John Hallam of Sparrowpit, Derbyshire, 1816-1889
John Hallam was the youngest of six children, son of John Hallam, village blacksmith and locally well-known methodist and his wife Sarah nee Jowle. He was born on 20 Jan 1816 and raised in the village of Sparrowpit where his father and grandfather had been the village blacksmiths before him.
John's father was deeply religious and the local methodist leader, and as such John was brought up within a religious household. There exists a methodist school book of John's containing mathematics and handwriting and signed by him on 1 Jan 1839.
On 21 May 1839 John married Mary Vernon of Sparrowpit, the great-niece of his own grandmother Hannah Vernon, at St Thomas Becket church in Chapel-en-le-Frith. Just over one year later their first child arrived, named Jane after John's older sister. The couple went on to have four more children between 1843 and 1852: Joseph, Sarah Ann, Mary and John.
John spent the whole of his life working as the village blacksmith in Sparrowpit, and in 1858 he was listed as a freeholder of a house and smithy there.
He died in April 1889 at the age of 73 in Sparrowpit and was buried on 19 Apr 1889 at St Thomas Becket churchyard in Chapel-en-le-Frith. His wife Mary had died four years previously.
John's father was deeply religious and the local methodist leader, and as such John was brought up within a religious household. There exists a methodist school book of John's containing mathematics and handwriting and signed by him on 1 Jan 1839.
On 21 May 1839 John married Mary Vernon of Sparrowpit, the great-niece of his own grandmother Hannah Vernon, at St Thomas Becket church in Chapel-en-le-Frith. Just over one year later their first child arrived, named Jane after John's older sister. The couple went on to have four more children between 1843 and 1852: Joseph, Sarah Ann, Mary and John.
John spent the whole of his life working as the village blacksmith in Sparrowpit, and in 1858 he was listed as a freeholder of a house and smithy there.
He died in April 1889 at the age of 73 in Sparrowpit and was buried on 19 Apr 1889 at St Thomas Becket churchyard in Chapel-en-le-Frith. His wife Mary had died four years previously.