Thomas Jay was born around 1751 in Essex, England. His parentage is unknown.
Thomas was a butcher, and on 20 June 1771 at Witham, Essex he married Susanna Durrant by banns.
Susanna was born in 1741 in Kelvedon, Essex to parents William Durrant and his wife Elizabeth.
She was baptised on 5 April 1741 at her parish church of St Mary the Virgin in Kelvedon.
Her father William Durrant was baptised on 3 January 1702 at St Mary the Virgin in Kelvedon, the son of Joseph and Susanna Durrant. William and Elizabeth Durrant had four children – Elizabeth b 1736, Josiah b 1737 d 1738, Josiah b 1738 and Susanna in 1741.
Joseph and Susanna Durrant had three children – Josias b 1701, William b 1702 and John b 1704.
Thomas Jay and Susanna Durrant had a large family –
- Elizabeth b 1773 Southminster
- Susannah b 1774 Southminster. Married James Newman.
- Thomas b 1776 Southminster d 1834 Great Wakering. Marr Sarah Ward.
- James b 1779 Southminster d 1810 Southminster
- Mary b 1781 Southminster d 1858 Maldon. Unmarried.
- William b 1783 Southminster d 1867 Milton. Marr Mary Frances Miller.
- Henry b 1785 Southminster. Marr Eleanor Burgess.
Chelmsford Chronicle Newspaper 1 Oct 1784
- Mary b 1789 Great Wakering.
Thomas and wife Susanna, lived in Southminster, Essex and in 1784 placed an ad in the Chelmsford Chronicle newspaper selling his furniture, house and butchers shop before they moved to the village of Great Wakering.
In 1798 Thomas Jay was assessed for Land Tax, and appears in the UK Land Tax Redemption records for the village of Great Wakering as the tenant of T Summer, Esquire.
UK, Land Tax Redemption, 1798
Thomas Jay died in 1808 aged 57 years and was buried on 18 January 1808 at Great Wakering, Essex. He is recorded in Death Duty Registers index on 23 February 1808 in Great Wakering.
