John Ginn of Great Munden d. 1773

John Ginn is a mystery man.  He is the origin of what I call the "Ginn family of Munden" but I do not know his own origins.  For years I had a theory that he was the son of Thomas Ginn who married Jane Smith at Braughing in 1724, this Thomas (according to my theory which was highly likely) the son of William Ginn the Miller of Braughing (see post of  4th September 2012).   This highly likely theory was however exploded when it was discovered beyond doubt that Thomas Ginn of Braughing was apprenticed as a carpenter in London and married and set himself up there (see post of 8th November 2012).   So who this John was I have no idea.

All that I know is that John Ginn was a Labourer .  He is the first Ginn to show himself in Munden in "modern" times, though there were Ginns in Munden in the medieval period, marrying Ann Coleman there in 1751.  I still think that he likely connects to the Braughing family but cannot rule out other connections

He was in the Munden Militia list until 1762, which would accord with his having more than three infant children alive from that year (and thus no longer eligible for the Militia).  

John died in January 1773, likely aged about 48.  I have not traced Ann's burial record; it seems to have been missed.

Their children

William - see next post

John -a "presumed" unbaptised son as in  the 1773 Militia List.  Untraced

Thomas - married twice.  His first wife Elizabeth Robinson died, and Thomas "a widower" remarried Mary Hillsden.  He only had one child (William -1786 by Elizabeth - see below).

Thomas was a Labourer, who lived and died at Green End, Little Munden.  He died in 1817, aged 58.  Mary, "widow of Green End” died in 1825, she was 67.

Thomas’ son, William, is a bit of a mystery.  He died in Hertford workhouse in 1863 aged 77.  He was then said to be “of Watton”.  I have traced him in the 1841 and 1851 census at Watton.  At both times he was clearly already the widower he claimed to be in the 1861 Hertford return.  There is no credible marriage entry in any extant Hertfordshire register, so this man may have married outside the county.  Children are unlikely, but cannot be ruled out.

James - see later post

Elizabeth - she had an illegitimate child, Jane, in 1786.  This was 8 years prior to her marriage to Daniel Wallis.

Mary - one died in infancy - the other is untraced

Jane - died infancy

Martha - is untraced

Benjamin Ginn of Royston & London d. 1888

Benjamin Ginn was son of Benjamin in my post of  8th March 2014 and was a Coachman.  He moved to Wandsworth in Surrey though kept in touch with all in Royston.  He first married Eliza Crane at St Saviour, London in 1843 and the couple had five children.  It is unclear when Eliza died but in 1879 he remarried Elizabeth Drew and the couple retired and moved back to Royston  He died in a London hospital in 1888, but is buried at Royston. Eliza died in 1892.

It is evident that the two sons grew up with Dad with a love of horses.

Their five children


Mary - was a servant and died unmarried aged 30 in 1874

Benjamin - joined the 17th Lancers - see post of 25th July 2012

Willliam John - at some point this man also joined the Cavalry, in his case another fine regiment –  “the Blues”  ie Royal Horse Guards, part of the Household Cavalry at Buckingham Palace.  He was in barracks in London in 1871 and was a Trooper.  Yet another Ginn to have obviously come across Queen Victoria.

He clearly left the regiment in the 1870s and subsequently married Harriet Clarke at Eton in 1878 and became a  Police Constable, presumably in the Buckinghamshire Constabulary.

William John and Harriett had three children: 

                       William Benjamin      

                        Eliza Sarah          

                        Lawrence Arthur      
  

 William Benjamin Ginn  was also a Policeman in Buckinghamshire and  in his 50s married Rose Welford in 1930 in Thame.  He died in 1942 and Rose who was a good deal younger as late as 1982.   No children known.  Eliza was alive at the time of the 1901 census and is believed to have emigrated. Lawrence died in World War One – he was a gunner in the Royal Field Artillery.  It seems likely he was at Gallipoli and may have been taken prisoner/wounded and he died in 1916 in Turkey.  He is on the Slough War Memorial below

William John  died in Slough in 1909.  Harriet had died in 1903.

Thomas - died in Wandsworth in 1865, aged 15

Eliza Ann - married the much older Thomas Weston of Royston at Bloomsbury in 1891.  They had two children and lived in Royston