Joseph Ginn of Potton d. 1807

Joseph Ginn here was son of Thomas in my post of  31st December 2012 .  He had three brothers who also seem to have survived childhood with him, Thomas, Benjamin and Robert but try as I might (I have looked very carefully and in some unusual records) I can find no trace of any of those three at all.  It is all very strange.  Joe named his sons after himself and his brothers which suggests that his siblings did live.

Joseph met Jane Game from Ashwell in Herts, quite some distance from where he was born.  This suggests that he was very much on the move looking for work.  Jane was born to Richard and Jemima Game (nee Saunders) in 1761 and Joe and Jane married at Ashwell in 1781.

Something induced the couple to move to Potton in Bedfordshire by 1784, the cause most likely being the availability of work, for in 1783, Potton (a successful market town) suffered a great fire "The Great Fire of Potton" which substantially damaged the town as the summary below sets out:

There was a great fire in Potton in 1783 in which many important documents and buildings were destroyed. Before the fire Potton was a busy, prosperous market town dealing mainly in wool. Around the market square were the large houses and stores of the wool staplers, farmers and gentlemen. On 14th August a hay stack in King Street burst into flames and the resulting sparks set fire to half the town in half an hour. Four hours later the fire was out and the best part of the town burnt down. Two great inns and the buildings all round the market place and in the road leading to it, along with the great houses and woolhouses, stables, grain stores and barns belonging to Messrs Raymond, Livelong and Butler, were destroyed. The workshop of Mr Millar and the furniture and clothing in the curate’s house were gone. Every house except one in King Street had burnt down. The town never fully recovered its former importance.

As I say, by 1784 Joe and Jane were in Potton, my guess being that the great rebuilding required labour and Joe needed work.

Joseph died in 1807,  he was 51.   Jane soldiered on alone for a long while, she died in 1842 with a quoted age of 84, she was 81.

Joe and Jane had seven children:

Joseph - see later post

Thomas - see later post

Robert - see later post

Benjamin - see later post

Charlotte - the second of that name married Joseph Lenton at Potton in 1819.  Had a good number of children.  Joe was an Ag Lab and they lived in Potton.

Jane - is untraced