Sedgefield

The Conn Family of Sedgefield

Research by David Conn

Sedgefield in the 1920s

Sedgefield is a parish in the south east of Durham County, about 15 miles north of Stockton. The parish registers begin in 1580, but it isn't until the mid-18th century that the Conn family appear in the parish.The registers are written in Latin until 1766, and the name is given as Con. George Con appeared in Sedgefield in 1742 with the birth of his first child, and Francis Con in 1746 with the birth of Eliza, his only daughter. There is no further information about Francis. From 1766 the registers are written in English and the family name becomes Conn. Their origin is open for debate, although it was originally suggested that they came either from Scotland or Ireland. More recent research has suggested that they were the George Con and Elizabeth Wood who were married in 12 Nov 1740 at Skelton, near Guisborough in Yorkshire. George was not born in Skelton, but probably came from Whitby. For more information go to Whitby. Elizabeth was the daughter of Richard Wood and Isabel Clarkson, and was born in Sedgefield on 19 Apr 1715. Why Elizabeth and George were married in Skelton is not known, and why they settled in Sedgefield is also a mystery.

This is a very extensive family, mainly because George and Elizabeth had seven sons, although two of the sons, Richard and Thomas, only appear as baptisms. In subsequent generations the family move into nearby parishes such as Wingate and Penshaw, and by the mid 1900s they had spread more widely across the country. Although I have personally looked at all of these parish records, the person who should be consulted on all aspects of this family is Karen Davies. Her web site is called "Con/Conn family from Sedgefield".

The children of George and Elizabeth Con of Sedgefield

1) 3 Jan 1742. Baptism of Richard. It is thought that Richard, a joiner, died in Guisborough in 27 Feb 1814. No further information is available.

2) 16 Apr 1744. Baptism of William.

19 May 1766. William married Mary Oswald at Sedgefield
15 Mar 1767. Baptism of Ann
10 Sep 1769. Baptism of Elizabeth. Married Thomas Matthews in 1803.
4 Oct 1772. Baptism of Mary. Married Hunton Clapon in 1794.
26 May 1776. Baptism of Esther. Buried 1777.
1782. Baptism of Thomas, Buried 1808.
7 Nov 1784. Baptism of John.

3) 5 Oct 1746. Baptism of George.

George married Jane Story in 1765
30 Aug 1767. Baptism of William. See APPENDIX A.
1 Jan 1769. Baptism of John. See APPENDIX D.

4) 25 Jun 1749. Baptism of Peter.

14 May 1770 Peter married Margaret Wood at Sedgefield
30 Apr 1771. Baptism of Margaret. Married James Smith in 1791.
20 Sep 1773. Baptism of Peter. Married to Dorothy Bainbridge in 1798.
12 Mar 1799. Baptism of Thomas Bainbridge, son of Peter and Dorothy Conn at Greatham.
9 Jun 1801. Baptism of Margaret, daughter of Peter and Dorothy Conn at Greatham.
31 Jan 1828. Marriage of Thomas Bainbridge Conn and Mary Barnes at Sedgefield.

5) 1 Mar 1752. Baptism of John.

25 Oct 1773 John married Sarah Herring at Sedgefield
Mar 1776. Baptism of Mary at Wolsinhgam. Married William Hall in 1797.
Aug 1778. Baptism of Margery at Wolsingham. Married John Bainbridge in 1809.

6) 13 Jan 1755. Baptism of Robert.

16 May 1785 Robert married Jane Kirton (Kearton) at Sedgefield
13 Jul 1785. Baptism of Robert
4 Aug 1788. Baptism of Thomas [Sunderland ??]
21 Mar 1791. Baptism of George. Married Jane Darque in 1817
28 Apr 1794. Baptism of William
4 Jun 1796. Baptism of Elizabeth
21 Jan 1799. Baptism of Mary
24 Sep 1801. Baptism of Peter
23 May 1806. Baptism of Ann

7) 26 May 1757. Baptism of Thomas. No further information on this child has been found.

6 Mar 1791. Burial of George Conn of Sedgefield.
8 Feb 1797. Burial of Elizabeth Conn of Sedgefield, aged 82,

APPENDIX A

The family of William Conn, born 1767 in Sedgefield.

The following records are taken from the parish registers of Sedgefield.
10 Aug 1801. Marriage of William Conn to Ann Ditchburn at Sedgefield.
26 Jun 1802. Baptism of John. See APPENDIX B
2 Mar 1804. Baptism of William. See APPENDIX C
15 Dec 1808. Baptism of Mary. Married Nicholas Cowey in Penshaw in 1831
22 Aug 1811. Baptism of Richard
21 Sep 1813. Baptism of Ann. Burial of Ann 1813
27 Sep 1814. Baptism of Ann
16 Apr 1817. Baptism of Michael [Emigrated to Australia in 1864]
11 Aug 1819. Baptism of Jane. Married Mark Harland in 1841
14 Jul 1822. Baptism of Thomas

APPENDIX B

The family of John Conn, born Sedgefield 1802.

The following records were taken fron the Parish registers of Penshaw.
6 May 1826. Marriage of John Conn and Margaret Patterson.
28 Mar 1826. Baptism of John, son of John and Margaret (late Patterson) Conn, shoemaker, of White Field Pit.
20 Jul 1828. Baptism of Mary Ann, daughter of John and Margaret (Patterson) Conn, shoemaker of Shiney Row.
4 Oct 1829. Baptism of Elizabeth, daughter of John and Margaret (Patterson) Conn, shoemaker of Shiney Row.
3 Apr 1831. Baptism of Joseph Patterson, son of John and Margaret (Patterson) Conn, shoemaker of Shiney Row.
7 Oct 1832. Baptism of Margaret, daughter of John and Margaret (Patterson) Conn, shoemaker of Shiney Row.
5 Oct 1834. Baptism of Jane, daughter of John and Margaret (Patterson) Conn, shoemaker of Shiney Row.
27 Jan 1836. Baptism of William, son of John and Margaret (Patterson) Conn, shoemaker of Shiney Row.
12 Aug 1842. Baptism of Luke, son of John and Margaret (Patterson) Conn, shoemaker of Mill Pit. Born 4 Feb 1838.
12 Aug 1842. Baptism of George, son of John and Margaret (Patterson) Conn, shoemaker of Mill Pit. Born 29 Jul 1840.
31 Mar 1850. Burial of William Conn, aged 14, of Shiney Row.
31 May 1850. Baptism of Thomas, son of John and Margaret (Patterson) Conn, shoemaker of Shiney Row. Born 17 Feb 1844.
31 May 1850. Baptism of Alice, daughter of Jon and Margaret (Patterson) Conn, shoemaker of Shiney Row. Born 29 Jul 1847.
15 Jun 1852. Baptism of William, son of John and Margaret (Patterson) Conn, shoemaker of Shiney Row. Born 22 Apr 1850.

APPENDIX C

The family of William Conn, born in Sedgefield, 1804.

The following records have been taken fron the parish registers of Penshaw.
27 Aug 1825. Marriage of William Conn and Margaret Taylor.
4 Nov 1827. Baptism of John, son of William and Margaret (Taylor) Conn, blacksmith of Penshaw.
30 Aug 1829. Baptism of William, son of William and Margaret (Taylor) Conn. (see The Conn family of York).
16 Oct 1831.Baptism of Thomas, son of William and Margaret Conn, blacksmith of Penshaw.
16 Dec 1832. Burial of Thomas Conn, aged 1 year at Penshaw.
6 Oct 1833. Baptism of Margaret, daughter of William and Margaret (Taylor) Conn, blacksmith of Penshaw

APPENDIX D

The family of John Conn, born 1 Jan 1769 in Sedgefield

The following records have been taken from the parish registers of Stanhope and Lanchester.

Stanhope parish register.

6 May 1806. Burial. Margaret Conn, 33, Eastgate, Stanhope.
12 Jun 1806 Marriage of John Conn and Mary Dawson, Stanhope.
23 Oct 1808. Baptism of John, 1st son of John Conn, hind of High Horsley late of the parish of Lanchester,by his wife, Mary Dawson, native of this parish.
28 Oct 1810. Baptism of George, 3rd son of John Conn of Eastgate, hind, native of Wolsingham, by his wife Mary Dawson, native of this parish. (What happened to the 2nd son?)
9 May 1813 Baptism of Mary, daughter of John and Mary Conn of Stanhope.

Lanchester parish register.

5 Oct 1817. Baptism of Robert, son of John and Mary Conn, labourer, Lanchester.
2 Apr 1820. Baptism of Hannah, daughter of John and Mary Conn of Lanchester.
6 Mar 1822. Baptism of Sarah, daughter of John and Mary Conn of Lanchester.
31 Oct 1824. Baptism of Elizabeth, daughter of John and Mary Conn, labourer, Collings Green.
11 Jun 1827. Baptism of Jane, daughter of John and Mary Conn of Lanchester.
23 Sep 1834. Burial of John Conn, age 62, Collings Green.
2 Feb 1835. Marriage of Mary Conn to Anthony Wilson.
25 Feb 1838. Burial of William Conn, age 23, Chapmans Wall.
3 Dec 1841. Burial of Sarah Conn, age 19, Jaw Blades.
10 Jan 1866. Burial of Mary Conn, age 78,Conn's House.
9 Jul 1876. Burial of Robert Conn, age 59, Mount Pleasant.
23 Oct 1830. Marriage of George Conn and Mary Brown at Lanchester.
11 Jan 1831. Baptism of Ann, daughter of George and Mary Conn, labourer, Jaw Blades.
8 Jul 1838. Baptism of George, son of George and Mary Conn, labourer, Jaw Blades.
27 Oct 1831. Marriage of John Conn and Margaret Garthwaite at Lanchester.
15 Apr 1832. Baptism of Thomas Nicholas, son of John and Margaret Conn, Labourer, Maiden Lane. See APPENDIX E
30 Mar 1834. Baptism of John, son of John and Margaret Conn, labourer, Byerley House.
23 Feb 1840. baptism of William, son of John and Margaret Conn, labourer, Langley Lane.
8 Jun 1842. Baptism of Robert (twin), son of John and Margaret Conn, labourer, Langley.
8 Jun 1842. Baptism of Margaret (twin), daughter of John and Margaret Conn, labourer, Langley.
21 Aug 1842. Burial of Margaret Conn, infant, Fell Side.
27 Aug 1842. Burial of Robert Conn, infant, Fell Side.
23 Jun 1844. Baptism of Jane, daughter of John and Margaret Conn, husbandman, Fell Side.
6 Sep 1846. Burial of John Conn, age 39, Fell Side
30 Jan 1847. Baptism of Mark, son of John and Margaret Conn, hind, Fell Side.
16 Mar 1847. Marriage of Hannah Con, daughter of John, and Thomas Curry.
13 Dec 1857. Burial of Jane Conn, age 14, High Langley.
13 Mar 1858. Burial of George Conn, age 21, High Langley.
14 Jan 1859. Burial of William Conn, age 19, Park House Cottages.
8 May 1865. Burial of Mary Conn, age 64, The Kiddles.
18 Dec 1899. Burial of George Conn, age 90, Langley Park.

APPENDIX E

The following records have been taken from the Wolsingham parish register.

7 Jun 1796. Marriage. John Conn of Lanchester and Margaret Baty.
18 Jan 1797. Marriage. Mary Conn and William Hall.
31 Dec 1809. Marriage. Margery Conn and John Bainbridge.
4 Oct 1860. Marriage. Thomas Nicholas Conn and Elizabeth Peart, both of West Field House.
25 Dec 1864. Baptism. Emerson, aged 3 years, son of Thomas Nicholas and Elizabeth Conn, West Field.
25 Dec 1864. Baptism. James Nicholas son of Thomas Nicholas and Elizabeth Conn, West Field.
14 Jun 1871. Baptism. Elizabeth Jane, aged 4 years, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Conn, West Field House.
14 Jun 1871. Baptism. Annie,aged 2 years, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Conn, West Field House.
23 Mar 1880. Baptism. Emma,aged 8yrs. daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Conn, Wolsingham.
23 Mar 1880. Baptism. Mary Jane, aged 6 yrs., daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Conn, Wolsingham.
23 Mar 1880. Baptism. Hannah, aged 3 yrs., daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Conn, Wolsingham.
2 Jun 1880. Baptism. Hannah Elizabeth, daughter of William and Elizabeth Conn, gentlemans servant, Fawnless, Wolsingham.
16 Jul 1882. Burial. Hannah Elizabeth Conn, 2yrs., Wolsingham.
28 Feb 1885. Burial. Thomas Nicholas Conn, 53, Wolsingham.
12 Jun 1886. Marriage. Elizabeth Jane Conn, daughter of Thomas Conn, and Thomas Kirkbride.