John Douglas

Died 26th September 1849

                                                              Above : Johns baptism record.

John Douglas was born on 15th August 1819 to Thomas and Sarah Douglas, a shoemaker living in Clayport. Thomas’s  ancestors were possibly from Scotland, as John was baptised in the Scotch Church in Pottergate two weeks later on 29th August (see above). There is no sign of a marriage for Thomas and Sarah in Alnwick. From a later census we know they were both born in Alnwick, in 1782.

John was the eighth child born to Thomas and Sarah between 1803 and 1819, all baptised in Pottergate, they were: Mary Ann b 6/10/1803: Margaret b 24/2/05: John b 17/2/07 and died age 1 on 23/2/08: Thomas b 4/3/09: Sarah b22/5/1811: William b 1/8/13 and George b 1/12/1815. Robert was the only one younger than John, born on 27/3/1825. He sadly died age 12 on 10/5/37 in Alnwick, so they must have still been living in Clayport then.

When we found them on the 1841 census, Thomas and Sarah were still living in Clayport but all their children had flown the nest, including John. The only John Douglas about the right age we could find was living in Newcastle, and was a cordwainer. He was possibly working an apprenticeship with other young men. He returned to Alnwick before dying from Cholera on 26th September 1849.

John was buried in a mass grave at the rear of St Michael’s Church. He was just 29, and we don’t think he had married. In 1851 Thomas and Sarah were still living in Clayport, near Burn’s Yard. Son George and his wife Charlotte were also in Clayport, nearby, where he was a fell monger. This work entailed working with leather before selling it for shoe making. Sarah died on 22nd February 1855.

On the 1861census, Thomas was 79 years old and still working as a shoemaker. He was now living with George, Charlotte and their family. Thomas died in 1866 .

Son Thomas followed his father to become a shoemaker, first in Narrowgate and later in Pottergate.