Hiram Sterry b 1857, Longhope (General)

by rsterry , Kurrajong, NSW, Australia, Wednesday, January 28, 2015, 06:09 (3582 days ago) @ Jefff

I believe his name was actually Samuel [H]iram Sterry but haven't found his baptism either.

I believe this is his death entry in the GRO:
STERRY Samuel I, Newent, 5a, 511, 1, 1919, aged 66

He appears as Iraham Sterrey living with his family in the 1861 census and Hiram Sterrey still with his family in the 1871 census. He was Hiram Sterry when he married Emily Robinson in 1878 at Christchurch, Cheltenham.

In the 1881 census he is Heiram Sterry living with his wife and family. But in the 1901 and 1911 census he is calling himself Samuel Sterry and still with his wife and family. [I haven't found him in the 1891 census]

He did have an older brother called Samuel but Samuel had his own wife and children.

I have no idea why he suddenly decided to call himself Samuel rather than Hiram - especially as he had a brother called Samuel. But families were often terribly unimaginative when naming their children at this time - and certainly weren't as fussy as we are about the spelling of their names, including surnames - assuming they were literate at all - which of course many weren't or were minimally so.

The Hiram Thomas Sterry that you found born at Cheltenham in 1883 was indeed his nephew. And you're quite right about Hiram being a very unusual name amongst the Sterry clan.

Thanks for all your posts.