The map below has the most important locations in Whaddon. Click on a point to go to a description of it.
George Jacklin (great-grandfather, 1842) was christened in Whaddon. George was at least the fifth generation of Jacklins who lived here. Some of the ancestors of George with different surnames who lived in Whaddon are Elizabeth White, Anne Howes, Jemima Easy, Elizabeth Wood, and Anne Stacey.
Whaddon is a small village and parish whose name means �wheat hill�. Despite its name the village is nearly flat. The land has long been arable and farmed. Because the Jacklin family lived in Whaddon for so many generations, it is probably the most important English village for our heritage. Whaddon has a substantial number of thatched-roof cottages that agricultural laborers once lived in. The two cottages where George Jacklin lived still exist. They are Folly Cottage and The Wilderness (96 Meldreth Road) near each other off Meldreth Road.
Whaddon had 345 residents in 1841 near the time that George Jacklin was born. The principal landowner was the Earl of Hardwicke. There was once a manor house in Whaddon but it was pulled down.
The Mormon Church had its first branch in the region in Whaddon. It was part of the Bedfordshire Conference. A Conference was an administrative ecclesiastical unit similar to a modern day LDS mission district (Reed 7).
The census data tells us much about Whaddon history in the 19th century. There was a wheelwright (a person who repairs or makes wheels) at 1881 and 1891. There were two toll collectors in 1841. There was one schoolteacher in 1851 and 1871 and it increases to two in 1881 and 1891. There was one shoemaker in town. There were two or three shepherds from 1851 to 1891. There wasn�t a medical practioner until 1891. There was one carpenter in 1851, 1861, 1871, and 1891.
Cottages of John Jacklin in Whaddon.
According to various biographical sketches, John Jacklin owned his own farm. These sketches state he sold the farm to a company mining coprolite in the 1870s to raise money for his emigration to Utah in 1875 (Shelley 26).
In reality, John Jacklin wasn�t a farmer. He was a poor agricultural laborer most of his life in Whaddon. In the 1870s, he did mine coprolite rather than farm because the wages were much better.
In Whaddon, there weren�t any owner-occupiers who owned land. In fact, there are very few owners. The Church of England (Dean and Canons of Windsor, Ecclesiastical Commissioners) owned some land. Another landowner was Christ�s College at Cambridge University. An affluent Noble, The Earl of Hardwicke, was the principal landowner. The Earl owned Wimpole estate. Most of the land in Whaddon was part of the Wimpole estate. The Earl of Hardwicke owned all three of the cottages where John Jacklin lived in Whaddon (1891 Wimpole Estate Sale Prospectus). In 1891, the Bank repossessed Wimpole (National Trust 39). At this time, a substantial book and maps were created to sell the estate. This Wimpole Estate Sale Prospectus is still available in the Cambridge Collection at the Cambridge Public Library. It has been useful to identify where John Jacklin lived.
Location of the Cottages.
Determining where an ancestor lived is not easy. Street names change. House numbers change. Streets no longer exist. Houses no longer exist. People move. Surnames change through marriage. Records don�t exist. Existing records are not readable. It is a definite challenge for the Jacklins in Whaddon. However, there are records in existence that do help.
John Jacklin lived in three different cottages in Whaddon. Although questions still remain to this day (September 2002), it is very probable that we know the location and approximate times that he lived in each cottage.
John was born in 1819 most likely in a cottage on a bridleway leading to Wendy. This cottage no longer exists. The County Council tore it down in 1951 when they decided not to add modern plumbing (Chapman, Wilson).
The building contained two separate cottages. It was the home of two households well into the 20th century. The east side of the building contained the larger cottage. It had four rooms, two upstairs and two downstairs. The west side contained a cottage of two rooms, one upstairs and one down (Wilson). The William Jacklin family lived in the east side with four rooms (Wilson & 1891 Census). According to the 1891 Estate Sale Prospectus, the cottage has �3 Rooms and Pantry, with Barn, Pigsty, Closet and Garden.�
Since William Jacklin didn�t move from 1841 to 1891, it seems probable that he lived there all of his adult life. According to Ellen (Jacklin) Tracy, John was born in this cottage. He definitely lived here when he was first married in 1840. On the 1841 Census, there are ten people living in these four rooms (John Jacklin and his wife Sarah, William Jacklin and his wife Jemima, five other children of William, and an agricultural worker). Although ten inhabitants are quite a few for just four rooms, this cottage was large. On the 1891 census, the largest cottages have four rooms (twenty-three cottages). There are twenty-three cottages with three rooms and ten cottages with just two rooms.
Details: Cottage of William Jacklin.
John Jacklin most likely lived at the William Jacklin cottage from 1819 (birth) through 1841 (first year of marriage). According to Ellen (Jacklin) Tracy, John was born in the cottage labeled Cottage of William Jacklin and Jemima Easy. The source of her picture is not known but probably was obtained by Martha (Jacklin) Brown. Another picture came from S. Pardoe, a 2nd-great-granddaughter of William Jacklin living at Rose Cottage. She identified this cottage as north of her cottage on the dirt lane (once called Shingay Lane). A third photograph of the cottage is at the Cambridge Public Library. On the back of this photograph, it states �Linsdel�s cottage down Shingay Lane. Pulled Down by Council? 1951 (Chapman).� According to Wilson, a home on Shingay Lane (a bridleway today) contained two cottages. In one side lived Lydia Jacklin and her children. The Linsdel family lived in the other side. Lydia Jacklin is the wife of Daniel Jacklin, the youngest son of William Jacklin and brother of John. Daniel lived with William Jacklin from birth until William died in 1884 (see 1851, 1861, 1871, and 1881 censuses).
The 1841 Tithe Map and List together with the 1841 census add support that this is the William Jacklin Cottage. There aren�t any Jacklins on the Tithe List. The occupiers on the Tithe Map near the location of the above cottage are David Blunt (first cottage down the lane, Parcel 51) and Benjamin Bright (second cottage down the lane from Pardoe�s home, Parcel 49). The 1841 census lists (in order) William Jacklin, Benjamin Bright, John Racker, and Elizabeth Blunt. Benjamin Bright is on the 1841, 1851, and 1861 censuses. On each of these censuses William Jacklin is an adjacent household listing. There is only one Blunt, Elizabeth (Widow), on the 1841 Census. She may be David Blunt�s widow. She is two households offset from William Jacklin on the 1841 census and three households removed from William Jacklin on the 1851 census. Elizabeth Blunt is living with Stephen (William Jacklin�s cousin) and Jane Jacklin on the 1861 census three households removed from William Jacklin. Stephen Jacklin lived in Rose Cottage, the same building that Pardoes lives in today. Although the tithe map and censuses do not prove this is the William Jacklin Home, they strongly support the location of this home as correct.
This cottage is probably a cottage called Folly Cottage today.
Folly Cottage actually contained two separate cottages in the 19th century (Wilson). One cottage had just two rooms. This is probably where John Jacklin lived with Sarah Goates after their first year of marriage. It would also be where he lived when he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1846. It was also likely where Sarah died of typhoid fever in 1848. It would also most likely be where he lived with his second wife, Emma, when they were first married in the summer of 1848.
Details: Folly Cottage.
Folly Cottage is probably where John Jacklin lived from about 1842 when George Jacklin was born until about 1849. The source of the older picture is not known but probably originated with Martha (Jacklin) Brown. Ellen Tracy, a Jacklin descendent in Utah and genealogist, labeled this picture as the home where George was born. John Jacklin, George�s father, was definitely not living in this cottage in early 1841. John Jacklin and his first wife, Sarah, are living with William Jacklin, his father, on the 1841 census.
In October 2001, E. and S. Pardoe suggested that this cottage looks like Folly Cottage. Folly Cottage is just west of the Wilderness (a description of the Wilderness, the last home of John Jacklin in Whaddon, is in a later section) and very close to it. The same driveway as the Wilderness off of Meldreth Road accesses the cottage. It would have been located on the same property as the Wilderness on the 1891 Sales Prospectus and the 1841 Tithe Map. The color photograph of Folly cottage taken in September 2001 appears to be an excellent visual match. The chimney is in the correct location. The roof shape is correct. It appears as though the large maple tree in the foreground of the 2001 picture may also be the smaller tree in the foreground of the older picture.
However, Folly Cottage is a rather large home today. Could it be the first home of John Jacklin, a poor agricultural laborer? It�s quite possible. Agricultural laborers did live in Folly Cottage as the 19th century was ending. At this time, the cottage housed two households (Wilson). Whaddon doesn�t have many families who are headed by farmers or tradesmen in 1891. There are nine farmers in 1891 and they didn�t occupy Folly Cottage. There are a small number of tradesmen and they can be accounted for in cottages or living with farmers. On the 1891 Sales Prospectus, there are three buildings at the location, two are three room cottages and a third is a four-room cottage. However, the prospectus states that the four-room cottage was formerly two but is now one dwelling. It appears likely that the Wilderness was one of the three-room cottages, Folly is the four-room cottage, and the second three-room cottage was destroyed.
Folly Cottage and the Wilderness (for the Wilderness, see next section) are so close together that it is not possible to distinguish them using the 1841 Tithe Map, 1891 Wimpole Estate Sale Prospectus, 1841, 1851, 1871, and 1891 Censuses. Either could be the home of John Jacklin or fit with these records. In addition, although the picture of Folly Cottage and the older picture appear to be the same building, they may not be. The early research of Martha (Jacklin) Brown and the reasonable locations for the Wilderness and Folly Cottage, taken together, strongly support that John Jacklin lived in a small portion of Folly Cottage first and then in the Wilderness for most of his married life in Whaddon.
According to Martha (Jacklin) Brown, the Wilderness is where John Jacklin lived before he emigrated to Utah in 1875. John Jacklin probably lived here from about 1850 to 1875. All of his children with Emma except Amos, were probably born in this cottage.
The Wilderness had three rooms. The family lived in the entire cottage. In 1851, there were five people living there. In 1871, there were six plus a visitor.
According to family histories, John was made president of the Bassingbourn Branch of the Mormon Church and held the position for 28 years until he emigrated to Utah in 1875. The Branch met in both Whaddon and Bassingbourn at different periods (Reed 83).
Most likely, many meetings of the Mormons were held at the Wilderness. Elijah Larkin does mention one late evening meeting in his journal, �29 July. Sunday. �Returned home at 8� p.m. and had a first rate meeting of the saints at Brother Jacklin�s [house]. � I addressed the saints about an hour upon the necessity of preparing ourselves for the revelations and blessings that are made known to us from time to time.�
Today, there is still a close descendent living in Whaddon, Bessie (2nd-cousin-once-removed). John Jacklin (2nd-great-grandfather, 1819) is her great-grandfather. Hannah Jacklin, a daughter of John Jacklin, married Charles in 1872. Although Hannah was baptized a Mormon in 1860, we couldn�t find a record of Charles being baptized a Mormon. When they were married, a cottage near Dyer�s Green was vacant and they moved into it. (Whaddon Collection Papers. Paper written 1982 by G. Pearce. Cambridge Collection. Cambridge Public Library.) Today, this cottage is called White Cottage and still exists.
The portion of the cottage occupied by Hannah is now a bed & breakfast (White Cottage, 153 Bridge St., Dyers Green, Whaddon, Royston, Herts. SG8 5SP. Phone: 01223 208285). Hannah and Charles lived at White Cottage all their lives. Bessie, her granddaughter lived with her grandmother until about age seven when Hannah died.
Bessie recalls that Hannah was a wonderful person. She did sewing for nearly everybody in the village. Hannah was also very good at nursing and would go to the help of anybody in the village who was ill (G. Pearce). Hannah gave birth to several children at this cottage, but we will mention just two of them here, Hilda born about 1884 and Ernest born about 1890. Hilda and Ernest married cousins. Both of Hilda�s children were born at White Cottage too. One of Hilda�s children was Bessie. Bessie never married. Craig Shelley visited with Bessie a few times during his visit and thoroughly enjoyed his visits with her. A second child of Hannah was Ernest who married May. One of their children was Ernie. Craig Shelley visited with him by phone on his second trip to England.
Details: The Wilderness and Hannah�s Descendents.
Many descendents of John Jacklin in Utah have an early photograph of the Wilderness, which they have thought was the home of John Jacklin before he emigrated to Utah in 1875. The source of this picture was most likely Martha (Jacklin) Brown, a granddaughter in Utah. Martha had an interest in family history. She exchanged photographs, letters, and extensive genealogical records with another granddaughter, Hilda living in Whaddon (see Proof of Contact in Bibliography). Hilda�s mother, Hannah Jacklin, lived in White Cottage since 1872. When Hilda married, she lived with her parents at White Cottage too. Hilda lived with Hannah for forty-seven years. It is quite likely that Hilda sent a picture of the John Jacklin cottage to Martha Brown. Hannah would have known where the John Jacklin cottage was located. Hilda probably did too. Bessie assumed that her grandmother, Hannah, was born at White Cottage where she and her mother were born. However, White cottage is located at Dyer�s Green, which is the extreme southern side of the village and a separate location from �The Green� that John Jacklin lived near on the 1851 and 1871 censuses.
Details: The Wilderness.
�The Wilderness�, an attractive thatched cottage in Whaddon is very likely where John Jacklin lived from about 1850 to 1875. The Wilderness is definitely in the correct location to be the John Jacklin cottage from 1851 to 1871. Households near the Wilderness in 1891, according to the Wimpole Estate Sale Prospectus, may be traced back to households adjacent to John Jacklin on the 1871 and 1851 censuses. Households near the Wilderness in 1841, according to the Whaddon Tithe Map, may be traced forward to households adjacent to John Jacklin on the 1851 and 1871 censuses. Many descendents of John Jacklin in Utah have an early photograph of the Wilderness that they have thought was the home of John Jacklin before he emigrated to Utah in 1875.
The Wilderness is in the correct location to be the home of John Jacklin. The 1871 census, 1891 census, and 1891 Wimpole Estate Sale Prospectus provide support that John Jacklin lived in or very near the Wilderness. In 1891, the bank repossessed the Wimpole Estate and a Sales Prospectus was created to sell the extensive properties of the estate that included most of Whaddon. The sales prospectus included the following map.
Properties 73 and 74, which include the Wilderness, are combined in the associated prospectus. There are four cottages at this (73 and 74) location. William Lovely was living in two cottages that are now occupied by one household. William Bright is living in another cottage and the fourth one is vacant.
Censuses were taken in Whaddon every ten years starting in 1841 and are available through the 1891 census at the LDS Church�s Family History Library and from various other sources. The 1861 Whaddon census is the only one that included the house number. It is also the only census for which the data is incomplete, being partially destroyed for about a third of the village�s residents and lost forever. The census data does not correspond to individual houses. Using the 1861 census that has house numbers and shows each head of a household with an �ID� number proves this. In this census, it is possible to have more than one ID number (household) at the same house number. In other words, each �family� (household), even living at the same address, is given a unique ID.
William Lovely is living on �The Green� (ID 6) on the 1871 census. Adjacent to him on the 1871 census is John Jacklin on �The Green� (ID 5). On the other side of John Jacklin is Hannah Bright listed as living at �High St� (ID 4). She is the mother of William Bright (Layng, Page 45, William Bryant Bright christened 30 May 1841 son of William and Hannah late Skinner laborer). In addition, the 1871 census lists today�s Green Farm at ID 8 (location 93 on the Wimpole Estate Sale Map). It is just across the road. Today�s Chestnut Tree Farm is listed at ID 13 (location 99 on the Wimpole Estate Sale Map).
It appears likely that Amos Jacklin (1849), John�s oldest son from his second marriage, lived in or near the same cottage as John after his father emigrated to Utah in 1875 based on the 1881 and 1891 censuses. On the 1881 census, William Bright is living �On The Green� at ID 49, Amos Jacklin (John�s oldest son) is living at ID 50, and William Lovely is listed as living at ID 51. On the 1891 census, William Bright is living �On The Green� at ID 30, Ann East is living �On The Green� at ID 31 in today�s Wisteria Cottage across the street (location 98 on the Wimpole Estate map), William Lovely is at ID 32, and Amos Jacklin is at ID 33. Amos Jacklin may well have lived at the John Jacklin cottage from when his father emigrated in 1875 until early 1891 when the census was taken. If Amos left the cottage by late 1891 when the Wimpole Estates were offered for sale, it would account for the vacant cottage listed in the estate sale prospectus for properties 73 & 74. Amos Jacklin is not living in Whaddon on the 1901 census. He is an agricultural laborer living at Abbots Ripton in Huntingdonshire, a village about 25 miles north of Whaddon.
It is also possible to work forward in time to find support for John Jacklin living at the Wilderness. John Jacklin and his new wife, Sarah Goates, are living with his father, William Jacklin, on the 1841 census. In 1841, a Tithe Map and Apportionment list was completed for the village of Whaddon. A Thomas Bell was living at location 100 (Cottage and Garden) on the following map. This would include the Wilderness and Folly Cottage.
Thomas Bell is listed on the 1841 census living together with George Campkin, George�s wife Elizabeth, and two children. Elizabeth Campkin is the daughter of Thomas Bell (see familysearch.org and Lyang, Page 36, �Elizabeth BELL dau of Thomas & Ann late HAGGER laborer�). George Campkin, a shoemaker, and his family are early converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormons. John Jacklin converted to this Church in 1846. Thomas Bell dies in 1849 before the 1851 census is completed. George Campkin isn�t living in Whaddon in 1851 (he is known to be living in Biggleswade in the early 1850s before he emigrates to Utah, see Reed). There is a good chance the Wilderness was vacated by the 1851 census. Near Thomas Bell on the 1841 census are the following residences (in order): Chestnut Tree Farm (Giffen residence at the time), Thomas Bell, Joseph Jacklin (John�s uncle), William Easy (another uncle), and William Bright (the father of William Bright from the 1891 Wimpole Estate Sale Prospectus). The 1851 census lists John Jacklin (ID 51), Joseph Jacklin (uncle at ID 52), Chestnut Tree Farm (now the Thomas Easy residence at ID 54), the Green Farm at ID 58, William Lovely at ID 60, William Easy (uncle) at ID 61, and William Bright at ID 62. In other words, The Wilderness was likely vacated about 1849 when Thomas Bell died and it is probable that John Jacklin moved into this cottage at that time. Although the above does not prove with certainty that John Jacklin lived at the Wilderness, it is certain that he at least lived near the Wilderness.
Today, Trevor Walker lives at the Wilderness. His mother, Florence Ethel Walker, lived there previously. Florence, known as Ethel in Whaddon, wrote Mary Annie (Jacklin) Shelley (half sister of Martha Brown) a letter discussing her cottage (the probable John Jacklin cottage) and Chestnut Tree Farm in 1965. Mrs. Walker said, �When we bought the cottage it was all falling apart and my husband had to put new chimneys on it so perhaps that accounts for that looking different.� Florence eventually did genealogical research for Martha (Jacklin) Brown and Ellen (Jacklin) Tracy (Shelley, see Proof of Contact).
It has been suggested that this cottage, the �William Jacklin Cottage�, and the �The Wilderness� (described previously) are the same structure at different times. However, the roof structure is inconsistent (slanted on the ends) and the locations of the chimneys are different. Chimneys are structural parts of these cottages so it is not a reasonable hypothesis. In addition, Mr. Trevor Walker (personal conversation May 2001) said that the beams in his attic extended the entire length of the roof and were of original material. The Wilderness is not the same structure as the above cottage or the William Jacklin cottage. The three cottages are distinct buildings.
According to Bessie (great-granddaughter of John Jacklin), when Hannah Jacklin�s parents (John Jacklin and Emma) left her in Whaddon and emigrated to Utah, they left behind three pieces of furniture. Bessie still has this furniture in her home today.
Other Homes of Interest in Whaddon.
Chestnut Tree Farm, formerly called Chestnut Farm and Green Cottage, was found in an old Shelley family picture album. It is labeled �Jemima Easy home in Whaddon in the 1960s called Chestnut Farm.� Chestnut Tree Farm was not the home where Jemima Easy (3rd-great-grandmother) was born or lived. It was first occupied by the grandson (Thomas Easy) of her brother in the 1840s.
Mary Annie (Jacklin) Shelley, wrote a letter to Florence Walker in 1965. Florence and her husband lived in the Wilderness. In a reply, Florence said that Chestnut Farm was the �old homestead of the Easys�. This may be the source of the interpretation that it was the Jemima Easy home.
Chestnut Tree Farm was rented by Stephen Giffen (not related) from 1810-1841, Thomas Easy (1st cousin four times removed) from 1851-1893, and William England (Thomas� son-in-law) from 1894-1933. We�re not certain when Thomas Easy first started renting Chestnut Tree Farm. The Giffen family lived in Whaddon for at least two generations before Stephen Giffen. Stephen Giffen�s son was a shoemaker in Whaddon. Thomas Easy was a publican before moving to Chestnut Tree Farm. Chestnut Tree Farm is larger than homes occupied by laborers and had acreage associated with the home. It was a small farmer�s home.
Whaddon. Cambridgeshire Map
St Mary�s Church is in the Saxon style. The chancel of the Church was built in the late 13th century. The nave and tower were rebuilt about 1340. (History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Cambridgeshire, 1851, Page 317).
St Mary�s Church was rebuilt about 1340.
The Cottage of William Jacklin. Map
Cottage of William Jacklin: Photo from Ellen Tracy.
Cottage of William Jacklin: Photo from S. Pardoe.
Cottage of William Jacklin: Photo from Cambridge Public Library. Rose Cottage is on the left and the William Jacklin Cottage is on the right in the background.
Folly Cottage. Map
According to Ellen Tracy, George Jacklin, John�s oldest son was born in 1842 in this cottage.
The Wilderness. Map
Hannah Jacklin�s Family. Map
Hannah lived on the left side of White Cottage.
View of the original wall within White Cottage.
Bessie (left, 2nd-cousin once removed) and Diane (right, 3rd-cousin once removed) lived at White Cottage. Bessie lived on the East side (Photo taken Sep 2001).
Hannah and her daughter Louisa. Louisa was 20-months old when John Jacklin emigrated to Utah. Did John Jacklin have this picture taken to remember his granddaughter and daughter? Bessie and Ellen Tracy both had copies of it.
Section of Wimple Estate Sales Map.
John Jacklin�s Furniture.
Large table left by John Jacklin.
Small table left by John Jacklin.
Chestnut Tree Farm in 2001.
When we went to Whaddon, Trevor Walker told us about Ada Easy (3rd cousin two times removed) who used to live across Meldreth Road from him. Her father is John Webb Easy, the son of Thomas Easy. This home was part of Chestnut Tree Farm when Thomas first rented it in the 1840s.
There is a cottage between Chestnut Tree Farm and John Webb Easy�s cottage called Wisteria Cottage (Margaret Wilson lives in it today). It was the home of William East and Ann Easy. Ann was the sister of Jemima Easy (3rd-great-grandmother). This property was not part of Chestnut Tree Farm in the 19th century. It was the cottage of agricultural laborers. It is possible that Wisteria Cottage is the home where Jemima Easy was born.
Wisteria Cottage in 1940's. This could be where Jemima Easy (3rd-great-grandmother) was born. Her sister, Ann, lived here in the 19th century. (Cambridge Collection).
S. (3rd cousin once removed) and E. Pardoe live at Rose Cottage. Stephen Jacklin (1st cousin four times removed) also lived in Rose Cottage.
Rose Cottage (Cambridge Collection).
William Jacklin, the brother of John Jacklin (2nd-great-grandfather), lived in a home just south of Rose Cottage. This building was built in the 19th century. He occupied the home from at least 1861 to 1881.
Home of William Jacklin, the brother of John Jacklin (2nd-great-grandfather).
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George Jacklin.
St Mary�s Church.
Organ in St Mary�s Church.
Interior of St Mary�s Church.
Interior of St Mary�s Church.
Window in St Mary�s Church.
Font in St Mary�s Church.
Folly Cottage.
A Wilderness photo taken in 1966 after the Walkers bought it and before making changes. Photo obtained from Ellen Tracy Records.
The Wilderness.
The Wilderness.
The Wilderness.
White Cottage.
Hannah and her daughter Ada.
Hannah Jacklin.
Section of Whaddon Tithe Map.
Trevor Walker.
Cabinet left by John Jacklin.
Chestnut Tree Farm.
Rose Cottage.