Person:John Drake (114)

John Drake was baptised on 17th March 1754 at Bere Ferrers, Devon, son of Mary Drake, formerly Fursman, and her husband John Drake. He was the younger of their two children, having an older sister Elizabeth. When John was nine years old his mother Mary died. Seven years later, when John was sixteen years old, his father John died.

John's sister Elizabeth was married in 1773 to a Christopher Foot. Nine years later John married Celia Foot, Christopher's younger sister.

John and Celia went on to have five children baptised at Bere Ferrers between 1784 and 1793, although their fourth child Christopher died as a baby in 1793. Celia died in 1797, aged 41. Their youngest child was only four years old.

John married again in 1805 to Mary Dawe. She died after 14 years of marriage in 1819, leaving John a widower for the second time at the age of 65.

John was buried at Bere Ferrers on 19th July 1831, aged 77. Immediately before his death he had been living at 'Beer Town', which was the old name for Bere Ferrers village.

1. ↑ Church of England. Parish Registers of Bere Ferrers. (Exeter: Devon Heritage Services).

   1754
   March 17th Jno son of Jno Drake & Mary his Wife

2. ↑ Burials register, in Church of England. Parish Registers of Bere Ferrers. (Exeter: Devon Heritage Services).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Beer Ferris n[ea]r Tavistock in the County of Devon in the Year 1831
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   587	John Drake	Beer Town	July 19th	78 years [1752/3]	W. Servante