John Michael Newport was one of my paternal great great grandfathers. According to his birth certificate he was born on 21st December 1843 in Margate.
John was baptised on 11th February 1844 in the parish church of St John the Baptist in Margate. His parents are listed as Thomas and Mary Ann Newport.
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1844 baptism of John Michael Newport (courtesy of Find My Past) |
The first census return that John appears on is that from 1851 (shown below).
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1851 census - John Michael Newport (courtesy of Ancestry) |
John's father was a gardener by profession and he was born in St Lawrence. His mother, Mary Ann, was also born in St Lawrence although the 5 sons that they have on the census return were all born in Margate. The family were living in an area of Margate called Lydden. Lydden is a small hamlet on the outskirts of Margate between Margate and Manston. It is surrounded by farm land which would probably have provided plenty of work for agricultural labourers and possibly also for John's father, Thomas at the time.
John's parents were about 40 and 33 which means that Thomas was born in around 1811 and Mary Ann was born about 1818.
John's siblings were:
Thomas Benjamin 1842 - 1910
Stephen 1846 - 1853
William 1848 - 1853
George 1851 - 1853
Mary Elizabeth 1853 - 1867
Sarah 1855 - 1914
George William 1858 - 1928
Emma 1861 - 1908
1853 must have been a very tough year for Thomas and Mary Ann as 3 of their children died. I haven't got the children's death certificates, it's possible that the children died from consumption (tuberculosis) which was a big killer in 19th century Britain.
On the 1861 census (below) John is living in the household of a farmer, called John Chapman, and his family. John is now 17 and he is the mate of an agricultural carter who is also employed on the farm.
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1861 census John Michael Newport (courtesy Ancestry) |
John is listed as living in Nash Court. In modern times there is a farm called Nash Farm. The farm was next to Lydden Farm so John wouldn't have had far to travel for work.
On the 1871 census John is 27 and is living at the family home with his parents and 3 of his siblings, Sarah, George and Emma.
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1871 census John Michael Newport (courtesy Ancestry) |
John is an agricultural labourer and his father is listed as a farmer. The family are living in Lydden.
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1872 marriage of John Michael Newport and Elizabeth Wilson (courtesy Find My Past) |
On 23rd January 1872 John Michael Newport married Elizabeth Wilson at the parish church of St John the Baptist in Margate. Both of them were able to sign their names. The witnesses to the marriage were Thomas Wilson and Sarah Ann Wilson who were Elizabeth's siblings.
On the 1881 census John is still living with his parents. His father, Thomas, is listed as a market gardener. The family's house is just given as 'cottage.' Unfortunately I don't know where the cottage was or even if it's still standing.
John and his wife, Elizabeth, have a family of their own now. The children are listed as:
Herbert aged 7 (born about 1874)
William aged 5 (born 1876)
Walter aged 3 (born 1878)
George aged 2 (born 1879)
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1881 census John Michael Newport (courtesy Ancestry) |
On the 1891 census (below) John is still living in Lydden but is no longer with his parents. John's father, Thomas, had died in 1884.
The 1891 census document was one of the most difficult to find for John and his family. This was because the family are listed on the census with initials for their first names. The family are living in Lydden and John is a farm labourer.
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1891 census John Michael Newport (courtesy Ancestry) |
On the 1901 census John and his family are living in Westwood. The census return doesn't give any more details about where specifically. Westwood is only a very short distance from Lydden but it was enough to place the couple in a different parish. The parish is St Peter's which is in Broadstairs.
John's profession is given as market gardener. He was living with his wife, Elizabeth, and 3 of his children; Walter, Elizabeth and Mabel.
The couple were to have 9 children:
Herbert John 1872 - 1872
Herbert Charles John 1873 - 1929
William George 1875 - 1951
Walter Thomas 1877 - 1851
George 1879 - 1899
Elizabeth 1880 - 1880
Frederick 1882 - 1899
Elizabeth Lilian 1885 - 1960
Mabel 1889 - 1913
My Dad remembers Elizabeth Lilian, known as aunt Lil, with great fondness. She never married and made a career for herself as a very good cook.
On the 1911 census John lists his profession as farm labourer. His wife, Elizabeth, and his daughter, Mabel, are given as laundresses. This was quite a lowly profession so the family must have been quite poor.
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1911 census John Michael Newport |
John wrote their address as Westwood so, again, I don't know where precisely the family lived. Interestingly John writes that Westwood is in Ramsgate.
Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the family or their house. John's death was registered in the second quarter of 1922. He was 78 when he died. The couple's daughter, Mabel, died in 1913 so, tragically, 6 of their 9 children pre-deceased them.