Church records show that John was a butcher in Welwyn.

His will was written on 29 Jan 1799 a short time before he died. In it he describes himself as weak in body but with a perfect mind. Obviously religious, his first bequeath was his soul to God. There were a couple of specific bequests - his clock to his son George, his bed, bedstead, counterpain, 2 blankets and "our pair of shirts" to his daughters.

Everything else was bequeathed to be divided amongst his children including his house in Welwyn, stocks in trade and the effects of his late brothers in the Island of Jamaica.

Interestingly the children named were William, George, Richard, Thomas, Charlotte, Elizabeth and Rebecca. This suggests that I have a few more christenings to find.  However there were a Richard and Thomas christened in 1780 and 1782 with parents John and Sarah.  Did John have an affair with a woman named Sarah?  There is no record of a marriage between these two in Welwyn.  Did John and Mary then raise these two boys with the rest of the family?  And who was the mother of Rebecca?

Mary's death date is uncertain from the information available.  The church records show death dates for Mary Deards in Nov 1797 and Mar 1804.  There was also a burial of a Mary, wife of John, in Welwyn with a death date of 26 Dec 1798.  The latter is the one I think most likely considering her age (thought to be 50) and that John wrote his will the next month, possibly prompted by his wife's death.

The descendents of George are being researched by Michael Deards - see Links page.

Page Updated: Nov 2004