The Conn Family of Whitby
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The Conn Family of Whitby
Research by David Conn
Between 1600 and 1900 Whitby was one of the major ports on the
east coast of England. People migrated there to find work usually
in the shiping industry. Not only was it was a staging post in
the coal trade between Newcastle and London, but it was perhaps
the major port involved with the Baltic trade. It had trading
links with Russia and America, and most interestingly many of the
sailors were from the Orkneys, an association that went back to
the 1200's. Was it possible that the Conn name came in originally
from this source?
George Conn, who was born in Upleatham, appeared in Whitby in
about 1714. Unfortunately there are three Georges in the
Upleatham Parish register that could be this George. The most
likely is George, the son of Peter Conn and Dorothy Crow of
Wortswell, baptised 7 Nov 1684, although other possibilities are
George the son of Peter of Laton house, baptised 24 May 1687 or
George the son of Robert, baptised 10 Aug 1684. At the moment
there is no way of deciding which is the correct George.
George is first of all mentioned in the Whitby parish register
as a sailor, but subsequently is said to be a merchant,
shopkeeper or tobacconist. In 1720 he sold his property in
Upleatham to a Richard Scrafton of Marske (Dundas Archives, ZNK
178/9). It is possible that this property is the one that his
grandfather George Conn bought in 1671. In the family line given
below, his son also called George, probably married Elizabeth
Wood in Skelton in 1740, both of whom moved to Sedgefield in
about 1742. His two nephews, George and William the sons of Peter
Conn and Jane Tanfield also seem to have moved to Whitby
following the death of their father in 1764, where their
marriages appear in the registers in 1767 and 1768. These
relationships can be more easily understood by looking at the
family tree given below, but it must be emphasised that they are
tentative.
Whitby parish registers
Marriage of George Conn (1684-),
sailor, and Hester Pearson, Whitby, 29 Jul 1714.
It is thought that George Conn came from
Upleatham. See family tree.
Their children were:-
- 25 Dec 1715. Baptism of
George, the son of George Conn.
- 27 Oct 1717. Baptism of
Robert, son of George Conn, merchant. Buried 8 Apr 1735
- 24 Apr 1720. Baptism of
Thomas, son of George Conn. Buried 24 Apr 1720.
- 31 May 1724. Baptism of
Hester, daughter of George Conn. Buried 3 Oct 1725
- 26 Jun 1726. Baptism of
Esther, daughter of George Conn. Married Harland Widd,
sailmaker, 6 May 1755.
- 7 Oct 1729. Baptism of
Peter, son of George Conn (b. Jul 1728). Buried 22 Nov
1733.
- 7 Oct 1729. Baptism of
William, son of George Conn. Buried 23 Mar 1735.
- 12 Oct 1732. Baptism of
Pearson, son of George Conn. Buried 19 Feb 1735.
- 18 Jul 1736. Baptism of
Pearson, son of George Conn, tobacconist. Buried 21 Aug
1737
- 10 Mar 1751. Burial of Esther, wife of
George Conn, shopkeeper, Whitby
- 1740 Nov 12. Marriage of George Con (b.
1715) and Elizabeth Wood at Skelton, Yorks.
- George Con and Elizabeth Wood move to
Sedgefield and start the Sedgefield family.
Marrigage of George Conn (1745-),
carpenter, to Jane Story at Whitby, 28 Feb 1767.
. George has come from Upleatham. See family tree.
Their children were:-
- 22 Oct 1770. Baptism of
Peter, son of George & Jane Conn, carpenter (Born 1
Oct)
- 26 Apr 1773. Baptism of
Elizabeth Story, daughter of George & Jane Conn,
carpenter (born 24 Mar). Buried 24 Jun 1777, aged 4.
- 3 Oct 1775. Baptism of
Thomas, son of George & Jane Conn, sailor (born 25
Sep).
- 2 May 1778. Baptism of
Jane, daughter of George & Jane Conn, carpenter (born
28 Feb).
It is thought that this Jane Conn had three
illegitimate children:-
- 8 Sep 1799. Baptism of Sarah, daughter of
Jane Conn, spinster. Buried 26 Jan 1802.
- 1 Jun 1803. Baptism of Mary, dauther of
Jane Conn, spinster. Married Thomas Smallwood 11 Feb
1833, Whitby.
- 30 Jan 1809. Baptism of Eliza, daughter of
Jane Conn, spinster. Eliza remained unmarried.
10 Dec 1814. Burial of Jane Conn, aged 37,
Whitby.
Mar 1858. Death of Mary Smallwood, Scarborough.
Marriage of William Conn (1745-1807),
labourer, and Mary Ventriss, BOTP at Whitby, 23 Nov 1768.
William has come from Upleatham. See family tree.
Their children were:-
- 1773 Jul 15. Baptism of
Jane, the daughter of William & Mary Conn, carpenter
(born Jun 24). Buried 18 Feb 1787, aged 9
- 1777 Sep 8. Baptism of
Mary, the daughter of William and Mary Conn, carpenter
(born 7 Sep)
- 1788 Dec 5. Burial of Mary the wife of
William Conn, a poor carpenter, age 53.
- 1807 Aug 13. Burial of William Conn,
labourer, aged 62.
It has not been proven, but the
following Peter must be the son of the previous George.
Marriage of Peter Conn (1770-), sailor
of Goathland Banks, to Ann Chapman. at Whitby, 30 Nov 1792.
Their children were:-
- 9 Sep 1793. Baptism of
Jane , daughter of Peter & Ann Conn at Whitby.
- 1 Sep 1795. Baptism of
Mary, daughter of Peter & Ann Conn at Whitby.
- 2 Dec 1797. Baptism of
George Chapman Conn the son of Peter & Ann Conn at
Whitby.
- 24 Sep 1801. Burial of George Chapman
Conn, son of Peter & Ann Conn at South Shields.
- 29 Jul 1806. Burial of Ann, daughter of
Peter & Ann Conn, aged 6 at South Shields.
- 5 Jul 1807. Burial of Elizabeth, daughter
of Peter & Ann Conn, aged 18 months at South Shields.
- 19 Feb 1809. Baptism of Peter, son of
Peter & Ann Conn, South Shields.
- 6 Sep 1811. Baptism of Ann, daughter of
Peter & Ann Conn, South Shields.
The following records can be
provisionally linked to other families.
The following Thomas Conn
probably belongs to the Pickering family, and this was a second
marriage after the death of Jane Chapman. There are still
question marks about this association.
- 4 Mar 1723 Burial of
Robert, son of Thomas Conn of Sleights.
- 12 Aug 1728. Marriage of
Thomas Conn of Sleights to Barbara Richmond of Fyling.
- 4 Dec 1731. Burial of
Robert, son of Thomas Conn of Tyling.
- 21 Dec 1760. Burial of
Barbara, wife of Thomas Conn of Thorpe in the parish of
Fylingdales.
The following Robert Conn was
born in Pickering in 1702. He married a Rachel (date and place
unknown) and had the two following children in Whitby. They moved
to Sunderland in the 1730s where Rachel died in 1738. (see Conn
families of Sunderland).
- 27 Apr 1725. Burial of
Timothy, son of Robert Conn of Whitby.
- 5 Apr 1727. Baptism of
Robert, son of Robert Conn of Whitby. Buried in
Sunderalnd 1740.
The following Matthew Conn was
the son of Robert Conn of Pickering (b.1702) and his second wife,
Jane Storm. He was born in 1750 in Sunderland, but must have
moved back to Whitby. His death has not been found.
- 8 Aug 1788. Marriage of
Matthew Conn, bachelor, mariner and Rachel Sneaton,
spinster, both of this parish.
- 22 Jun 1779. Baptism of
Elizabeth, daughter of Matthew and Rachel Conn, sailor of
Whitby.
- 29 Feb 1792. Burial of
Rachel, aged 49, widow of Matthew Conn, sailor of Whitby.