RICHARD WILLIAM MASTERS

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The genealogy of William Richard Marsters of Palmerston Island, Cook Islands  (alias Richard Masters of Walcote, Leicestershire, England) is an interesting one.

The Marsters family have always stated that his mother's name was Ann Armstrong. Her family name was actually Armston, and they came from Twyford, just north east of Leicester. Ann's parents were William and Elizabeth (nee Smith) who had married in 1796 at South Croxton in Leicestershire. Ann had three younger brothers, William, Thomas and Richard. It could be that young Richard (William) heard the name Armstrong in relation to Ann's brother Richard who had  changed his name to Armstrong by 1851. He had been a regular visitor to the Walcote home.

Richard's father, John, was born in Arnesby, just south of Leicester. His parents were Joseph and Ann (nee Brown) who were married in Mowsley in 1806. John and his wife Ann, met at the Leicester markets and were married in Leicester on market day, November 6 1827. John was 16 years old, Ann was 25. They raised 4 children in Arnesby, James, John, Elizabeth and Mary: and after arriving in Walcote in about 1819, they added Thomas, William and Joseph to the Masters family.

Ann and John had three children. Elizabeth, Richard and Joel. Elizabeth married a blacksmith, Thomas Archer; Richard married Charlotte Farmer and they had a son called John. He later had a daughter to Sarah whose name was Ann Elizabeth Joel. She was named after Elizabeth and Richard's younger brother, Joel died at the age of 12 of rheumatic fever. After Richard left England, Ann Elizabeth Joel was brought up by her grandparents (Ann & John Masters) in Walcote.

St Nicholas, Mowsley, where Joseph Masters and Ann Brown were married.