Just reporting back on this. 1853: John Sayers died aged 85, shoemaker, in King Street, Chelmsford (no house number given). The informant, present at death, was Ann Remington of King Street.
In the 1851 Census, when this John Sayers had been staying with a daughter in London, Ann Remington, widow, was a former nurse, in receipt of parish relief, in King Street (number 69 on the schedule). She was seemingly alone in her household. At the same time John Sayers, shoemaker, aged 48, who I think was the older John’s son, was about 3 doors away (number 72 on schedule). It’s about as much proof as I am likely to get of John’s relationship to John (and therefore to “my” William), but pretty convincing to me.
John was presumably living with his son when he died, or possibly he was a lodger with Ann Remington.
Dave
