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John SAUNDERS (1791–1867)
His wife Ann SAUNDERS, née Webb (1813–1877)
Their daughter Annie SAUNDERS (1839–1866)
St Michael section: Row 33, Grave L51

Ann Webb was born in Wytham in 1813 and baptised there on 21 October. She was the daughter of James Webb and Charity Bryan, who were married at Wytham Church on 21 October 1810. They had four other children baptised there: Elizabeth (1810), William (1812), James (1815), and John (1818).

In the second quarter of 1839 in Oxford (in neither of their home parishes, possibly to disguise the fact that their first child was on the way), John Saunders (47) married Ann Webb (26). They had the following children:

• Ann Saunders, known as Annie (born in Oxford in 1839 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 29 December)
• Emily Saunders (born in Oxford in 1842 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 1 January 18 43)
• John Robert William Saunders (born in Oxford in 1844 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 12 May)
• Edwin Charles Saunders (born in Oxford in 1846 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 27 December)
• Richard Henry Saunders, also known as Henry Richard (born in Oxford on 23 December 1848 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 25 February 1849)
• Ernest Alfred Saunders (born in Oxford in 1851 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 10 January 1852)
• Amy Clara Saunders (born in Oxford in 1854 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 7 January 1855).

In July 1831 John Saunders was returned Guardian for the parish of St Michael.

At the time of the 1841 census John Saunders was described as a bootmaker and was living at 21 Broad Street with his wife Ann and their daughter Annie (1), plus their servant and a lodger.

In 1851 John (58) was described as a cordwainer, living over his shop with his wife Ann (38) and their first five children, namely Annie (11), Emily (8), John (6), Edwin (4), and Richard (2), plus a servant.

In 1861 John (69), now described as a bootmaker employing two men, was living here with his wife Ann (58) and his children Annie (21), Richard (12), and Amy (6). Their son John (16) was a grocer's apprentice in Brackley, Northamptonshire; Edwin (14) was a linen draper's apprentice in Paddington; and Ernest (10) was at school in Steventon. Emily (18) is hard to find.

Their daughter Annie died in 1866:

† Miss Annie Saunders died at 21 Broad Street at the age of 26 on 26 July 1866 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 29 July (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael's Church).

Her death notice in Jackson's Oxford Journal read: “July 26, after 15 years' severe affliction, Annie, the eldest and beloved daughter of Mr. John Saunders, Broad-street, in the 27th year of her age.”

Her father died the following year:

† John Saunders died at 21 Broad Street at the age of 75 on 1 February 1867 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael's Church).

His death notice in Jackson's Oxford Journal read: “Feb. 1, at 21, Broad-street, in his 76th year, Mr. John Saunders, beloved and respected by all who knew him.”

All four sons of John Saunders are untraceable in England once they had grown up, and it seems likely that they had emigrated. In any event, they were in no position to take over the business. Saunders been working in partnership with J. A. Acock in 1866/7, and following his death Acock ran a bookseller's & stationer's shop at 21 Broad Street, which was in business until 1891.

In 1871 Mrs Saunders (55) was living at Blenheim Place to the north of St Giles's Street with her son Richard (22), who was an ironmonger.

Mrs Ann Saunders died in 1877:

† Mrs Ann Saunders née Webb died at Blenheim Place at the age of 64 in March 1877 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 14 March (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael's Church).

Surviving children of John and Ann Saunders

• Emily Saunders (born 1842) never married. In 1881 she was an annuitant of 38 visiting a family in Brightwell, Berkshire; and in 1901 she was a retired governess of 58, living at 3 Manor Road, Oxford. She was living at 42 Marston Street, Oxford when she died on 28 May 1920 at the age of 78. Her effects came to £930 5s. 1d., and her executor was the artist Frederick Mason Sheard.
• John Robert William Saunders (born 1844) is hard to locate after the 1861 census, when he was a 16-year-old grocer's apprentice in Brackley.
• Edwin Charles Saunders (born 1846) is hard to locate after the 1861 census, when he was a 14-year-old apprentice in London.
• Richard Henry Saunders, also known as Henry Richard (born 1848) is hard to locate after the 1871 census, when he was an ironmonger living at home in Oxford with his widowed mother.
• Ernest Alfred Saunders (born 1851) is hard to locate after the 1861 census, when he was away at school.
• Amy Clara Saunders (born 1854) never married. At all the censuses from 1881 to 1911 she was an assistant schoolmistress/governess at the same small private school at 28 Hazlewood Road, Northampton. She died at 39 Ardington Road, Northampton at the age of 73 on 8 October 1927. Her effects came to £5,497 14s. 4d.