Person:John Smith (1367)

John Smith was born in 1844 at Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, son of Mary Smith, formerly Puddephatt, and her husband William Smith, an agricultural labourer. When John was only three years old his mother died. His father married again in 1849, with a Jane Fleming becoming John's stepmother. The 1851 census finds John living with his father, stepmother and two older brothers on the south side of the road called America in Leighton Buzzard (leading to the rather odd looking address on the census form of "South America").

By 1861 the family had moved a short distance to Vandyke Road, and John was working as an agricultural labourer.

On 8th August 1869, aged 24, John married Emma Kempson at the small village of Eggington, just east of Leighton Buzzard. For the first few years after their marriage they lived in Eggington, appearing there in the 1871 census. In the mid 1870s they moved back into Leighton Buzzard, and the 1881 census finds them living at Alford Place, which was a row of cottages off Vandyke Road, so close to where John had been living as a child.

In 1884 the family left the Leighton Buzzard area altogether and moved to London, where they settled on Elderton Road in the Sydenham area of Lewisham.

Between 1869 and 1893 John and Emma had fifteen children: ten born in the Leighton Buzzard area and five in the Lewisham area. Their first child died as a baby, and of their last nine children only one made it past five years old. In Lewisham, John worked as a carman and general labourer.

Emma died in 1908, aged 58. John survived her by four years. He appears in the 1911 census still on Elderton Road, living with two of his sons. He was described as being unable to work, and his response to the question of how many children he had had was "don't know".

John died at home at 61 Elderton Road, and was buried at Lewisham's Ladywell Cemetery on 22nd May 1912. He was 67 years old.

1. ↑ Births index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   b. John SMITH, December Quarter 1844, Leighton Buzzard Registration District, Volume 6, page 84, mother's maiden name Puddephatt

   This birth entry has been linked to the John who appears in the 1851 census on the basis that there was also David Smith birth registered in 1839 with mother's maiden name Puddephatt, which fits with the brother of the John in 1851, and the 1841 census finds a William and Mary Smith with children George and David living at America Place in Leighton Buzzard. There was also a marriage of William Smith and Mary Ann Puddifoot in 1833 in the town. William remarried in 1849 to Jane Fleming, so Mary must have died between 1844 and 1849. There are two burials for a Mary Smith in her mid-30s in this period, in June 1848 and July 1848.

2. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1756; Folio 159; Page 32, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: South America, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   William Smith, head, married, male, 44 [1806/7], Agricultural Labourer, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   Jane Smith, wife, married, female, 23 [1827/8], Straw Plaitter, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   George Smith, son, unmarried, male, 16 [1834/5], Agricultural Labourer, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   David Smith, son, male, 13 [1837/8], b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   John Smith, son, male, 5 [1845/6], Scholar, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire

3. ↑ England. 1861 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG9; Piece 1006; Folio 13; Page 19, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Van Dyke, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   William Smith, head, married, male, 50 [1810/11], Glazier, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   Jane Smith, wife, married, female, 33 [1827/8], Plaitter, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   John Smith, son, unmarried, male, 16 [1844/5], Ag[ricultural] Laborer, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   James Smith, son, male, 9 [1851/2], Plaitter, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   Sarah Smith, daughter, female, 7 [1853/4], Plaitter, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   Thomas Smith, son, male, 3 [1857/8], b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   Jane Ann Smith, daughter, female, 5mth [1860], b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire

4. ↑ England. England and Wales. 1871 Census Schedules. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG10; Piece 1560; Folio 81; Page 13, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Eggington, Bedfordshire
   John Smith, head, married, male, 22 [1848/9], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Leighton
   Emma Smith, wife, married, female, 21 [1849/50], b. Billington
   Arthur J. Smith, so, male, 6mo [1870], b. Egginton, Bedfordshire

5. ↑ England. 1881 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: . (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG11; Piece 1641; Folio 65; Page 26, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Alford Place, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   John Smith, head, married, male, 33 [1847/8], Laborer Ag[ricultura]l, b. Leighton, Bedfordshire
   Emma Smith, wife, married, female, 31 [1849/50], Straw Plaitter, b. Billington, Bedfordshire
   Arthur Smith, son, male, 11 [1869/70], Scholar, b. Eggington, Bedfordshire
   Frederick Smith, son, male, 9 [1871/2], Scholar, b. Eggington, Bedfordshire
   George Smith, son, male, 7 [1873/4], Scholar, b. Egginton, Bedfordshire
   Henry Smith, son, male, 5 [1875/6], Scholar, b. Eggington, Bedfordshire
   Ernest Smith, son, male, 3 [1877/8], Scholar, b. Leighton, Bedfordshire
   Alice Smith, daughter, female, 1mo [1881], Scholar, b. Leighton, Bedfordshire

6. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 523; Folio 61; Page 26, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 67 Elderton Road, Lower Sydenham, Lewisham, London
   John Smith, head, married, male, 41 [1849/50], Carman, employed, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   Emma Smith, wife, married, female, 41 [1849/50], b. Billington, Bedfordshire
   Arthur J. Smith, son, single, male, 20 [1870/1], Carman, b. Eggington, Bedfordshire
   Frederick C. Smith, son, single, male, 18 [1872/3], Carman, b. Eggington, Bedfordshire
   George Smith, son, single, male, 17 [1873/4], Groom, b. Eggington, Bedfordshire
   Henry Smith, son, male, 15 [1875/6], Errand boy, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   Ernest Smith, son, male, 13 [1877/8], Errand boy, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire

7. ↑ England. England. 1901 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG13; Piece 556; Folio 80; Page 38, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 61 Elderton Road, Lewisham, London
   John Smith, head, married, male, 52 [1848/9], Laborer General, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   Emma Smith, wife, married, female, 51 [1849/50], b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   Fred Smith, son, single, male, 28 [1872/3], Laborer, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   George Smith, son, single, male, 27 [1872/3], Laborer, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   Henry Smith, son, single, male, 25 [1875/6], Laborer, b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   Ernest Smith, son, single, male, 23 [1877/8], b. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   Alfred Smith, son, male, 9 [1891/2], b. Sydenham

8. ↑ England. 1911 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom: The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.))
   Class RG14; Piece 2821; Folio 246, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 61 Elderton Road, Lower Sydenham, Lewisham, London
   5 rooms occupied
   John Smith, head, male, 68 [1842/3], widower, children born: "don't know", unable to work (farm labourer), b. Leighton Buzzard
   Henry Smith, son, male, 31 [1879/80], single, Labourer - Jobbing builder, b. Leighton Buzzard
   Alfred Smith, son, male, 18 [1892/3], single, Painter - Jobbing builder, b. Sydenham

9.   Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. John SMITH, June Quarter 1912, Lewisham Registration District, Volume 1d, page 1075, aged 61 [1850/1]

10. ↑ Lewisham, London, England. Burial Register of Ladywell Cemetery (Lewisham Borough Council / deceasedonline.com).

    Register of Burials in the Burial Ground of the Parish of Lewisham, in the County of London
    No. 42871
    Name: Smith, John
    Description: A Labourer
    Age: 61
    Place where the Death occurred: 61 Elderton Road, Sydenham
    Date of interment: 22 May 1912
    Grave: E1294