John William Ewing (1815-1868)

Full name
John William Ewing

Vital statistics

 * Sex: Male


 * Born: 8 at Cringleford, Norfolk, England
 * Christened: 17 at Cringleford, Norfolk, England
 * Married: 1840 at Beccles?, Suffolk, England at age 25
 * Died: 1 at Eaton, Norwich, Norfolk, England at age 53
 * Buried: 6 at St. Peters, Cringleford

Pedigree
John William Ewing is the son of William Creasey Ewing (1787-1862) of Cringleford and Charlotte Elizabeth Lubbock (1795-1862) of Swaffham.

Siblings

 * Rev. William Ewing (1816-1891). William Ewing was the rector at North Pickenham, Norfolk, England for many years. His wife Mary died when their daughter was still young. His daughter Mary Elizabeth Ewing married a Richard Wigston and they had a number of sons and daughters, descendants of who are almost certainly still around today.
 * Ellen Elizabeth Ewing (1821-1895). Ellen appears to never have married. She was known as Aunt Ellen to John William Ewing's children and she must have been very close to them since she lived in Norwich. Up until 1862 when her parents died, she was still living at home with her parents. When they died she inherited the house they were living in. Ellen is buried in Mundesley, Norfolk.

Spouse

 * Anna Elizabeth Crickmay (1815-1903) of Beccles, Suffolk, England. Anna's brother George appears to have worked for John William Ewing at the Ewing Nurseries and was often at the Ewing residence (The Old House) and may have actually lived there. George Crickmay was one of the witnesses of John William Ewing's will.

Offspring

 * Anna Charlotte Ewing (1841-1902)
 * Ellen Alice Ewing (1843-?). Married William Child in September 1863 at Eaton, Norwich. Lived with Childs until William Child died (at quite an early age). Moved back with mother at that point with her daughter Edith Child.
 * Mary Ewing (1844-?). Fond of reading stories to the family at night. A pianist/organist.
 * John Edward Ewing (1846-1933). Took over Ewing Nurseries when his father died. Married Alice Osborn, daughter of Thomas Osborn of Osborn and Sons Nursery in Fulham. Migrated to New Zealand with his wife around 1892. His wife Alice died in 1905. John moved back to England in later life and died in Australia on a voyage from England to New Zealand to visit his son.
 * Charles William Ewing (1848-1911). A professional organist. Articled to Dr. Zachariah Buck, the organist at Norwich Cathedral.
 * Arthur Henry Ewing (1851-1919). Migrated to Canada.
 * Catherine Elizabeth Ewing (1853-?)

Career
John William Ewing was a nurseryman in Norwich. In the early 1840's John was living in Lakenham in a house called Shepherd's House, which was very near the Mackie and Ewing's Nursery. At this time John was in partnership with Frederick Mackie and the nursery was on Ipswich Road. The nursery in this location had been there for quite some time. It was originally established by John Mackie in the 1700s and remained in the Mackie family for many years. In 1833 when Sarah Mackie died, Frederick Mackie (her son) took over the Nursery. At some point between 1833 and 1840 he seems to have gone into partnership with John William Ewing and the business was renamed to Mackie and Ewing's. By 1855 it was solely owned and operated by John William Ewing. Frederick Mackie (a Quaker) was on a tour of Australia at that time, where, incidentally, he got married. He presumably never returned to the Nursery business and may therefore have sold his share.

It is not known exactly when John and his family moved into The Old House (known then as Shrublands) at 49 Church Lane, Eaton but the 1861 census has them living at the Ewing's Nursery on Church Lane. In the 1851 census they are also living very near here. The Old House was owned by William Creasey Ewing, John's father. William and his wife Charlotte were living on Post Office Street in central Norwich from the late 1840s until they died. In 1862 John William Ewing's parents both died within a fortnight of each other and John inherited a lot of the houses and land in the Eaton and Cringleford area. At this time the largest part of the nurseries was on the corner of Newmarket Road and Bell Road and was some 60 acres in size. This was land apparently owned by his father William Creasey Ewing. It covered part of what is now Eaton Park. The nursery was known as Ewing's Nursery.

When John William Ewing died the nursery passed on to his son John Edward Ewing and his son-in-law William Child and was for a while known as 'Ewing and Child'. William Child died shortly after, at which point the business became known as 'Ewing and Co'. In the late 1870s and early 1880s the nursery was also known as The Royal Norfolk Nurseries. John Edward Ewing closed the business down not long after 1883 (at which time there was a 'closing down sale' if you like). John Edward Ewing married Alice Osborn, daughter of the well respected nurseryman Thomas Osborn of Osborn and Sons Nursery in Fulham. Incidentally the Osborn and Sons Nursery also closed down around 1882. This time was therefore the end of an era for both the Ewings and Osborns. John and Alice migrated to New Zealand in the early 1890s.