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John Jessop (1834 - 1906)

John Jessop was born on 22 April 1834, in Cratfield, Suffolk, the seveth child and fifth son of John Jessop and Lucy Mouser.

When John was 2 his mother died and about a year later his father remarried. In late 1837 John Snr decided to emigrate to Australia and the family departed London aboard the Orontes on 23 November 1837 as part of the 220 passengers assisted or 'bounty' emigrants (54 men, 58 women and 108 children under 14) on board, there were sevens births and 14 deaths during the journey, including 3 of Johns siblings. The Orontes finally arrived in Sydney on 18 May 1838 after 176 days at sea. John had just turned 4, and was now the baby of the family.

The family initially settled in Cabramatta and then moved to South Creek and the Narellan area where John Snr worked as a fencer and carpenter for local farmers, before moving on to Goulbourn during the 1860s.

It was in Goulbourn John met Sarah Ann Burgess. Sarah Ann (known as Annie) was born in 1838 in Market Lavington, Wiltshire, one of five children born to James Burgess and Eleanor Pincheon. She was christened on 28 December 1838 at St Mary's Church in Market Lavington. She had been previously married to William Shepherd (1811 - 1857) whom she wed in 1848 at Bristol. She had five children by William

Sarah had emigrated to Australia with William in 1852 aboard the 'Hydaspes'. William died in Goulbourn on 9 October 1857. Sarah found herself in the unenviable position of having 4 young children to raise with no breadwinner.

Sarah met John Jessop not long after her husband's death, and the couple settled in Goulbourn for a number of years. Whilst here, they had their first child - a daughter - out of Wedlock.

The family moved back to the Camden area in late 1860 where John took work as a fencer and carpenter, and then finally on 9 January 1861 at the Wesleyan Church in Cobbitty Paddock, Camden they married. They couple had a total of seven children (four sons and three daughters) between 1859 and 1873:

In the 1860s he purchased the leasehold on a 40 acre block of land at Cox's River in the Burragorang Valley, near the mouth of Green Wattle Creek, and it was here that the growing family were raised. 1870 leasehold papers identify the property as Black Creek and in 1878 papers, it is noted that he held a freehold on a property near that of his brother Jonas at Wollongdilly River in Burragorang.

John worked the small property whilst also taking on carpentary work building fences, sheds and houses for local farmers. Most of the money was made from pigs, which consistently got a very good price at the Sydney Markets, all of the farmers in the area would get together to drive the pigs to market.

In the early 1890's John and Sarah Ann decided to leave the farm to their two sons Oliver Hall and Charles to work and moved to Ermington in the Parramatter area where John continued to work as a carpenter until his retirement.

Sarah died there on 28 October 1901 at the age 72, at the time the couple were living at Villiers St in Merrylands. She was buried 2 days later at St Johns Church of England Cemetary in Parramatta.

John outlived her by 5 years, dying at Westmead on 21 September 1906 at the age of 72. He was living with his son Oliver Hall Jessop at the time. He left a total estate worth £65 which he left to his son Oliver.