Captain John Henry Camp of Brighton Sussex

[Smokey807]

Im researching the life and times of Captain John Henry Camp,one of the founders of the Brighton Swimming Club in 1862. Looking for some family information. Here is what I have so far.

John Henry Camp born 1831 Newhaven,Sussex.His wife was Eliza Mary Bundell,baptised May 22,1831 Hanwell St Mary,Middlesex.Her parents were Robert Blundell,labourer, and Elizabeth Blundell.Eliza born 1831 at Hanwell,MIddlesex. I have 1861 census,Brighton giving John Henry Camp b1831 Newhaven as a lodger,single, drapers assistant. The 1871 census gives John Henry Camp,b1831 Newhaven,teacher of swimming and with him was his wife Eliza and son Charles (born 1862 Brighton,Sussex). Captain John Henry Camp died Brighton,Sussex on Dec 28,1875 and was buried in the Brighton Extra Mural Cemetery. I have marriage record John Heny Camp January 1869 Brighton,Sussex to Elia Mary Blundell. In 1881 census at Brighton is given Elizabeth Camp,b1831 Hanwell, a town bath attendant and with her is her son Charles (b1862 Brighton),who is a shopman oil and colour. I have death of Eliza Mary Camp born 1830 died July qtr 1886.I have from website of the Brighton Swimming club a photo of Capt Camp and some information about him during his time with the Brighton Swimming Club. I have also information about his activities with the club from the "Floating Memories" website. I have some Flikr images of an appeal to raise money for his funeral, some aquatic performances with Capt. Camp referred to etc. Captain Camp is referred to and shown in the photo as being one legged with reference to him being one legged back to 1864. Have statement from the Brighton Swimming Club that the title of "Captain" was an honorary one given to members of the club but also mention on another website that Captain Camp was formerly with the merchant marine.

Need any information about John Henry Camps son Charles (b1862 Brighton) beyond the 1881 census and any other children J.H. Camp might have had.

Need burial information for J.H.Camp's wife Eliza and confirmation of date and place of her death.

Need any information about J.H. Camps parents/siblings and any information before the 1861 census. Was he formerly in the merchant marine. When/where and under what circumstances did he loose his leg.

I am aware of the records held for the Brighton Swimming club at the East Sussex Records office. I have contacted the Brighton Library for a copy of J.H, Camps obituary but no reply yet. Anyone able to send me a copy of it and any newspaper articles about J.H.Camp would be appreciated. Any other photos of J,H, Camp other than the one shown on the Brighton Clubs website of J.H.Camp/ his wife or other family members would be helpful.

[trish1120]

I think he may have been born earlier than 1831

John Henry CAMP Christened 27 August 1826, Newhaven, Sussex
Parents JOHN/MARIA

Death Reg has him born c 1826 also 1875 age 49

1841 Census
Newhaven, Sussex
HO107/Newhaven
John CAMP, 40, Grocer
Maria, 40, NOT born in County
Sarah, 10
Elizabeth, 8
Harriot, 5
Alfred, 2
All others but Maria born in County

Alfred is not at Home.
Siblings Christenings;
SELINA, 09 Nov 1828
SARAH EMMA, 17 Oct 1830
ELIZABETH, 01 March 1833
HARRIETT, 06 Dec 1835
ALFRED, 10 Feb 1839

ALFRED Camp age 22, Father JOHN married Elizabeth BLACKMER age 23, Father FRANCIS
31 Aug 1862
Saint Nicholas, Brighton, Sussex, England

1881 Census Alfred is a House Painter

Trish

[trish1120]

John CAMP Married Maria INMAN, 05 February 1824, St Nicholas, Brighton, Sussex

Given the Marriage date these may be other Children for them;
MARY, 02 February 1825, Brighton
CHARLES, 11 June 1826 Horsted-Keynes

1851 Census Maria is Widowed, age 48, born c 1803 , occp formerly Shopkeeper, born Dorking, Sussex (Surrey I presume, not Sussex as County is dittoed)
She and Alfred age 12, Scholar, are in Newhaven Union House (sad)

EDIT;
Yes 1861 she is born c 1799 Dorking, Surrey, and Lodging with the Neve Family in Brighton.
She is down as a Retired Grocer.

SELINA Camp, Father JOHN married George NORTON, 06 May 1851, Hove, Sussex

[trish1120]

1841 Census has a HENRY Camp age 14, Drapers Apprentice to Charles Corder in North St, Brighthelmstone, Sussex
HO107/1122/11/Brighthelmstone

Same Occp as 1861 Census for John Henry Camp

I cant find him in 1851 Census.

Trish

[Smokey807]

Thank you for all the great information.

About Charles Camp,born 1862 Brighton, son of John Henry Camp and Eliza. Last census record I have for him is 1881 at 28 Jubilee St,Brighton where the and his mother are only ones in household. His mother Eliza is given as Elizabeth, a town bath attendant ,and Charles is shopman oil and colour. Need all information about Charles after 1881 census.

Funeral of John Henry Camp 1875 mentions his wife and sister  and other relatives at the funeral but no specific mention about his son. It seems J.H.Camp had only one child (Charles). Another account of the death of J.H.Camp says" he left a wife but no family". Obviosuly this is incorrect as his son Charles was still alive.

Also found out from newspaper that J.H. Camp lost his leg while at sea. It appears that he was a merchant seaman. Says he fell on a boat,injured his leg;had it amputated below the knee; later fell again at sea and reinjured his left and it had to be amputated at the hip.Dont find any proof he was a sea captain so looks like "Captain" was just an honorary title given to him by the Brighton Swimming club. Where can I find out information about merchant sea men to get more information about him at sea?

I have found a marriage record for Harriet Camp,born 1836 Newhaven,Sussex, sister of John Henry Camp.Found her last in 1851 census at Brighthelmstone,Sussex with her sister Elizabeth,born 1833.They are living with Mary Clark Rout,age 76, and both are given as her nieces,both single. The marriage record for Harriet is July 1859 at Brighton and lists marriage to either Edward Pickering, or William Sayers, or William Treen. Who did she actually marry?

[petmas]

I wonder if this fits into this family being a draper?. John Camp b abt 1800
One time Grocer & Draper in Newhaven High St, he developed the habit of wandering.
The business failed, being declared a bankrupt 22/2/1839 (London Gazette), and he and his wife
ended up in the Union. He ran away and took up residence in a cave in the cliffs below the fort for
some 8 years. Living on Parish Relief and gifts of food he was found near death having locked himself
in the cave and leaving food outside. He was taken to the Union Infirmary but died the next day
(19/3/1860)

[Smokey807]

To Petmas

Yes that John Kemp was the father of John Henry Camp. John Henry Camps grandfather, whos name was not given was also stated to  be " a sheriff's officer living in Bond Street and was a familiar character in Brighton,Sussex. I havnt been able to find out any more about his grandfather.

J.H.Camp's father John Camp (born about 1800)married Maria Inman Feb 5,1824 at St Nicholas,Brighton,Sussex. However I also find a record for a John Camp,born 1801 Sussex with a wife of Maria Hall,born 1801 Newhaven,Sussex so not sure which Maria is the correct one.

When J.H.Camp was born 1826 the family was living in Newhaven,Sussex and in other replies is a list of J.H.Camp's siblings. I have found two bankruptcy records, one is for Feb 22,1839 for John Camp the grocer but also one for John Camp the grocer of Newhaven Sussex for Feb 13,1808 which must be for J.H.Camps grandfather based on the date,unless its just a coincidence.I would think that J.H.Camps grandfather would have to been born about 1780 but I have no information about him or his wife or what children they had apart from John born abt 1800. I expect the whole line of Camp's were from Sussex in the Newhaven area.

Here is what I have from all of your input and what I found out for the children of John and Maria Camp;

1) John Henry Camp b1826 Newhaven,Sussex
2) Selina b1828; married George Norton 1851; 1851 census has her living at 168 Western Rd in Brighthemstine,Sussex as niece to Betty Tuman b1806 Brighton (so Betty must be John Camp's sister)
3) Sarah Emma b1830; in 1851 census at Brighthelstone she is a servant nurse,Must have married after 1851
4) Elizabeth b1833;living with sister Harriett 1851; married 1863 to John Haynes son of Benjamin Haynes.
5) Harriett b1835;in 1851 census living with Mary Clark Rout at Brighthelmstone with sister Elizabeth and both listed as nieces of M.C. Rout so M.C.Rout,age 76,must be a sister of John Camp b1800 but if her age in the census is correct she was born 1775 which is too old.; Harriett was married 1859
6) Alfred b1839; In 1861 he is a lodger with the Blackmer family and then  married Aug 31,1862 Elizabeth Blackmer,daughter of Francis and Mary Blackmer.Elizabeth born 1840 Brighton.Alfred died April 1895 Brighton.
7) possibly Mary b1825
possibly Charles b1826

In 1851 census Maria Camp ,widow of John Camp and her son Alfred (b1839)are living in the workhouse at Newhaven,Sussex.In 1861 census Maria (born 1799 Dorking),widow, is a lodger in Brighton. Have death record for Maria b1797  died Jan 1868 Brighton. Not sure when Maria's husband died but was after 1841 census and before 1851

[PickeringGrandChil]

Thank you for providing new information about my CAMP ancestors.  I hope I can add some information about the fate of the sisters Harriet Camp (1835-24 Dec 1911) and Elizabeth Camp (1833-?).

They married and immigrated to Durban, South Africa. 

My great great grandmother Harriet Camp married Edward Pickering (b. Jan 1839, Birmingham, England; d. 25 Apr 1906 Pietermaritzburg, Natal, UofSAfrica).  Edward was the son of Edward Acton Pickering (1801-1838) and Margaret Raybould.  Elizabeth Camp and her husband John Bailey Haynes immigrated with them.  They moved to Durban where Edward and Harriet became very successful.  He started the Pickering Department Store on what is still known as Pickering Street.  Edward was mayor of Durban in 1873-74 and again in 1882-83.  They had seven children (Benjamin, Edward, John, Joseph, Unnamed, Edith, and Albert) including my great grandfather Joseph Thomas Pickering who went to Southampton, England in 1894 to find and marry my great grandmother Blanche Gertrude Shepherd.  Blanche, with her sister for a companion, sailed to Durban. 

Blanche and Joseph's only child arrived on 1 Dec 1898, but because Blanche was so sickly she and her sister tried to sail home for the birth.  My grandmother (Blanche Gladys Pickering) was born on board the ship before they docked.  When mother and daughter were healthy they returned to South Africa.  However, my great grandmother's health got worse.  Besides, this was the time of the Boer War.  So Blanche Gertrude and her sister, with my grandmother, returned to England.  My great grandmother died there.  (Later, Joseph Pickering remarried, had another family, and appears to have fallen on hard times.  Despite inheriting a large farm he ended up an itinerant peddler.)

My grandmother's aunt hated "the wilds" of South Africa (and her brother-in-law).  She took my grandmother and immigrated to Canada, where Blanche Gladys grew up.  She married my grandfather, Leon Augustus Farrand, a New Yorker who had enlisted in the Canadian Army, was shot up in the Battle of the Somme, and recuperated in Toronto.  After my father was born they moved to LA for my grandfather's health.

I will also note that my father left his mark- he was an inventor and electronic engineer, building the inertial guidance system for the Nautilus submarine that allowed it to find the North Pole in 1958.  He designed and managed construction of the guidance system for the Minuteman I Missile.  He designed the first commercial electronic calculator. 

[Smokey807]

Thank you for the interesting account  above.