Frances daughter of Thos Weeks of Heathfield, butcher, and Hannah (baptismal record)
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In May 1851 Frances Weeks was present at the marriage of her brother William Weeks to Sarah Ann Packham in Wadhurst Sussex.
In Dec 1859 Frances Baker and her husband Joseph Baker were present at the marriage of Frances's sister Harriet Weeks to Horace Parsons in Burwash Sussex.
At the time of the 1861 England Census Frances Baker, age 34, born in Burwash Sussex, and husband Joseph Baker, age 43, born in Frant Sussex, chimney sweeper, were living in Frant Road, Frant Sussex. With them were Joseph's sons (born in Frant): Joseph (16) and William (14), and his niece Jane Stapley (15) of Frant.
In Jun 1862 Frances Baker and her husband Joseph Baker were present at the marriage of Frances's sister Mary Ann Weeks to Samuel Rummery in Frant Sussex.
At the time of the 1871 England Census Frances Baker, age 49, born in Burwash Sussex, and husband Joseph Baker, age 53, born in Frant Sussex, chimney sweeper, were living in Wells Road, Frant Sussex. With them were Joseph's daughter Sarah Baker (27) of Frant (domestic servant, out of employment), and Frances's niece Jane Rummery (9) of Hawkhurst Kent, scholar.
At the time of the 1881 England Census Frances Baker, age 56, born in Burwash Sussex, and husband Joseph Baker, age 63, born in Frant Sussex, chimney sweeper, were living in Bakers Cottage, Frant Sussex. With them were Frances's nephew Henry Parsons (24) of Burwash, unmarried, ag lab, and her niece Jane Rummery (19) of Kilndown Kent, general domestic servant. Visiting was Mary Turner (24) of Chobham Surrey [whom Henry Parsons later married].
In Nov 1889 Frances Baker was present at the marriage of her sister Harriett Parsons, widow, to Thomas Sawyer in Tunbridge Wells Kent.
At the time of the 1891 England Census Frances Baker, age 65, born in Burwash Sussex, widow, was with her son-in-law Thomas Weekes* (29) of Frant Sussex and his wife Mildred J (29) at 22 Mount Sion, Tunbridge Kent.
* Thomas Weekes or Weeks was the son of Frances's sister Mary Ann who gave birth to Thomas out of wedlock in 1861 in Frant Sussex. 6 months after Thomas's christening, Mary Ann married Samuel Rummery in Frant. It is safe to say that Samuel was not Thomas's father, as shall be made clear in a moment. That Frances is called 'mother-in-law' of Thomas in the 1891 Census would, in modern parlance, immediately indicate that Frances was the mother of Thomas's wife Mildred Jane, which she was not; Mildred was Samuel Rummery's youngest daughter by his previous marriage to Alice Pemble. This is the 'Jane Rummery' above who was with Joseph and Frances in the 1871 and 1881 Censuses and called 'niece.' A clue as to why Frances was called 'mother-in-law' is provided by Thomas's eldest son who appears with the family in the 1891 Census as Thos. J Weeks, age 5, and who was christened Thomas Joseph Baker Weeks in Tunbridge Wells Kent in 1886. The most likely explanation for Frances being called Thomas's mother-in-law is that Joseph and Frances Baker basically raised Mildred Jane Rummery. The alternative, which seems far less likely, is that Thomas was the illegitimate son of Joseph Baker (who was already married) and Mary Ann Weeks, both of whom were residing in Frant Sussex during the 1860s.
At the time of the 1901 England Census, despite the errors, Sarah [sic] Baker, age 67 [sic], born in Heathfield Sussex, widow, was with her widowed brother William Weekes in Brenchley Kent.
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