John Fradd 1804

John Fradd was born about 1804 in Little Petherick\St Petroc Minor, Cornwall, England.  where he was christened on 01 Apr 1804.  John was one of 9 children born to William and Elizabeth Fradd (nee Oliver).

John and younger brother Francis moved from Padstow to Mawgan in Pydar by 1828 or 1830 and both married local girls.

 

Padstow Quay

 

John married Jane Williams on 25 Sep 1830 in St Mawgan in Pydar, Cornwall, England.

Jane Williams was the daughter of Thomas Williams who was quite a wealthy carpenter it would seem. He owned

 

"freehold Tenement and premises situate in or called Penpons including a  dwellinghouse and orchard, a Carpenters Shop situate at the lower end of the said Meeting House or Chapel"   There was also the  dwelling house adjoining the Blacksmiths Shop in the occupation of John Fradd and the garden adjoining Lanherne pound..."

This much is known from John’s father-in-laws last will and testament.

The 1841 census shows John, a carpenter, living with Jane in Penpont along with children Mary, William Philip, John Joseph and Philipa Jane; her daughter from an earlier marriage to Phillip Share (Shear). There was also Thomas' wife Mary, Johns mother-in-law and Richard, Marys nephew, an apprentice carpenter.

 Surname   First name(s)   Sex   Age   Occupation   Where Born   Remarks  

  FRADD   John   M   35   Carpenter    Cornwall       

  FRADD   Jane   F   40       Cornwall       

  FRADD   Mary   F   5       Cornwall       

  FRADD   William Philip   M   3       Cornwall       

  FRADD   John   M   1       Cornwall       

  SHEAR   Philipa Jane   F   15   Female Servant    Cornwall       

  WILLIAMS   Mary   F   60   Independent    Cornwall       

 BRABYN   Richard   M   15   Carpenter Apprentice    Cornwall

 The 1851 census shows John living at Trevenna Village  with Jane, daughter Elizabeth Mary and her husband  Henry Broad and 2 children Margaret and Nicholas.

 

Surname   First name(s)   Rel   Status   Sex   Age   Occupation   Where Born   Remarks  

FRADD   John   Head   M   M   47   Carpenter Employing 1 Man    Cornwall - Little Petherick       

FRADD   Jane   Wife   M   F   52   Carpenter's Wife    Cornwall - St Mawgan       

FRADD   John   Son   U   M   11   Carpenter's Son    Cornwall - St Mawgan       

BROAD   Henry   Sonlaw   M   M   24   Carpenter    Cornwall - St Mawgan       

BROAD   Elizabeth   Wife   M   F   19   Carpenter's Wife    Cornwall - St Mawgan       

BROAD   Margaret   Dau   -   F   2       Cornwall - St Mawgan       

BROAD   Nicholas   Son   -   M   4m       Cornwall - St Mawgan

 

The 1861 census shows John living at New Farm with Jane and her nephew Thomas

Surname   First name(s)   Rel   Status   Sex   Age   Occupation   Where Born   Remarks  

FRADD   John   Head   M   M   55   Carpenter    Cornwall - Little Petherick       

FRADD   Jane   Wife   M   F   62   -    Cornwall - Mawgan       

WILLIAMS   Thomas   Lodger   U   M   29   Labourer    Cornwall - Mawgan    Age uncertain; might be 39

Johns daughter Elizabeth emigrated to South Australia on 20 November 1851 aboard the vessel "Lysander" with husband Thomas and thier two children.

 

Jane passed away on 16th February1869 (Cause of Death-Accidently Burnt) ; and 7 months later on September 1st 1869 , John boarded the ship Orient at Plymouth and emigrated to Burra, South Australia where he took up a life on the land as a colonist in Kooringa; 103 miles north of Adelaide.
The Orient weighed 1,032 tons and carried 45 passengers sailing from London 3 days earlier.

The colonists were to fall into two groups; those who came as free settlers and those who were to be labourers and whose passage was paid for from the sale of land. In a bold piece of social engineering, the South Australian Colonisation Act specified that labourers immigrating to South Australia under the Emigration Fund, should be men and women under the age of thirty, and be of good character and of sound mind and body.

Land was sold freehold in 1869 and John brought 104 acres at Sod Hut about 8 miles south of Burra where he farmed approximately 350 sheep.

 A Destructive Fire (Burra Record, Dec 1888)

A destructive fire occurred on Thursday last on the premises occupied by Mr Fradd, at Sod Hut, 8 miles south of Burra by which Mr Fradd lost about ten tonnes of hay, twenty bags of wheat, a chaffcutter, a quantity of harness, as well as his stable and woolshed.

The origin of the fire cannot in any way be accounted for as it commenced on the top of the stack of hay, 10 feet from the ground. Mr Fradd informs us that he was the only person about at the time, and he does not carry matches.
It was suggested that a spark from the house chimney which is not situated far from where the fire started, was the cause, but again Mr Fradd assured us that this was not likely as there was hardly any fire in the house at the time. The loss incurred was something over a £100.

John died in Aug 1891 in Burra, and his estate was sold 3 years later after his land was valued at £4 per acre in 1892 (104 acres)
Perhaps it was left to hi son,John Joseph Fradd to execute the will; which either took a long time or John Joseph just eventually sold the lot.

John Fradd's estate possessions included:

 (Burra Record Mar 1894)

Genuine Clearing Sale

On The Premises Sod Hut
In The assigned estate of J. Fradd

 220 four and six toothed ewes in lamb

9 head cattle

Adriance side-delivery mower

Reaping machine Winpower

Chaffcutter and horseworks

Roller, scarifier, harrows

Avery's weighing machine

Drays, Ploughs, Harness

7 tons new and old hay

Stack barley, screenings and heads

400 gallon tank

100 gallon tank on wheels

20 turkeys

250 fowls

 

John is buried in the Burra Cemetery, South Australia.