Most of these records have been taken from the IGI and the 1901 census. None of the parish registers have, as yet, been searched. Additional material has been provided by Michael Willcocks (USA) who is a descendant of John Conn and Ann Frances Cooper. Anyone who wishes to investigate this family should contact Michael, and visit the web site www.ageofnelson.org where he provides a full and up to date account, including the Irish connections.
The River Tamar is the boundary between the Counties of Devon and Cornwall, and the family of John and Ann Conn is found initially in the parish of Stoke Dameral in Plymouth, Devon. The family then crossed over the Tamar into the parishes of Antony and St. Clement in Cornwall.
The Family of John Conn and Ann Frances Cooper.
There is considerable controversy about the
origins of John Conn, but he is thought to have come from
Waterford in Ireland. He was the gunner in HMS Weazle.
His first son, also called John, entered the Navy as a thirteen
year old volunteer, joining his father in the Weazle,
and later became famous as the captain of HMS Dreadnought at the
Battle of Trafalgar.
Ann Cooper (Frances was probably added at confirmation) was
baptised at Stoke Dameral on 19 Jul 1747, the daughter of Daniel
Cooper and Elizabeth Kent..
Their children were:-
It is thought that Ann Frances died between 1776 and 1782, and
on 29 Jan 1782 John married Ann Catterall at Liverpool.
They moved to Antony in Cornwall, where they had two children:-
The family of John Conn (1764-1810) and Margaret Nelson (1767-1836)
At the age of thirteen John joined his father
in HMS Weazle and he later became famous
as the captain of HMS Dreadnought at the battle of Trafalgar.
To see a summary of his career, press Captain John Conn.
He married Margaret Nelson at Stoke Dameral on 19 Jan 1792.
Margaret was the daughter of the Rev Nelson of Mitford,
Northumberland ,where Margaret was baptised 16 Feb 1767. It was
erroneously stated by McKintyre in his Trafalgar Roll of 1913
that Lord Nelson was related to this Nelson family.
They had one child called Henry.
The family of Henry Conn (1793-1860) and Cecilia Bate (1795-1828)
Their children were:-
The family of Henry Conn (1793-1860) and Mary Susanna Neupert (1802- )
Mary Susanna Neupert was the daughter of John George and Susanna Neupert of Westminster, London. She was born 31 Mar 1802 and baptised 1 Apr 1802 at St James Church, Westminster. She had an elder brother, Edward, and two younger sisters, Georgiana and Charlotte.
Their children were:-
It is known that some members of this family emigrated to America.
Additional records from Devon
1581 Jun 3. Bap of Esdras the son of William Conne at Totnes.
1632 Jan 16. Marriage of William Conn and Margaret Browning at
Crediton.
1637 Jun 5. Marriage of Alice Conn and Augustyne Parker at
Crediton.
1637 Aug 26. Marriage of Thomas Conne and Alice Mules at
Frithelstock.
1640 Nov 29. Bap of John son of Joseph and Eede Conn at Yarcombe.
1642 Oct 2. Bap of John son of William and Margaret Conne of
Crediton.
1674 Mar 13. Marriage of Elizabeth Conne to Richard Willitone at
Kingsbridge.
1701 Jul 26. Marriage of John Conn and Ann Lee at Plymouth St
Andrews.
1708 Aug 23. Marriage of Mary Con and Christopher Rooles at
Exeter St Sidwell.
1730 May 18. Marriage of Clara Conn and Henry Slade at Ide.
1735 Feb 19. Marriage of John Conn and Joanna Wright at Plymouth
St Andrew.
1735 May 7. Marriage of Mary Con and Thomas Galsworthy at
Pancrasweck.
1799 May 1. Marriage of Mary Conn and William Williams at
Ashburton.
Additional records from Cornwall
1640 May 7. Marriage of Willyam Conn and
Dorothy Payne at Easr Newlyn.
1689 Jul 7. Marriage of Grace Conn and Ralph Cory
at Tregony with Cuby.
1730 Sep 21. Bap Mark s of Mark Conn, Launceston
1809 Jun 12. Marriage of Mary Conn and James Downay at Maker.
The 1901 census shows that another Conn family was living in Cornwall. Great care must be taken with this family because in the 1851 and the 1881 census the name is given as CORIN (in cursive writing it could be mistaken for Conn). I have not seen any of the original census pages, only transcriptions, so I can't comment about this family at the moment. Perhaps the Indexes to BMD might sort out this problem.
William C Conn (b. 1820, Ludgvan) married to Jane (b. 1821. St Just)
They moved to Gulval, Cornwall, where their children were:-
The 1901 census also shows that Mary R Conn (b. 1840, Gwennap) and her daughter Lillian B Conn (b. 1876, Redruth) were living in Redruth, Cornwall.