GAMMAN / GAMMON

The Parish registers refer to the family name as GAMMON until the mid 1830's but headstones and documents make it clear that by the early 1700s the family used the spelling GAMMAN which has been used by them since then.

First definite record of the family is in Chartham Kent England where Francis GAMMON widower born about 1633 married Mary STEAD ( nee DODD) in 1667. Francis died at Saltwood Kent in 1678. His first wife also Mary having died at Brabourne in 1665.

Mary Stead was the daughter of Robert DODD yeoman of Littlebourne Kent and Mary lived at Well near Beaksboune Kent at the time of her marriage to Francis GAMMON yeoman.

Children of Francis' first marrage were:

  • Thomas GAMMON b 1655
  • Henry GAMMON b1657
  • Margrete GAMMON b 1658
  • Robert GAMMON b1664

    Children of his second marriage to Mary STEAD were:

  • Francis GAMMON b 1669
  • Ambrose GAMMON b 1671
  • Pleasant GAMMON b 1675
  • John GAMMON b 1678

    The first record of the family at Selling parish in Kent in the late1600's. There was also a GAMMON family living at Sheldwich between 1600 and 1630 but the connection with this family is not yet established. Selling is a small village about 3 miles south east of Faversham in North Kent, surronded by orchids and hop farms and has a very attractive church St Mary the Virgin.

    During early 1800s several of the men were sawyers and a number of the women married carpenters. It seems likely that they worked or were connected to the Lees Court Estate which Selling, Sheldwich and Badlesmere border

    Francis GAMMON (born at Cartham in 1669) married Martha BARNES at Selling in 1696.Their children who were born at Selling were:

  • John b 1697 m Sarah VIDEAN widow of Badlesmere in 1723
  • Elizabeth b1699 m Ambrose PLANE 1723
  • Mary b 1702 m Richard BAKER 1729

    Martha died in 1704 and Francis remarried Elizabeth FINCH in 1717 the same year their daughter Elizabeth was born .

    John born 1697 and Sarah's children were born at Badlesmere a parish next to Selling.

    Wills and registers record the following children, including Sarah's daughter Elizabeth from a previous marriage to James VIDEAN who died about 1723.

  • Elizabeth VIDEAN b1722 married Richard WATERMAN
  • Francis GAMMAN b 1725, married Mary WOODS of Throwley 1765 and d 1802
    at Selling.
  • Martha GAMMAN b1728 d Sheldwich 1811
  • Mary GAMMAN b 1731 , married Stephen BAKER 1766 and d 1805 Sheldwich
  • Sarah GAMMAN b1732 married Samuel ELLEN
  • John GAMMAN b 1741 d Sheldwich 1835
  • Susannah GAMMAN b 1737 d Sheldwich 1835
  • Elizabeth GAMMAN b 1741 d Sheldwich 1835
    Francis (born 1725) and Mary nee WOODS, from Thowley, had the following children:
    1. John GAMMAN b1766 Sheldwich m Dorothy? 1744 and d 1838 Charing
    2. Sarah GAMMAN b 1769 Sheldwich d 1838 Selling
    3. Thomas GAMMAN b 1770 Sheldwich d 1830
    4. Francis GAMMAN b 1778 Sheldwich m Mary ? d 1854 Selling

    Francis (born 1778) and Mary had the following children:

    Francis GAMMAN b 1804 Selling m Sarah HOARE 1840 Faversham

    Mary GAMMAN b 1805 m ?SPARKES

    John GAMMANb 1807 Selling m Sarah ? d 1849 Selling

    Eleanor b 1810 Selling m Robert CLACKETT 1832 Selling

    Sarah b 1812 Selling m William CLACKETT 1848 Selling

    Elizabeth b1820 Selling

    A selection of pre 1860 references in the England to the names Gamman and Gammon, focusing on Kent. Also a list of GAMMON researchers in Kent

    John GAMMAN (born 1807) and Sarah's children were:

    Samuel John GAMMAN b 1834 Sheldwich

    John GAMMAN b 1841 Selling d 1871 Faversham

    Francis GAMMAN b 1846 Selling m Caroline Maria SPRINGE 1868

    Samuel John GAMMAN married Eliza WOODCOCK at Brompton Kent in 1859. Samuel was a private and later a corporal with the Royal Engineers, stationed at Shorncliffe and Chatham in Kent as well as Port Louis Mauritius.

    Samuel GAMMAN went to New Zealand shortly after his marriage to Eliza who followed him in 1863. Their children, were all born in New Zealand, were:

    Henry Francis GAMMAN born 1864 Akaroa

    Ernest Edward GAMMAN born 1865 Oxford Canterbury

    George Albert GAMMAN born 1866 Akaroa

    William Alfred GAMMAN born 1867 Akaroa

    Charles Walter GAMMAN born 1870 Akaroa

    Rosina GAMMAN born 1871 Oxford Canterbury

    Laura GAMMAN born 1877 Oxford Canterbury

    Arthur Frederick GAMMAN born 1882 Ackaroa

    In New Zealand Samuel and his sons established sawmills, first in Canterbury and later around Dannevirke and Tauranga. I have further information available about the GAMMAN family both in the UK and New Zealand.

    If you have any connection with these people I would be very pleased to hear from you

    Tom tcscott@btinternet.com