John Mudford (b. 1817, d. 1879), Susan (Hatt) Mudford (b. 1819, d. 1884) & Family
John Mudford was born in Stepney, east London in 1817 and baptized in St. Mary's Parish Church, West Chinnock on 12 October 1823, along with three of his siblings, George (b. 12 August 1819), Ann (b. 17 July 1821) and James (b. 3 March 1823).
John Mudford married Susan Hatt in Poplar, east London towards the end of 1840 (UK GRO Reference No. 1840 D Poplar vol 2 page 301). Their first child, Johanna, was born 7 weeks before they emigrated to Aotearoa on the Clifton with John's parents and siblings. There is no record of Johanna's birth registration on the UK GRO searchable index, so it appears likely her birth was not registered in the UK before they left for Aotearoa.
John and Susan's eldest three children, Joanna, Elizabeth and Susannah were all baptized on 15 May 1846 at St. Paul's in Wellington. It is thought Joanna married a James Smith in Nelson in 1866 and died in Napier in 1892. Elizabeth died in 1854, age 11. It is not known what happened to Sussanah. John and Susan had four further children: Nancy (Annie), who married a Carl Peter Nelson and died in 1905; John and James who both died in infancy; and Robert who died in 1905 in Wellington and for whom there is no record of him ever marrying.
John Mudford died in 1879. He was found dead in his bed by his son Robert who was living with him at the time. Due to his sudden death a post mortem was carried out. The Coroner's report stated that "the body was poorly nourished, thin, and wiry". The report went on to say that "On opening the chest he found the lungs and heart extensively diseased, and the wonder was that the deceased had lived so long." John was buried in the Bolton St. Cemetery in Wellington.
Susan (Hatt) Mudford died in 1884. Susan was buried in the Bolton St. Cemetery in Wellington.
Nancy "Annie" (Mudford) Nelson, b. 1849 Family Tree
