John Ginn of Hertford d. 1875

John Ginn here was son of Charles in my post of  1st April 2013.  John was a Maltmaker.  This was a major trade locally and it is possible that he worked at McMullens Brewery, Hertford which is shown below as of 1891 and is still going as the smell of malt in Hertford at times will amply testify.

In 1839 he married Eliza Ellen Coulson at Hertford.  They mostly lived in Chequers Yard where John's parents had lived and, as I have said before, conditions in these yards, even into the early 20th century were pretty terrible - a number of houses sharing an outside privy and a well.  They were disease ridden cottages and well illustrated by the picture of Maidenhead Yard nearby below.  The slum housing was not finally cleared away until the 1930s.

John and Eliza had a huge family and she, exhausted, died sometime between 1867 and 1871.  John died in 1875.

The couple had fifteen children:

Joseph - see next post

William - see later post

Ebenezer - see later post

Thomas  - see later post

Selina - married James Norris in 1884

George - see later post

Frederick - he shows in the 1861 census and in 1865 turns up aged 14 in the Westminster Workhouse in London having run away from home with his brother Tom who was 12  !  The entry (on Ancestry) says that he and Tom were sent back home to dad John at Chequers Yard.  He likely died but may have joined the army and not show in any census.  

Amelia - untraced

Lilian - untraced

Harriet - married William Goldsmith in 1877

Charles, John, Henry, Edwin and Sarah - all died young