John Pond
According to his marriage certificate, William Pond the letter carrier, born in Tillingham, Essex in 1812 was the son of John Pond, a mole catcher. William Pond's baptism record shows that his parents were John Pond and Bridget Rogers.
Bridget Rogers was most likely born in Southminster where a Rogers family were living at the time. John and Elizabeth Rogers had 5 children in Southminster between 1777 and 1786. They were married in 1776 in Southminster. It looks like there were other children including a Susanna Rogers who married William Parish in 1794 in Tillingham. She appears to have been Bridget's sister as Bridget had a daughter called Susanna and a son William. I need to prove who the parents were of Bridget and Susannah. Susannah and William appear to be in the 1841 census in Colchester but the census after that state Susannah was born in either Great Oakley or Brandon, Suffolk. Neither seem reliable.
There were two John Ponds born in Southminster:
1. born in August 1762 with parents John Pond the Blacksmith and Elizabeth.
2. born in September 1768 and his parents were Abraham Pond and Susanna Hammond
John Pond the blacksmith and Abraham Pond appear to have been brothers born in Woodham Mortimer and the two John Ponds were cousins. At first, finding out that John and Bridget had a daughter called Susanna led to my assuming that Abraham and Susanna were John's parents but I have now found that his burial record states that he died in March 1819 aged 55 - this means he was born in either 1764 or, if his birthdate fell after March, 1763. There is also a burial record for a John Pond of Southminster aged 74 in 1842 - this means he was born in 1768. Add to this the fact that John and Bridget's daughter Susanna was most likely named after Bridget's sister and that Elizabeth Pond, mother of the John Pond born in 1762, died in 1794 in Southminster, five years before John and Bridget married in Tillingham and that Susanna Pond, mother of John Pond born in 1768 died in 1820 in Southminster, it seems more than likely that John who married Bridget was born in 1762. The likelihood is that John Pond born in 1768 was the one who died in Southminster in 1842.
Also, John Pond the blacksmith left a Will that stated that he had provided for his son John to have an apprenticeship as a tailor. This had led me to believe that our John Pond the mole catcher couldn't be this John Pond as I had thought a mole catcher was a type of pest controller but moleskin was used to make trousers in those days, so there is an association. It may be that John's estate after settling his debts, was not enough for the apprenticeship or there was some other reason why our John became a mole catcher. Also, as he was 45 when William was born, he may have been a tailor at some stage and became a mole catcher later in life when William knew him. Apparently the nineteenth-century village molecatcher could be quite a character. (source Moles and Molecatchers: http://www.dumville.org/moles.html It would be useful to find out what Bridget's father's occupation was to see if that sheds any light on what John did. Another clue is that John was literate, so this suggests he was educated and hints that his background may not have been entirely poor.
William Creasey
There were three William Creaseys:
1. born c1799 Dengie, Essex married Ann Payne in 1818 in Tillingham he was a Carrier in 1841 census and Ag Lab in the 1851 census. He was the father of Elizabeth who married William Pond in Tillingham - children 1841 census: Elizabeth, Mary, George, Ann, Alfred and Ellen. In 1851, they have another daughter Clara living with them. It looks like his parents were John Creasy and Mary Whitiker - married in Dengie in 1790
2. born c1801 Southminster married Charlotte Perry in 1827 in Tillingham, she died before 1841 census. In 1841 census, he can be found living in Dengie with his family daughters Charlotte and Eliza. He married Susanna Halstead in 1848. Susanna Halstead was the widow of Isaac Halstead who died in 1841. Isaac Halstead married Susanna Burrels in 1824 in Southminster. My guess was that Susanna Burrels was Susanna Pond as age and place of birth, Tillingham, match and her brother William Pond married Elizabeth Creasey but not so sure now. This William's parents were Jonathn and Elizabeth Creasey.
3. born c1809 Southminster parents Jonathan and Elizabeth Nightsbridge - can be found living with them and sister Mary in the 1841 census in Dengie - Ag Lab. In 1845 he married Lydia Bones and they lived in Bradwell on Sea where where she was born. In 1851 census, he and Lydia were living with their children Eleanor and William.