John L Hobbs (1780 - aft. 1818)

Born 1780 in England

Descendants

Died after 1818 after age 38 in St Stevens, Florida

Biography

John L. Carpenter traveled from London, England, to Charleston, South Carolina to "do work on a dwelling house for the governor of that state." John was a carpenter and a joiner, by trade. While he was in Charleston, he met Elizabeth James, who was living at nearby Sullivan's Island with her brother. According to a biography of their son, Alfred, after the work on the house in Charleston, John, Elizabeth and their eldest son moved to Boston Massachusetts, where he established a shop on Water street, on a part of the land now covered by the Boston post office. ^[1]

John and Elizabeth were married prior to 1804, when their eldest son, John Loudon Hobbs was born at Sullivan's Island. ^[2] By 1811, they were living in Boston, Massachusetts, where their daughter, Mary was born. ^[3] Their son, Alfred Charles Hobbs was born the following year and in 1817, their youngest son James was born. ^[4]

John, senior left Boston with a party to settle in Florida, leaving his family to follow as soon as a house could be built. The party landed at Mobile and John went up the river to St. Stevens, purchased a place and started building a house. Before the home was finished, John died unexpectedly, leaving his wife in Boston a widow, with four children to raise.

Amazingly, even though his sons were apprenticed at a young age to keep the family from becoming destitute, each found his niche in the world. His son, John Loudon, went into business with James B. Barnes to form a glass making company. It was later named for John Loudon's son, John H. Hobs as "J. H. Hobbs, Brockunier and Company" ^[5] His son, Alfred Charles Hobbs, founded Hobbs & Company, famous for their locks. Alfred filed dozens of patents. He helped Elise How engineer and design the lock-stitch sewing machine. He eventually joined Remington Arms Company. The youngest son, James Hobbs became a Pattern Maker in Boston.

Records indicate that John L. Hobbs, his daughter, Mary A. Hobbs, that married Marshall S. Boyer, and James Hobbs are all buried in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Sources

1. ↑ A History of the old town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport (Connecticut)" Volume 2 by Author Samuel Orcutt, page 872
2. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157227669
3. ↑ "Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NWC9-F56 : 10 December 2014), John Hobbs in entry for Mary A. Hobbs Boyer, 28 Oct 1893; citing Reading, Massachusetts, v 437 p 365, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 961,510
4. ↑ "Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N75V-74W : 10 December 2014), James Hobbs, 06 Apr 1886; citing Reading, Massachusetts, v 374 p 187, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 960,232
5. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._H._Hobbs,_Brockunier_and_Company