised 8/5/1743 at Townstal
24 Thomas Short - born c 1745 - place unknown
22 John Short - married Mary Start 3/2/1755 at St Petrox, Dartmouth. From a Will at the Public Records Office, John died c 1797 and had been living and working in Dittisham. From the list of bequests his daughter Catherine was not married when the Will was written and it must be presumed that his daughter Mary was already deceased by 1792. John's wife Mary must also have been long dead as his wife, in the Will, is Elizabeth. This marriage remains to be found.
Children:
25 John Short - baptised 21/12/1756 at Dittisham
26 Mary Short - baptised 21/8/1757 at Dittisham. Married Henry Wakeham 30/11/1779
27 Abigail Short - baptised 25/11/1758 at Dittisham
28 Catherine Short - baptised 31/12/1762 at Dittisham. Married Thomas Moor 9/10/1792
25 John Short - married Jane Pike 3/3/1778 at Dittisham
Children:
29 John Short - baptised 22/3/1778 at Dittisham
30 Thomas Short - baptised 5/12/1779 at Dittisham
31 Sarah Pike Short - baptised 13/10/1782 at Dittisham. Died 1/2/1784
32 Mary Short - baptised 29/1/1786 at Dittisham. Married Thomas Perham 11/2/1806
33 Jenny Pike Short - baptised 4/1/1789 at Dittisham. Died 13/10/1791
34 Katherine Short - baptised 23/10/1791 at Dittisham
35 Abigail Short - baptised 11/5/1795 at Dittisham. Died 13/10/1817
36 William Short - baptised1/4/1798 at Dittisham. Died 1/9/1817
29 John Short - married Ester Jillard 20/4/1803. Married Mary Ann Bold 9/1/1806. Died 9/10/1817
23 William Short - married Ann Frost on 24/11/1765 at St Petrox, Dartmouth. Married Hellon Thompson (a widow) on 12/5/1782 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
Children:
30 William Short - baptised 1/12/1771 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
31 Joseph Tucker Short - baptised 6/3/1786 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
32 Robert Short - baptised 8/7/1787 at St Saviours, Dartmouth
33 James Short - baptised 28/12/1789 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
34 Joseph Tucker Short - baptised 18/12/1791 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
35 Elizabeth Short - baptised 5/10/1794 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
36 Henry Short - baptised 21/2/1796 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
37 Charles Hill Short - baptised 18/5/1803 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
32 Robert Short - married Mary Dambrill 27/6/1809 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
Children:
38 William Short - baptised 30/5/1810 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
39 Robert Short - baptised 21/1/1812 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
40 Hellon Mackie Short - baptised 17/6/1814 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
41 Eliza Short - baptised 4/3/1817 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
42 Mary Short - baptised 6/5/1821 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
43 Joseph Henry Short - baptised 28/2/1824 at St Petrox, Dartmouth
38 William Short - married Jane Paige Cox 11/1/1834, in Kingswear
24 Thomas Short - married Agnes Steere 12/12/1771 at Dittisham
Children:
44 Peter Short - baptised 23/6/1782 at Dittisham
45 William Short - baptised 30/12/1787 at Dittisham