My end of line Brickwall Ancestor - John Jacka

John Jacka is my sixth great grandfather and my Jacka-line brick wall; he is where the ancestral records stop. His son, Thomas Jacka, left a will, has a headstone and can be clearly identified in the various records sets, but not his father who remains an enigma.

I have been able to identify 5 children all born in St Buryan, to John Jacka and his wife Elizabeth (surname not yet known). Did they have children before they arrived in St Buryan? Without any further details regarding John Jacka or his wife Elizabeth this is impossible to determine. At the moment it has been assumed that the couple were married before their son William, assumed to be the eldest, was baptised in St Buryan; this could be misleading as the children listed below could be the last 4 children of a much larger family.
To date the following children have been identified, their baptisms listed in a single volume of the St Buryan Parish Register.

Child’s Name at baptism	Baptism in the St Buryan Parish Register for Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1718-1812	Marriage	death
William Jacka	29 December 1731[i]	No further information known.
Thomas Jacka	18 August 1733[ii]	Thomas married Elizabeth Gilbert on 16 February 1760 after banns were read on January 27, February 3 & 10, in St Buryan, Cornwall, England. Both the bride and groom were identified as being of the parish of St Buryan .  Witnesses at the marriage were William Jelbart[possibly Elizabeth’s father?] and Hugh Jacka [relationship to either bride or groom has not yet been established].[iii]	14 April  1796 in St. Erth, Cornwall, England.[iv],[v]
Mary Jacka	7 June 1735[vi]	Mary possibly married Francis Richards on 27 September 1760 in Mary’s home parish of  St Buryan, after banns were read in Francis’ home parish of Paul on 10th, 17th and 24th  August 1760. Witnesses at the marriage were ?? Corker and ?hell Pindar [no known relationship to either bride of groom yet, very difficult to read].[vii]	No further information known.
Abraham Jacka	12 May 1739[viii],[ix]	Abraham Jacka possibly married Alice Sutford on 12 May 1739 in St Buryan. Witnesses at the marriage were Thomas William and Thomas Badcock [no known relationship to either bride or groom yet].[x]	Abraham was buried on 21 May 1820, St Buryan, Cornwall, England, at the age of 81.[xi] Alice was buried on 5 February 1817, St Buryan, Cornwall, England, at the age of 8o.[xii]

It is thought that John died in or after 1740 as there were no more children baptised to the couple (at least in St Buryan) after Abraham’s baptism. [xiii]

The family do not appear to have moved out of the area as the younger three are still living in St Buryan when they get married. John would have been a young man when he died, his youngest child would have only been one year of age, his eldest 9 years old. His wife Elizabeth would have had her hands full and possibly would have remarried soon after John’s death.

---

[i] Cornwall Record Office, Truro, Cornwall, England., "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," images database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 11 May 2018), Baptism of William Jacka baptised 29 December 1731, St Buryan Church Register; citing St Buryan Church Register Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1718-1812, unpaginated, last entry on page. [difficult to read]; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QKS-HGD?cc=1769414&wc=3CB4-K6D%3A138123201%2C141035101%2C1582882809  (Image 9 of 88)

[ii] Cornwall Record Office, Truro, Cornwall, England., "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," images database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 2 May 2018), Baptism of Thomas Jacka baptised baptised 18 August 1733, St Buryan Parish Register Cornwall; citing  St Buryan Parish Register Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1718-1812. Entries unnumbered, unpaginated Cornwall Records Office, Truro; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QK9-YL6?cc=1769414&wc=3CB4-K6D%3A138123201%2C141035101%2C1582882809 (image 10 of 88) [three pages after the eldest child William]

[iii] Cornwall Record Office, Truro, Cornwall, England., "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," images database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 10 May 2018), Marriage of Thomas Jacka & Elizabeth Gilbert  married 16 February  1760  St Buryan Parish Register; citing  St Buryan Parish records Marriage banns, marriages, 1754-1812  page 11 entry 33; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QKS-92Z?cc=1769414&wc=3CB4-K6X%3A138123201%2C141035101%2C1582884005  (Image 9 of 68)

[iv] AP/J/2020 Will of Thomas Jacka of St Erth 1796

[v] Probate of Thomas Jacka 4 May 1796 (IR 26/339, EXETER: Cornwall Archdeaconry, Repository The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU).

[vi] Cornwall Record Office, Truro, Cornwall, England., "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," images database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 11 May 2018), Baptism of Mary Jacka, baptised 7 June 1735, St Buryan Parish Register; citing St Buryan Parish Register Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1718-1812, Cornwall Records Office, Truro.  page 12; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QK9-YL6?cc=1769414&wc=3CB4-K6D%3A138123201%2C141035101%2C1582882809 (image 10 of 88) [next page after Thomas]

[vii] Cornwall Record Office, Truro, Cornwall, England., "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," images database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 11 May 2018), Marriage Francis Richards & Mary Jacka, married 27 September 1760 St Buryan Parish Church Register; citing St Buryan Parish Church Register, Marriage banns, marriages, 1754-1812, Cornwall Records Office, Truro. page  11 entry  36; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QKS-92Z?cc=1769414&wc=3CB4-K6X%3A138123201%2C141035101%2C1582884005  (image 9 of 68)

[viii] Cornwall Record Office, Truro, Cornwall, England., "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," images database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 22 Jun 2018), Baptism of Abraham Jacka, baptised 1739 St Buryan Parish Register; citing St Buryan Parish Registers, Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1718-1812,  Cornwall Records Office, Truro. Entries unnumbered, unpaginated entry 1/2 way down page.  [unable to read day & month due to ink smudge]; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QKS-3ZD?cc=1769414&wc=3CB4-K6D%3A138123201%2C141035101%2C1582882809  (image 12 of 88) [on next page after Mary]

[ix] "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NJY1-YF7  : 9 March 2018, Baptism of Abraham Jacka, baptised 12 May 1739 ); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 254,219. [gives date & month which cannot be seem on the scanned image of this record on FamilySearch]

[x] Cornwall Record Office, Truro, Cornwall, England., "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," images database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 6 Jun 2018), Marriage & Banns of Abraham Jacka & Alice Shel[or t]far married 12 May 1739 St Buryan Parish Register St Buryan Parish Register; citing St Buryan Parish Registers, Marriage banns, marriages, 1754-1812, Cornwall Records Office, Truro. Page  74, entry unnumbered; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QKS-7FP?cc=1769414&wc=3CB4-K6X%3A138123201%2C141035101%2C1582884005  (image 21 of 68)

[xi] Cornwall OPC, Cornwall Online Parish Clerks Website (http://www.cornwall-opc.org/index.htm : accessed 23 Jun 2018), Burial of Abrahm Jacka, Buried 21 May 1820 St Buryan. citing Corinne Thompson's transcription from the St Buryan parish Register.

[xii] Cornwall OPC, Cornwall Online Parish Clerks Website (http://www.cornwall-opc.org/index.htm : accessed 23 Jun 2018), Burial of Alice Jacka, Buried 5 February 1817 St Buryan. citing Corinne Thompson's transcription from the St Buryan parish Register.