Catherine Seaman (née Campbell)

Awarded the compensation for 8 enslaved people apparently on Devon Pen in St Andrew Jamaica as owner.

1. Catherine, daughter of Revd. John Campbell by Christian his wife, born 08/12/1789 and baptised in St Andrew, Jamaica, 30/12/1789.

2. The letterbook of Catherine Campbell, wife of William Boog Seaman, with transcripts of letter to and from her from June 1801 onwards is held at Downing College Archives, University of Cambridge, in the Papers of L C B Seaman. Also included in these archives is a declaration by John Campbell of Jamaica dated 24/04/1880: "Declares that he was well acquainted with Dr William Boog Seaman and remembers him well; he was the husband of his aunt Catherine Seaman (nee Campbell), the daughter of Rev John Campbell; details of Dr Seaman's death..."; as described in the archive notes: "After Dr Seaman's death his widow and three children went to stay in Jamaica with John Campbell's mother; she went to live in Edinburgh in 1825 and Campbell was in correspondence with her thereafter; he had never heard that W B Seaman had been married or a widower before he married Campbell's aunt and thinks it extremely unlikely; the three children were Christian Ann, Mary and William Campbell and he had never heard of any others; he remembers the marriages of Christian Ann to William Thomas Thomson and of Mary to Rev James Saunders."

3. Mary, daughter of William Boog Seaman and his wife Catherine, was born 03/09/1816 at Olive Park and baptised privately [in Vere?] 10/10/1816. W. T. Thompson, Esq., of Edinburgh, married Christian Anne, eldest daughter of the late William Seaman, Esq., of Jamaica, at Heavitree, Devon, 01/08/1838.

4. The will of William Boog Seaman, surgeon of Vere, was written 09/01/1819 and proved in London 30/05/1823. He bequeathed the net produce of his whole estate to be invested by his executors in the funds in England or Jamaica and the interest to be paid to his wife Katherine Seaman annually for life. After her death, the principal sum was to be divided equally among his children Christian Ann Seaman, Mary Seamana and William Campbell Seaman. His executors were Rev. Alexander Campbell, Rector of St Andrew and Dr Charles McGlashan senior of St Andrew.

5. In 1851 Catharine Seaman widow aged 61 annuitant born Jamaica was living at 1 Carlton Place East Teignmouth Devon with her daughter Mary aged 30 also born Jamaica and one servant. Will of Catharine Seaman widow late of Teignmouth who died 30/04/1864 was proved 08/06/1864 by William Thomas Thomson of Edinburgh, effects under £1000.

T71/865 St Andrew no. 105, Catherine Seaman Great Britain owner Devon Pen.

1. Familysearch.org, Jamaica Church of England Parish Register Transcripts, 1664-1880 [database online].

2. GB 269 DCPP/SEA/4/1; GB 269 DCPP/SEA/4/5/4; these archives also contain a folder of Boog/Seaman source material, "Correspondence with various researchers, including Norfolk Record Office staff and Dr Alan Crosby, and extracts from memorials and documents [1723 - 1829]" and other undescribed documents relating to Seaman's family tree.

3. Familysearch.org, Jamaica Church of England Parish Register Transcripts, 1664-1880 [database online]; Western Times 11/08/1838.

4. PROB 11/1671/269.

5. PROB 11/1918; National Probate Calendar 1864.

We are grateful to Peter Selley, David Barker and James Brennan for their assistance with compiling this entry.