John William Marsh 1878 – 1944
John was born in Whitfield on 20th January 1878, to parents John Nicholas Marsh and Emma Jane (née Poisden) and was the eldest of eight children. He was baptised on 17th March 1878 at St Peter’s, Whitfield.
Finding records for John has proven difficult as there are many Marsh families locally and John is a common name amongst them.
He married Fanny Laming in 1903 in Eastry and their first child, Emily Mary, was born in Sholden in 1904. They had a son, John William, in 1907, and a second in 1911. No record has been found of this family with connections to Shepherdswell, with the exception of school records for Sibertswold School. These show that Mary Emily and John were both admitted to the school on 13th December 1915, with their residence given as Moons Hill.
Mary left school in April 1918 on her 14th birthday. John left in January 1920 and there is a note stating that they left the district.
It has proved impossible to trace military records for John but he survived the War as the 1939 Register shows John living with his wife in Kearsney, when his job is described as a gardener doing heavy work.
He died on 21st February 1944 in Thanet District.