John was baptised on 12 Sep, 1754 at St. Mary's Church in South Benfleet, Essex, England^a1, the son of Henry Guiver (1721–1758)★ and Ann Puttifer (1721–1795)★. He is Ian's 5x great grandfather.

He married Ann Bingham (1757–1834)★ on 26 May, 1777 at Holy Trinity Church in Southchurch, Essex, England^b1 . They had ten children:–

• Mary baptised on 25 Jan, 1778 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b2. Married George Harrison on 2 Aug, 1801 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b3. Died in the Jul-Sep quarter of 1866 in the parish of Southchurch in Essex, England^c1 at the age of eighty-eight.
• Ann baptised on 19 Feb, 1780 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b4.
• Sarah baptised on 7 Apr, 1782 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b5. Married John Mill on 21 Jan, 1808 at St. Matthew's Church in Bethnal Green, Middlesex, England^d1. Died in the Apr-Jun quarter of 1865 in the registration district of Alderbury in Wiltshire, England^c2 at the age of eighty-three.
• Judith baptised on 22 Feb, 1784 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b6. Married James Lilly on 4 May, 1805 at St. Mary's Church in Prittlewell, Essex, England^e1. Died in the Apr-Jun quarter of 1859 in the registration district of Rochford in Essex, England^c3 at the age of seventy-five.
• John★, gardener, baptised on 14 May, 1786 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b7. Married Susannah Dennis★ on 1 Jan, 1807 at St. Mary's Church in Great Baddow, Essex, England^f1. Died on 20 Jun, 1868 in the parish of Great Baddow in Essex, England^g1 at the age of eighty-two.
• James baptised on 16 Nov, 1788 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b8. Married Elizabeth George in 1809 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b9 and Ann Wiltshear in 1813 at St. Mary's Church in Prittlewell, Essex, England^e2. Died on 19 Dec, 1837 in Southchurch^g2 at the age of forty-nine.
• Martha baptised on 19 Jun, 1791 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b10. Married William Freeman on 28 May, 1809 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b11.
• Eleanor baptised on 12 Jun, 1796 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b12. Married Richard Lucking on 16 Sep, 1818 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b13. Died in the Apr-Jun quarter of 1880 in Rochford^c4 at the age of eighty-four.
• Maria baptised on 30 Mar, 1800 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b14. Buried on 27 May, 1819 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b15.
• Susanna baptised on 13 Feb, 1803 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b16. Married James Culham on 29 May, 1823 at All Saints Church in Barling, Essex, England^h1. Died in the Apr-Jun quarter of 1852 in Rochford^c5 at the age of forty-nine.

John died at the age of sixty-five on 16 Feb, 1820 in Southchurch and was buried four days later at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch^b17 He was survived by his wife Ann.

Comments

John may have been a churchwarden in Southchurch. He appears as a witness to many marriages in the church in the years before his death. This could also explain why so many of his children were literate when he was not. His daughter Maria and son James appear as witnesses in later years.

Timeline

1754

12 Sep

Baptised at St. Mary's Church, South Benfleet, Essex, England.^a1

1758

26 May

Father, Henry Guiver (1721–1758)★, buried at St. Mary's Church, South Benfleet.^a2

1777

26 May

Married Ann Bingham★ at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch, Essex.^b1
Recorded as living in Southchurch, Essex.^b1

1778

25 Jan

Daughter, Mary Guiver (1778–1866), baptised at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b2

1780

19 Feb

Daughter, Ann Guiver (1780–?), baptised at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b4

1782

7 Apr

Daughter, Sarah Guiver (1782–1865), baptised at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b5

1784

22 Feb

Daughter, Judith Guiver (1784–1859), baptised at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b6

1786

14 May

Son, John Guiver (1786–1868)★, baptised at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b7

1788

16 Nov

Son, James Guiver (1788–1837), baptised at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b8

1791

19 Jun

Daughter, Martha Guiver (1791–?), baptised at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b10

1796

12 Jun

Daughter, Eleanor Guiver (1796–1880), baptised at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b12

1800

30 Mar

Daughter, Maria Guiver (1800–1819), baptised at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b14

1801

2 Aug

Witness to the marriage of George Harrison and Mary Guiver at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b3

1803

13 Feb

Daughter, Susanna Guiver (1803–1852), baptised at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b16

1809

28 May

Witness to the marriage of William Freeman and Martha Guiver at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b11

14 Aug

Witness to the marriage of James Guiver and Elizabeth George at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b9

1819

27 May

Daughter, Maria Guiver (1800–1819), buried at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b15

1820

16 Feb

Died at the age of sixty-five in Southchurch.

20 Feb

Buried at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch.^b17
Recorded as residing in Southchurch.^b17

Facts

Research Notes

I make the assumption that the baptism in South Benfleet on 12 Sep 1754 is for a John, son of Henry and Ann despite the entry stating the parents names to be John and Sarah. There is some circumstantial evidence to support this assumption:

1. There do not appear to be any other Gyver/Guiver/Giver familys in South Benfleet at the time
2. There is no trace of a John Gyver marrying a Sarah in the preceding years anywhere that I can find
3. The baptism of Mary Gyver in 1750 states that her parents were Henry and Sarah, which is likely to be a another mistake by the vicar. If it were not a mistake then it would imply there are three separate Gyver families active in South Benfleet between 1750 and 1754. There are no other baptisms with parents of Henry and Sarah, or of John and Sarah
4. The registers appear to be written in a hasty fashion with minimal care taken over the entries and could be more prone to errors.
5. The 1754 baptism fits a sequence of 1.5-2 years between children for Henry and Ann Gyver: Martha (1748 in Bulphan), Mary (1750), Henry (1752), John (1754), Margaret (1755, end of), Mary (1757).