The descendants of Joshua Nunn and Mary Alexander

Descendants of Joshua Nunn and Mary Alexander have fanned out far and wide. They have been difficult to research as the couple became Baptists, and their children’s births weren’t recorded. However, it’s still possible to piece together their family’s story thanks to marriage certifictes that give the father’s name and occupation, and the fact that two of their sons were active Baptists (James would become a minister) and appear in Baptist journals. For instance, the obituary for their son Jonathan Alexander Nunn tells us where he and his brother were born, and where his parents married, which ties in with a marriage in that parish.^[1]Google Books: The Gospel Herald, or the Poor Christian’s Magazine, vols 11-12, pages 216-219. See also the typed up version on this site.

Joshua Nunn married Mary Alexander at Tunstall in Suffolk on 27 March 1798.^[2]Suffolk Marriages on Findmypast There’s few Nunns in Tunstall’s parish register, and no baptism for Joshua. It seems possible that he was the eldest son of Joshua Nunn and Ann Andrews, baptised at the Independent chapel in Debenham (15 miles north-west of Tunstall) in 1774. More on that later.

Either in or near Tunstall, they heard the gospel preached by John Thompson of Culpho. Thompson established a Baptist chapel in Grundisburgh, which Joshua joined (meaning he had an adult baptism), even though it was 12 miles from Tunstall. “They spent their youthful and joyous day in religion, and mingled with the saints of God in fellowship and conversation, that endeared them to both their minister and their Christian friends. Indeed, a strong feeling of attachment to this connection was always evinced by them to the end of their days.”^[3]Jonathan’s obituary.

Their two eldest sons, Jonathan Alexander and James, were born in Tunstall,^[4]James Nunn gives Tunstall as his place of birth on the 1851 census (the 1861 census only says “Suffolk”), as well as Jonathan’s obituary telling us where they were born. before the family moved to London, in search of work. They settled initially in the east, and attended Mr Shenstone’s Baptist chapel on Little Alie Street in Goodman’s Fields, where Mary was baptised. But not long afterwards, they moved to the west of London, where they attended John Keeble’s chapel on Blandford Street in Marylebone.^[5]Jonathan’s obituary.

And once in London, the couple had four more children.^[6]Jonathan’s obituary. I have identified two of them as William Nunn (c1806-1874) and David Nunn (c1816-1870). In London, Joshua worked as an oilman and tallow chandler.^[7]“Joshua Nunn” and oilman or tallow chandler appear as the name and occupation for the father of James Nunn and William Nunn on their second marriages, and also for David Nunn’s … Continue reading

Joshua died aged about 44, “after a long and distressing affliction, which he bore with great patience and Christian fortitude.”^[8]Jonathan’s obituary. He didn’t leave a will and doesn’t appear in the Death Duty index. He was very likely at least 20 when he married Mary, so was born about 1778. This would mean (if the age is correct!) he probably died in 1822 or earlier. With David being born in about 1816, Joshua could have died between 1815-1822. If he was the son of Joshua Nunn and Ann Andrews, we can be more precise and estimate that he died in about 1818.

On the censuses, David says that he was born in Marylebone, which would place the family there in about 1816. There is a burial at St Marylebone on 1st January 1820 for a Joshua Nunn of Marylebone, aged 46. That would give him a date of birth of around 1773 or 1774, which matches exactly with the Joshua Nunn who was born in Debenham in 1774. It wasn’t unusual for non-conformists to be buried in parish churchyards, even in London where non-conformist burial grounds were easy to find; in fact, John Keeble, minister of the Baptist chapel that the family attended, was also buried in St Marylebone’s churchyard, in 1824.

Mary was left with six children to care for, the eldest being only 21 at the time. I’ve identified four of them, sons, but not the other two. I wonder if they were daughters. However, she was supported by her sons Jonathan and James,^[9]Jonathan’s obituary, and by the time of the 1841 census, Mary was back in Suffolk, living on Tavern Street in Ipswich with her widowed son William and two of his daughters, Rosina and Martha. On 17 February 1842, Mary died at her son’s home, tragically only three days before her eldest son, Jonathan Alexander Nunn, would pass away in Ealing, Middlesex.^[10]Jonathan’s obituary, and both their death certificates. I can’t see her burial in Ipswich; she may have been buried in the family vault at the Baptist church in Grundisburgh.^[11]James Nunn’s “A Stone of Ebenezer”, and his wife’s obituary in the Gospel Herald, mention a family vault there.

Their children

• Jonathan Alexander Nunn: 1799-1842
• James Nunn: 1800-1863 (to follow)
• William Nunn: 1806-1874 (to follow)
• David Nunn: 1816-1870

Articles and memoirs

• Jonathan Alexander Nunn’s obituary
• James Nunn: A Stone of Ebenezer – how he became a minister, and obituaries of his wife and daughter
• James Nunn: obituary
• More to follow

By Helen Barrell

First published 13th March 2024

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