John Hodge (bef. 1797 - 1857)

Born before 20 Feb 1797 in Wendron, Cornwall, England

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Thomas) Hodge — married 19 Nov 1822 in Sithney, Cornwall, England

Husband of Eliza (Eva) Hodge — married 25 Mar 1847 in Sithney, Cornwall, England

Descendants

Died 1857 after age 59 in Wendron, Cornwall, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Bob Howlett [send private message]

Biography

A John Hodge, son of Edward and Susanna Hodge, was baptized in Wendron,^[1] Cornwall, on 20 February 1797.^[2]

Note that the Wendron parish register images provided by FamilySearch included baptisms from April to November 1796^[3] and from May to October 1797^[4] but not between November 1796 and May 1797. Perhaps a page of the register is missing, or perhaps it was accidentally not filmed.

"John Hodge" is very far from being one of Cornwall's less common names. The Cornwall Online Parish Clerks' baptisms database contains four hundred and seventy two John Hodge baptisms,^[5] and as well as the one in 1797 in Wendron there was one in 1798 in Wendron and one in 1798 in Sithney^[6] (adjacent to Wendron). And in 1804 there was another John Hodge baptized in Wendron, and there were also John Hodges baptized in Crowan^[7] and Constantine,^[8] both of which are adjacent to Wendron. So there is a serious risk of misidentification of John Hodge.

A John Hodge and a Mary Thomas were married in Sithney on 19 November 1822.^[9] In this era the great majority of marriages between persons from different parishes were conducted in the bride's home parish, but in this instance the marriage document says that Mary Thomas was "of Gwinear". Gwinear^[10] is reasonably close to Sithney, but not adjacent to it: both adjoin Crowan, but on opposite sides. Presumably Mary had been living in Sithney, away from her home parish, and hence found it more convenient to be married in Sithney than Gwinear. The John Hodge she married, though, was "of" Sithney.

The subject of the present biography is the John Hodge who was the head of the household in the following 1841 census record.

Nowadays the accepted spelling for the name of the place is "Bosoha". It is located about 3½ kilometres north of Helston, in Sithney but close to Bodilly in Wendron; see the Cornwall Council Map.^[12]

Baptisms for five of the six children in the above census record can be identified:

• Mary Anne Hodge was baptized in Sithney on 23 February 1823;^[13]
• William Hodge was baptized in Sithney on 18 July 1824;^[14]
• Samuel Hodge was baptized in Sithney on 12 November 1826;^[15]
• John Hodge was baptized in Wendron on 28 March 1829;^[16]
• Susan Hodge was baptized in Wendron on 26 April 1835.^[17]

When Mary Anne was baptized the family's abode was recorded as "Croft Breage". This was not, as one might think, a place called Croft in Breage parish; it was a place called Croft Breage in Sithney. In the 1841 census there is one household recorded at Croft Breage, in census piece 139 book 2, on folio 51, page 9. In the enumerator's book it is listed between households at Bosoar and Little Bosoar, the fourth household before John Hodge's household (above).^[18] The Cornwall Council Map does not know about Croft Breage; presumably the name is no longer used.

When William and Samuel were baptized the family abode was recorded as "Longstone Downs". The Cornwall Council Map does have Longstone Down marked; it is very close to Little Bosoha and Higher Bosoha.

When John and Susan were baptized, in Wendron, the abode was just recorded as "Sithney". Probably the family's residence did not change between 1823 and 1841, except possibly to move from a small house to a nearby bigger house when the number of children increased.

Mary Hodge, of Sithney, aged 39, was buried in Wendron on 26 February 1838.^[19] It is a safe bet that this Mary was John's wife and the mother of the above children.

An 1851 census record shows us that by that time John Hodge had moved about 2½ kilometres northwards from Bosoha to Kenap in Wendron, had ceased to be a tin miner and had become an innkeeper, and had acquired a new wife.

The presence of the son and daughter Edward and Susan, both born in Sithney, establishes reasonably conclusively that this was the same John Hodge as had been at Bosoha in 1841. We gain also the useful information that John was born in Wendron rather than Sithney.

The fact that John remarried enables us to discover that his father's name was Edward. The marriage document is as follows:^[21]

1847. Marriage solemnized at the Church in the Parish of Sithney in the County of Cornwall
When Married: March 25th
Name and Surname: John Hodge, Eliza Eva
Age: — , full age
Condition: Widower, Spinster
Rank or Profession: Miner, Dress Maker
Residence at the Time of Marriage: Sithney, Wendron
Father's Name and Surname: Edward Hodge, Joseph Eva
Rank or Profession of Father: Miner, Miner
Married in the Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church by licence by me, W Thomas
John Hodge's signature, Eliza Eva's mark
In the presence of Thos Russell and William Skewes

Given that his father was Edward and that he was probably baptized in Wendron, our chances of correctly identifying John Hodge are greatly increased. Apart from the son of Edward and Susanna baptized in 1797, the only contender is the son of Edward and Melicent baptized on 20 December 1804.^[22] But since our John had a daughter named Susan, the one whose mother was Susan looks more likely. And the John baptized in 1804 looks a bit young to be married in 1822 to a woman aged about 22.

So, with high probablity, John was the son of Edward and Susanna, baptized in 1797. Note that his age as recorded in the 1841 census, namely 40, was right, given the "round down to a multiple of 5" rule that applied for adults in the 1841 census. His age was certainly understated in 1851; perhaps he did not like admitting that he was as old as he was. Maybe he had lied to Eliza!

John and Eliza had two children:

• Eliza Ann Hodge, baptized in Wendron on 1 June 1851;^[23]
• Charlotte Hodge, baptized in Wendron on 23 July 1854.^[24]

John Hodge was buried in Wendron on 2 July 1857,^[25] his age recorded as  57, though in fact he was 60.

Sources

1. ↑ Wendron: Wikipedia article.
2. ↑ John Hodge baptism, 20 February 1797: Exeter Bishop's Transcripts for Wendron, FamilySearch film # 00575056, image 205 of  306.
3. ↑ Wendron baptisms April to November 1796: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch, 2 February 2018), Cornwall > Wendron > Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1560-1812 > image 172 of 328; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.
4. ↑ Wendron baptisms May to October 1797: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch, 2 February 2018), Cornwall > Wendron > Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1560-1812 > image 173 of 328; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.
5. ↑ John Hodge baptisms in the Cornwall Online Parish Clerks database.
6. ↑ Sithney: Wikipedia article.
7. ↑ Crowan: Wikipedia article.
8. ↑ Constantine, Cornwall: Wikipedia article.
9. ↑ Marriage of John Hodge and Mary Thomas: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch, 14 April 2015), Cornwall > Sithney > Marriages, 1813-1837 > image 33 of 183; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.
10. ↑ Gwinear: Wikipedia article.
11. ↑ Household of John Hodge at the 1841 census (piece 139 book 2, folio 51 page 9 and folio 52 page 10). Free UK Genealogy "General Register Office: 1841 Census Returns database", FreeCEN, accessed 29 April 2020.
12. ↑ Cornwall Council Interactive map: location of Bosoha.
13. ↑ Baptism of Mary Anne Hodge, 23 February 1823: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch,14 April 2015), Cornwall > Sithney > Baptisms, 1813-1834 > image 44 of 103; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.
14. ↑ Baptism of William Hodge, 18 July 1824: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch, 14 April 2015), Cornwall > Sithney > Baptisms, 1813-1834 > image 50 of 103; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.
15. ↑ Baptism of Samuel Hodge, 12 November 1826: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch, 14 April 2015), Cornwall > Sithney >Baptisms, 1813-1834 > image 62 of 103; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.
16. ↑ Baptism of John Hodge, 28 March 1829: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch, 2 February 2018), Cornwall > Wendron > Baptisms, 1827-1842 > image 22 of 155; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.
17. ↑ Baptism of Susan Hodge, 26 April 1835: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch, 2 February 2018), Cornwall > Wendron > Baptisms, 1827-1842 > image 78 of 155; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.
18. ↑ Transcript of Census Piece HO107/139 (Part 1), courtesy of the Conwall Online Census Project.
19. ↑ Burial of Mary Hodge, 26 February 1838: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch, 14 April 2015), Cornwall > Wendron > Burials, 1813-1840 > image 94 of 107; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.
20. ↑ John Hodge's household at the 1851 census (piece 1912, folio 219, page 5, schedule 14). Free UK Genealogy "General Register Office: 1851 Census Returns database", FreeCEN, accessed 30 April 2020.
21. ↑ Marriage of John Hodge and Eliza Eva: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch, 14 April 2015), Cornwall > Sithney > Marriages, 1837-1862 > image 125 of 508; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.
22. ↑ Baptism of John Hodge: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch, 2 February 2018), Cornwall > Wendron > Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1560-1812 > image 187 of 328; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.
23. ↑ Baptism of Eliza Ann Hodge: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch, 2 February 2018), Cornwall > Wendron > Baptisms, 1842-1870 > image 69 of 155; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.
24. ↑ Baptism of Charlotte Hodge, 23 July 1854: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch, 2 February 2018), Cornwall > Wendron > Baptisms, 1842-1870 > image 86 of 155; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.
25. ↑ Burial of John Hodge, 2 July 1857: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010" database with images (FamilySearch, 14 April 2015), Cornwall > Wendron > Burials, 1840-1872 > image 89 of 154; Kresen Kernow, Redruth.

See also:

John Hodge's profile in FamilyTree on FamilySearch.org.