John D. Darby

     NOTE: The information on this page is my research to date and is subject to change as I become better informed. I very much welcome any corrections or additional info you might have - my email address is at the bottom of this page. Whilst historical facts are not copyright, my writing about these facts are. If you wish to use any text from this site on Ancestry or on any other website, please ask me first - Tim Hill.


(For a brief history and context on the Darby family see this page)

John D. Darby may have been born circa 1817 at Hertford.¹ He was the son of George Darby and Elizabeth Aylott. John D. Darby may have been born circa 1819 at Hertford.² The city of Hertford dates back to at least 673, and was an important market town surrounded by agricultural land. From the late 16th century, it had access to the London corn markets via the Lea river.

He was baptised at Lady Huntingdon's Connexion on Sunday, 23 May 1819 at Hertford. His baptism record appears to say that he was baptised "John D" as his christian names.¹ Lady Huntingdon's Chapel was one a series of chapels founded in the 18th century by the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion as part of a Calvinistic movement within the Methodist church. She insisted that they should all subscribe to the doctrines of the Church of England and use only the Book of Common Prayer. It was apparently founded in 1800, and started keeping registers from 1806.



His mother died circa January 1821. He was about 2 when this happened.³

He may have attended the wedding of his sister in the marriage of Jerimiah Playl and Eliza Darby in a Church of England ceremony at St. Leonard's on Monday, 7 April 1828 at Shoreditch, London. Eliza was married on the same day as her older sister Lucretia, and they, along with their father, were witnesses for each other. Jerimiah and Eliza went on to have six children together.⁴

He may have attended the wedding of his sister in the marriage of John Warner and Lucretia Darby in a Church of England ceremony at St. Leonard's on Monday, 7 April 1828 at Shoreditch, London. Lucretia was married on the same day as her younger sister Eliza, and they, along with their father, were witnesses for each other.⁴

He may have attended the wedding of his sister in the marriage of John Speller Wright and Martha Darby in a Church of England ceremony at St. Pancras Parish Chapel on Wednesday, 11 January 1837 at St. Pancras, London. John and Martha went on to have two children together.^5,6,7 John D. Darby was a bricklayer, and perhaps had been working for his father (a bricklayer and millwright) up until this time in March 1839.^8,9 John and Elizabeth lived on 1 March 1839 at Bengeo, Hertford. or at least John said he did on their application to emigrate.⁸ John D. Darby and Elizabeth Brown made an application for free passage to South Australia a month before they were married. They made the application at the same time as John's brother Thomas and their sister Ann and her husband Joseph Peck on 1 March 1839.⁸ Bengeo is a parish and village just north of Hertford; the village was gradually incorporated into the larger town. The part that ajoins Hertford is lower, rising to agricultural land to the north. The chief crops were wheat, barley and turnips.¹⁰



He may have attended the wedding of his sister in the marriage of Joseph William Peck and Ann Darby in a Church of England ceremony at St. Leonard's on Monday, 1 April 1839 at Shoreditch, London. They married seventeen days before they set sail for South Australia.^11,3



He married Elizabeth Brown, on Thursday, 4 April 1839 at Sutton, Bedfordshire. As they married 28 miles from his home, it isn't known if his family made the journey for his wedding. Within a month they had embarked on their voyage to South Australia..^12,13 John and Elizabeth lived in April 1839 at Sutton, Bedfordshire. or at least claimed to when they were married.¹⁴

John and his wife Elizabeth emigrated with John's brother Thomas, his sister and her husband Joseph Peck, and his sister Martha and her husband John Speller Wright from London on 20 April 1839 on the 'Somersetshire.¹⁵' John and his wife Elizabeth arrived at Port Adelaide, South Australia, on 25 August 1839.¹⁶


On his arrival, there were a little over 10,000 people in the colony.¹⁷

His wife Elizabeth died March 1840, leaving him a widower. She was buried in Adelaide's West Terrace Cemetery; they had been married just over three years, and in the colony for just over six months.¹⁸

The family was mentioned in a letter from another South Australian immigrant. Describing something of their circumstances on 21 March 1840:


No doubt this letter was very eagerly received back home.^19,20 John D. Darby and Thomas Darby made a declaration of 320 acres which was gazetted by the Commissioner of Crown Lands on 6 April 1847 at Noarlunga, South Australia.²¹ John D. Darby and Thomas Darby made a declaration of 570 acres which was gazetted by the Commissioner of Crown Lands. Thomas held Sections 628 and 629, which amounted to 64 hectares, and Sections 720, 801. The Darby family lived on Section 628 in a four-roomed house. on 11 December 1847 at Noarlunga, South Australia.^22,23

A visiting English artist drew a landscape of Morphett Vale 1845. John D. Darby and Thomas Darby were evidently sheep farmers as they advertised for sale 850 "Two and Four tooth ewes and wethers, perfectly free from all disease". Richard Edward Tapley, a distant family member, was listed as a contact. on 13 September 1848 at Morphett Vale, South Australia.²⁴

He married Mary Leonard, his second wife, daughter of James Leonard and Mary Wayte, in a Congregationalist ceremony (the schoolroom may have been used as a temporary Union Chapel whilst it was being built) at the schoolroom on Thursday, 23 November 1848 at Morphett Vale, South Australia. John was aged approximately 30 and Mary was aged approximately 32 years old... A week later in the same place, John's brother Thomas married Jessie Nicholson.^25,26,11

He may have attended the wedding of his brother in the marriage of Thomas Darby and Jessie Nicholson in a Congregationalist ceremony conducted by Reverend Edward Knight Baker on Thursday, 23 November 1848 at Morphett Vale, South Australia. A week earlier at the same place, Thomas' brother John had married Mary Leonard. No parents of the bride and groom attended the ceremony.^27,28

A year after the Independents met at Morphett Vale, the congregationalists laid the foundation stone for the Union Chapel on Thursday, 30 August 1849. It was completed in February of the following year for harvest thanksgiving, for a total cost of less than £200. It was intended that this would serve the needs for all the local Presbyterians. Reverend Edward Knight Baker was the initial minister, but had to resign his position four years later due to poor health.^29,30

John provided 'the plans and general superindendence' for the construction of the Union Chapel, which was opened on Sunday, 10 February 1850 in Morphett Vale after being commenced in the previous year. His brother-in-law Joseph William Peck was the builder. The building still stands today.^31,32 John was secretary of the Anti-Dray and Land-Tax League. This organisation was a grass roots affair, raised to resist a land tax. They presented a petition to the Governor, Sir H. F. Young. There was a suggestion that since he lived 15 miles from Adelaide that he was no longer suitable for the position, but he hung on. Further, there was a suggestion he be paid for the role, but he "begged they would say nothing about it". A few months later he became the auditor of the accounts. He stayed in the secretary's role for at least the next 18 months.^{33,34,35,36,37}

John and Mary Leonard became the parents of George Leonard Darby circa 1850 at Morphett Vale, South Australia. George was perhaps named after his father's father. It also seems like his birth was not registered.³⁸ He witnessed his brother William Darby's death on 1 July 1850 at Morphett Vale, South Australia. William died in the house his brothers Thomas and John shared.^39,40,41

A newspaper article described the coal making process and Abraham Darby's place in it. John, perhaps believing himself an ancestor of Abraham might have felt proud of this.⁴² Thomas and John became quite politically active in the ealy 1850s on issues such as universal suffrage.^43,44,45

John and Mary Leonard became the parents of James John Darby on Sunday, 18 May 1851 at Morphett Vale, South Australia.^46,47,48

The following is a fragment of a bullocky toast sung by the Anti-Dray and Land-Tax league:



The Darby house was a three-room wooden cottage with a garden on land (Section 10) that was owned by Reverend Baker.⁵⁰ On 9 October 1852 John joined a committee to enquire into building a steam grist mill. This was to built on land owned by Alexander Anderson. Significantly, John's father was a millwright. The mill was still under construction when events overtook John.^51,52,53

John died on 26 January 1853 at Morphett Vale, South Australia, after a few days illness. His wife Mary was about 3 months pregnant.^2,54

He made a will on 26 January 1853. To his brother Thomas he left all of his real estate and personal effects, after payment of his debts and funeral expenses. He also stated that his "beloved wife" Mary was to enjoy the "use and benefits" of the property held jointly with his brother Thomas, namely half of Sections 628 and 801, as well as half of the allotments in Albert Town [Alberton] and Carrington Street, Adelaide. This share was to then pass to their children. He also wished Mary to have access to the reaping and winnowing machines along with "all the corn, hay, five horses with harness cart", as well as the leases of sections of 9, 10 and 90 owned by Reverend Edward Baker. John was to die later the same day.. (an unknown value.)⁵⁵ In the later part of his life John made a living as an architect (or at least was described so by his son George as perhaps referring to his interest in the grist mill and the Union Chapel.)⁵⁴

His will was probated on 4 April 1853.⁵⁵

John and Mary Leonard became the parents of Mary Elizabeth Darby on Saturday, 23 July 1853 at Adelaide. Her father had died before she was born.^56,57