People search
(married name will be ignored if broad check is ticked;
a broad check includes a search for nicknames, married names and other alternative names)Where were they from?
Search for places, see all people in the tree with events in that place, and (where added) see places marked on a map with photos, links and other information about the location.
John Vogwill SIMONS
1836 - 1929 (~ 92 years)
Has 8 ancestors and 4 descendants in this family tree.
Set As Default Person 
-
Name John Vogwill SIMONS Relationship 
with Teresa Ann GOATHAM Born Peter Tavy, Devon, England 
- Although the family's abode was shown as in Tavistock when John was baptised, the censuses consistently record him as born in Peter Tavy. On one census a more precise location is given "Weirlock" - but I don't know where this is though I have seen references to a "Weir Cottage" in Peter Tavy.
Baptised 31 Mar 1836 St. Eustachius’ Church, Tavistock, Devon, England [1] Gender Male Occupation 1851 Moortown, Whitchurch, Devon, England Ag lab - One of 4 live-in ag labs with farmer of 140 acres James Blackford and his family. Three of the ag labs including John were shown as having "relation of head of family" as servant, with one being an apprentice. As they were servants to the head of household they were presumably working for him - yet the description of James Blackford's occupation showns him a employing 1 labourer! There must either be some error or the under 21s not counted or ... - one labourer would not have been sufficient for that size farm at that time, and James' 3 sons were all under 5 so would have been no help.
Occupation 1861 Green, Sampford Spiney, Devon, England Ag lab - John was an ag lab lodging with another Ag lab, William Cann and his wife and daughter.
I think this address was probably in Horrabridge. The next entry was a "Bedford Inn".
Residence 1871 Long Row, Shankhouse, Cramlington, Northumberland, England - With his wife and 2 children, Mary and William. The family must have moved to Cramlington about 1866, since the 1871 census shows that 5 year old Mary was born in Whitchurch, but 3 year old William was born in Cramlington.
Occupation 1871 Cramlington, Northumberland, England Coal miner Residence From 1872 to 1911 Horrabridge, Buckland Monachorum, Devon, England - The family (assuming they all moved together, which was not always the case) appear to have been back in Devon, living in Horrabridge, by 1872, when daughter Mary died, and daughter Maria was born.
Maybe it was the death of John's father that year that brought him back, to care for his mother, who was living with him and his family in the two following censuses.
In 1881 John was with his wife, children William, Maria and John and his mother.
In 1891 no children remained at home, there was just John, his wife Ann and Patience his mother in the 4 roomed house.
In 1901 John and Ann were by themselves. The address was given as Chapel Lane in Horrabridge; a Chapel was listed nearby in an earlier census so John and Ann need not have moved.
By 1911 with Ann having died John was living alone.
It looks like he could not write, as he made his mark to sign that the schedule was correct to the best of his knowledge, and witness C. Tregillus filled it in. He was still in Chapel Lane, but the cottage was now shown as one of 3 rooms.
I do not know if John remained here to the end of his long life, 18 years after the 1911 census.
Occupation 1881 Farm Labourer - Living in Horrabridge he could have been working in any of the parishes that formed that village.
Occupation From 1891 to 1901 Gardener - Shown as "Gardener (Jobbing)" in 1891 and "Gardener (Domestic)" in 1901.
Died Jun Q 1929 Tavistock Reg Dist, Devon or Cornwall, England - GRO ref: Symons, John V q2 1929 aged 93 Tavistock RD 5b 428
Siblings1 brother and 2 sisters Patriarch & Matriarch 
John SIMONS, d. Bef 1845 (Grandfather)
Patience MUZZLEWHITE, b. Abt 1806, Tavistock, Devon, England, d. Jun Q 1898, Tavistock Reg Dist, Devon or Cornwall, England (Age ~ 92 years) (Mother) Person ID I15341 All Last Modified 10 Apr 2014
Father John SIMONS, bap. 18 Mar 1810, St. Mary’s Church, Tamerton Foliot, Devon, England , d. Jun Q 1872, Tavistock Reg Dist, Devon or Cornwall, England (Age ~ 61 years) Mother Patience MUZZLEWHITE, b. Abt 1806, Tavistock, Devon, England , d. Jun Q 1898, Tavistock Reg Dist, Devon or Cornwall, England (Age ~ 92 years) Married 23 Oct 1832 St. Eustachius’ Church, Tavistock, Devon, England [2] - First 3 children of the marriage born pre the start of birth registration, i.e. in the years covered by the DFHS transcripts. Only these 3 with John and Patience in 1841, so it looks like if any others were born by then they had not survived infancy. Grace was the only child with them in 1851 and 1861, so there were probably no others who survived infancy.
(The John and Mary Ann Symons, baptised in Lydford in 1848 and 1850, were the children of another John Symons and Patience, the ones who married in 1847, John being a tailor from Lewtrenchard - occupation shown on his marriage entry and the children's baptism entries)
Family ID F6397 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family Ann MEDLAND, b. Abt 1837, Thrushelton, Devon, England , d. Mar Q 1909, Tavistock Reg Dist, Devon or Cornwall, England (Age ~ 72 years) Married Jun Q 1862 Tavistock Reg Dist, Devon or Cornwall, England - GRO ref: Simmons, John and Medland, Ann q2 1862 Tavistock RD 5b 680
The 1911 census shows 47 years of marriage completed. John and Ann enjoyed almost 47 years of marriage when she died; the census was over 48 years from John's marriage. Near enough, I think, to see this in accord with the registration date above.
Like so many, John helpfully supplied the wrong information on the 1911 census, giving the number of eyars of marriage completed, and children dead and living. This shows John had had 5 children in total, with 2 having died. I suspect the 5th may have been born in the gap between the births of William and Maria.
Children4 children Last Modified 10 Apr 2014 Family ID F6399 Family Group Page | Family Chart
-
Sources - [S272] Tavistock Parish Registers (DFHS index - transcribed data), Devon Family History Society, accessed 9 Apr 2014), Baptism of John Vogwill SIMONS. (Reliability: 3).
Shows John Vogwill SIMONS, parents John and Patience, abode: Exeter Street, Tavistock, father a Labourer. - [S272] Tavistock Parish Registers (DFHS index - transcribed data), Devon Family History Society, accessed 9 Apr 2014), Marriage of John SIMONS and Patience MUZZLEWHITE. (Reliability: 3).
Shows John SIMONS and Patience MUZZLEWHITE
- [S272] Tavistock Parish Registers (DFHS index - transcribed data), Devon Family History Society, accessed 9 Apr 2014), Baptism of John Vogwill SIMONS. (Reliability: 3).