John Speed was the fourth child of John Speed & Hannah Storey born August 10th, 1813 at Robinson Lane & christened September 17th, 1813 at Sunderland
John became a mariner like his father & first went to sea as an apprentice in 1831. In 1835/36 John & his father John were both listed in the Merchant Navy, father being a master mariner & son John was a mate both on the ‘Phoebe’ of Sunderland.
A merchant seamen listing for John in 1844 states that his address when not at sea was Hartlepool, Co Durham.
John married Mary Foster (Wilson?) in Oct-December 1851 at Sunderland. Mary was born c1812 in Sunderland.
In 1861 John & his wife Mary were living at West Hartlepool & John was described as a seaman in the merchant service. They had a son, Robert W, aged 8.
There is a death for John Speed registered in Hartlepool in 1866 & buried March 18th, at St Hilda’s Hartlepool.
Widowed Mary was living at Back Lower Archer St, West Hartlepool by 1871 with son Robert who was a clerk.
Mary was living on her own at 2 Lower Archer St, West Hartlepool in 1881.
Son Robert married Sarah Stewart in 1887 at Southwick.
There is a death for Mary Speed aged 78 in Jan-March, 1889 at 4 Pembroke St, Sunderland.
The children of John Speed & Mary Foster were:
sp.1.5.1.3.4.1 Robert Wilson Speed born Jan-March 1853 & christened January 22nd, 1854 at Bishop Wearmouth; died Jan-March 1933 in Sunderland