John Fynn (1851-1925)

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John was born on 13^th February 1851 in Parker Street, St Andrew the Great, Cambridge. (John Fynn's Birth Certificate) He was the second child of Thomas and Maria Fynn. Thomas was a College Butler. He was at Corpus Christi. We are aware that John Fynn’s first wife was Harriet Mary. There is no record of the marriage at Cambridge and eventually, after neither Registrar in the above districts could find the record, GRO, Southport, produced the John Fynn's First Marriage Certificate. The marriage took place at St Jude's Church in the Parish of East Brixham, then in the County of Surrey.  This was the Lambeth Registration District.  We find that John married Harriett Mary Deller, daughter of William Thomas Deller, a Commercial Traveller. They gave their addresses at the time as being in Railton Road, Brixham; later to be the scene of race riots in the 1980's.  I have not as yet been able to find a trace of the Deller family on the censuses.

We are aware that William John Henry Fynn was born in the last quarter of 1878 in Shelford. Until recently I had found no subsequent trace of him. On speaking now with Jonathan Fynn, ‘Andy’s’ son, I am told of a letter in his father’s papers. It was from a woman in the U.S.A. asking for information on her grandfather, William Henry John  Fynn who had been born in Shelford. A quick glance at the Fynns in America shows that there are a number some of whom descend from an Atta Fynn born in about 1894 in Central Ghana. There were a fair number there in 1880 at the time of their then census. He could have gone out there to join relatives or on his own account.

I have also found a Cecil A. FYNN and a Reginald T. FYNN both born in the same registration sub-district of Shelford in 1881. Their record numbers are consecutive and so they would have been twins. Other records show Reginald Tom Fynn dying in the December ¼ 1882 aged "0" in Shelford and Cecil Arthur Fynn dying in September ¼ of 1882 again aged "0" in Cambridge. They don’t show on the 1881 census because the above indicates that they were born between July and September 1881, after the April census. I strongly suspect that Cecil Arthur and Reginald Tom were children of John and Harriet. I have also found a Guy Murdock W. Fynn (very unusual names for that era) who died aged "0" in Cambridge in 1881 but I have found no record of his birth. He was not born in Cambridge. I have added him to the list of ‘parents unknown’.

We note from the 1881 census that John Fynn was 30 years old. He was at that time a Draper’s Clerk and had been born in Cambridge. He was living in Darby Street, Grantchester with his wife Harriett Fynn whose was given as 37 years (born c. 1844 in Surrey). They had one son, the William John Henry Fynn as above. The marriage certificate that has now been found suggests that Harriett was born in 1852.  But as the death record complies with the age at the census I suggest the age at the marriage may have been under-estimated!

I have found that Harriet Mary Fynn died in the December ¼ of 1884 in Shelford aged 39 years.

We then know that John Fynn married Mary Jane Neville on 8^th September 1886 in the Cambridge Register Office. I have attached a copy of the (John Fynn's Second Marriage Certificate). I note they both give the same address (Portugal Place)(John Neville’s house – see Mary Jane Smith's earlier history). At last someone spells Thomas Cowling’s occupation correctly! Henry Smith (deceased), Mary’s father, is shown as an ‘artist’. For earlier history of John's second wife go to Mary Jane Smith.

John and Mary Jane had three children that we can confirm and possibly a fourth who died at an early age:

The birth of Geoffrey Hyde was registered in the Fulbourn Sub-district. A further search of births shows that a Matilda L. Fynn was born in 1899 in the same sub-district of Fulbourn. I have no other record of Fynns being born/living in that area and so I surmise that she was a daughter of John and Mary Jane. I can find no further record of her at all including her not being on the 1901 census.

Whilst the birth certificate of Arthur John Fynn shows they lived at 11 Trumpington Street, St Mary the Great, the 1888 Kelly’s Directory shows John Fynn listed as a Tailor at 8 Botolph Lane, Cambridge. Maybe that was his workshop. The 1896 Kelly’s lists a John Fynn as a publican at the Red Bull Public House, Barton Road. Cambridge. We somehow think this is not the same John Fynn!! The only other ‘John’ in the system is the son of Robert Fynn born in 1846 but he was the ‘engine smith’ in Hammersmith by the time of the 1901 census...?

The 1901 census shows John as being 50 years of age and living with his family and others at Overstream House, Victoria Avenue. Go to Overstream House for more information and pictures. John describes himself as a tailor and his employment status as being a ‘worker working at home’. Also living at ‘Overstream’ were:

Mary Jane Fynn died in the March quarter of 1918 in Chesterton, aged 66 years.

We have a copy of the last Will and Testament of John Fynn. (John's Will) It was made in his own handwriting at "Overstream House" on 5^th December 1921. It was witnessed by Frederick John Morley and George Theodore Stoakley. He left "all my furniture and moneys…" to Geoffrey Hyde Fynn of 200 Victoria Road, Chesterton. He asked that things be shared with his stepson, Frederick John Neville, and his stepdaughter, Mrs. Florence Darby. He did not own "Overstream House".

John Fynn died of diabetes in the June quarter of 1925 (pre-insulin days) in Cambridge, aged 75 years.

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Page last updated 29th May 2010