JOHN STANLEY 1752-1827

When his father moved into Dukinfield Old Hall, John seems to have moved into the family farm at Wood End, his elder brothers being already established elsewhere. Robert Junior in the Hall Green area of Dukinfield, William also in Dukinfield, possibly at the Pickford Lane farm on Town Lane and George at Hooley Hill.

Wood End Farm used to be sandwiched between Astley Street and the railway line right next door to where Plantation Farm is today. Before the railway was built the farm extended nearly as far as Guide Bridge. This was fertile and profitable farming land helping to feed the rising populations in the surounding mill towns.

As mentioned previously Plantation Farm was right next door. Here John Smith ran a prosperous nursery. His daughter Mary was born in 1795 and was educated at Fairfield Moravians. She longed for missionary work in Africa. She fell in love with Roger Moffat, a young Scotsman who came to work for her father. He also had a burning ambition for missionary work. He set sail for Africa in 1816 and after spending three years breaking down her family's objections, Mary finally set sail for Capetown in 1819, where they were immediately married.

They only returned to England once from 1839-1843, when Robert addressed enthusiastic meetings all over the country. At one meeting was a young David Livingstone, who later stayed with the Moffats at Kuruman, where he married Mary's eldest daughter Mary.

It is interesting to think that some of John and Lexey's children were contemporaries of Mary and would have been in regular contact.

John Stanley married Lexey, a rather unusual name that would surface several times in future generations helping to prove certain family links. Also some of their grandchildren and great grandchildren acquired a second christian name Strongi'th'arm which although beautifully descriptive is a recognized surname. After an exhaustive search no-one has, as yet, been able to find details of John and Lexey's marriage which might have helped to trace Lexey's birth, also still missing. Incidentally the spelling of the name Lexey has been rather varied between, Lexcey, Lexy, Lecksy, I have chosen to opt for the version found on her gravestone.

John and Lexey's first two children were baptised at Ashton St Michael's Parish Church, a strange co-incidence being that their first child Nanny was baptised on the 29th July 1781 on the same day as Matty Standley, the daughter of one Edward and Martha Standley of Audenshaw. Two more of Edward and Martha's children began worshipping at Dukinfield Old Chapel when they grew up. Edward and Martha are directly descended from the original line at Audenshaw and and this seems to indicate continued communication between the Audenshaw and Dukinfield lines. If only we could find where the two lines joined!

The Children of John and Lexey Stanley

Name	Baptised	Where	Married	Died
Nanny	29 July 1781	Ashton St Michael	---	---
Robert *	1 Feb 1784	Stockport St Mary's	Mary Strongi'th'arm	---
John**	18 April 1786	Duk Old Chapel	(1) Sarah Greenwood (2) Mary Deane	27 April 1855
William*	21 March 1788	Duk Old Chapel	Ann?	27 Jan 1879
Mary*	---	Duk Old Chapel	Samuel Truesdale	28 Jan 1876
Hannah	21 Feb 1794	Duk Old Chapel	---	---
Thomas	29 May 1796	Duk Old Chapel	---	---
Alice	3 Oct 1802	Ashton St Michael	---	---
* I have more information on these lines.
**More on John Stanley, possibly our most interesting ancestor.

Gay J Oliver © 2001 - all rights reserved