There are various pedigrees of this man on Ancestry and elsewhere, but they all have substantial gaps and do not have essential information which, in fairness, is not on the web. I first came across the guy some 25 years ago and did research in original records at the Huntingdon Archives, since then other information has filled some of the gaps in what I knew. I can thus add a fair bit to what is online
Henry was an Agricultural Labourer, born circa 1766 in Bluntisham. Like his brother Robert he does not have a baptism record. This would not have unduly bothered Henry, who was clearly not religious.
Henry first married Rachel Harrop at Bluntisham in 1790. Rachel was 20, born to Thomas (a Baptist like the Gynns) and Margaret (nee Hallot) in 1770. It is doubtful but not impossible that they ever had any children and "Rachel wife of Henry Gynn" was buried as an Anglican in Bluntisham churchyard in 1798. Henry did not hang around and it is possible that he had infant children, because he remarried Mary Mead (who was about 25) up the road at Houghton and Wyton that same year and settled there. Coincidentally, this was where one branch of the Hertfordshire Ginn family came into Huntingdonshire in the 1570s and there are one or two in that churchyard.
Henry and Mary had at least eight children that we know about (seven sons and one daughter) between 1798 and 1819 when Mary sadly died at Houghton with a quoted age of 46. Not one of these children were given a baptism whilst Mary was alive and, strangely, there does not seem to be the burial of any infant either.
Probably because of Mary's premature death, Henry decided that he would after all have most of his children baptised. Other researchers seem unaware of this because information is not online, but in both 1820 and 1821 Henry turned up at Whittlesey St Andrew Church (below) where son Robert seems to have had connections and had two sets of children baptised "en bloc" on two seperate days, no ages were given and Henry's abode was said to be Houghton and the mother Mary.
Henry therefor continued to live in Houghton throughout the 1820s and did not remarry so far as I am aware. In the 1841 Census return he is in the Workhouse at Hemingford Grey and I must assume died there in 1847 aged 80 or thereabouts.
Henry and Mary had eight known children
Robert - was born according to his own account at Houghon and Wyton in about 1801. He was always a Gynn and was an Agricultural Labourer.. He was never baptised. In 1829 (this is not online apparently) I picked him up in the records - "Robert Gynn of Thorney" Labourer married Ann Mead "of Whittlesey" at Whittlesey St Mary (below). She was likely a cousin. His brother Matthew was one of the witnesses.
Robert and Ann continued to live in Whittlesey for a few years, having James, Mary Ann and Robert there, no child living longer than a month. They subsequently moved to Sawtry where they were by 1841 with daughters Sarah and Mary who would appear to have lived. Robert died at Sawtry in 1879 at about 77
James - a lifelong Gynn, was born in Houghton according to his own account in about 1802. He was not one of those baptised at Whittlesey in 1820/1 being an adult by then. A Brickmaker. He married Mary Ann Hard at St Ives in 1824. They had a large family at St Ives and elsewhere, many of whom died young and two of whom emigrated to the USA.
Notable children - John born 1824 at St Ives who married Eliza Cook at Ramsey in 1850 and later emigrated to Cleveland, Ohio USA; James born 1826 St Ives who married Susan Elger at Ramsey in 1849 and later emigrated to Cleveland, Ohio USA and Mary Ann born St Ives 1830 married (a minor) John Lambert at Ramsey in 1848. As most of this is on Ancestry, I will say no more. James died at Ramsey in 1882 at about 80.
Henry - was always a Ginn. He was baptised by his dad at Whittlesey St Andrew in 1820. At that time, according to his own account in the 1851 Census he was about 8 so was born in around 1812. . Like his brother Matthew, Henry was a Lighterman/Bargeman ie he worked with boats on the river. This fellow moved to Cambridge where he married Mary Ann Wotton at Cambridge St Giles in 1836. They were at Chesterton in 1841. In 1851 they were living in the City of Cambridge without issue. I cannot find them again and I wonder if they emigrated.
Joseph - this lad was baptised to Henry and Mary at Whittlesey in 1820. I have no idea of his age but say he was under 10. There is no record of him in the burial records I have come across, nor is he in any census. That said, he may well have joined the army though I have not picked him up in the records yet.
John - was baptised to Henry & Mary at Whittlesey St Andrew in 1820. Age unknown. I have never traced him. As with Joe, the absence of records of him does not necessarily mean he died in infancy. He could have joined the army and not shown up yet.
Matthew - Born circa 1810, baptised at Whittlesey St Andrew 1821. Matthew Gynn "of St Ives" married Hannah King at Hilton in 1830. He was a Bargeman on the river at St Ives until about 1835, later a Brickmaker at Ramsey living next to his brother James. His first two children were baptised at Hilton though he was said to be "of St Ives" In my notebooks I have Sarah born to them baptised 1831 and Elizabeth 1833. Sarah was likely dead by 1841 as she does not show in the census. At least one other child is mentioned on Ancestry. The couple later emigrated to the USA, specifically Parishville, Lawrence County New York State. They allegedly both died in 1887 and their grave is below
Ephraim - was likely the youngest son and a Gynn, being born in circa 1815. No baptism. An agricultural labourer, later a Brickmaker he married Elizabeth Sneesby at Godmanchester in 1839. He was lucky still to be in the country and not transported as a convict to Australia, as he was convicted of a larceny at Elsworth in 1837 and given 6 months in prison. He had a substantial family dying in 1889 aged about 74.
Sarah - is the only known daughter. I think she was the only child baptised as a baby - being baptised at Whittlesey St Andrew in 1820 (likely born 1819). She married John Sneesby at Godmanchester in 1838 and they had a fair sized family
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