John Christmas (sea captain)

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Portrait of John Christmas by Friedrich Carl Gröger, 1815.

John Christmas (December 1753 to January 1822) was an English-born Danish sea captain and general trader. He was the father of naval officer and plantation owner in the Danish West Indies Admiral John Christmas (1799–1873) and the great-grandfather of adventurer and author Walter Christmas..

Early life and background[]

Christmas was the son of merchant John Smith and Judith Rebecca Hopkins. He was baptized as John Christmas Smith on December 21 , 1753 in Bideford, Devonshire. In 1790, he was permitted by the crown to adopt his grandmother's surname Christmas and to bear a coat of arms registered by the College of Arms in London. [1]

Career[]

He moved to Copenhagen in 1790 where he was granted citizenship and the rank of Captain in the Danish Royal Navy. The same year he was licensed as a merchant (grosserer). He joined Charles August Selby's and Thomas ter Broch's trading firm Selby & Co. which from then on traded first as Selby, Christmas and ter Borch and after Selby's retirement as Christmas & ter Borch. The firm was from 1800 based in Thomas ter Borch's property at Dronningens Tværgade 7.[2] Christmas traveled to India for trade at least three times and also sailed at least once to the Danish West Indies where he and a son owned properties.

Property[]

Store Kongensgade 62 in Copenhagen

In 1798, Christmas bought a newly constructed property at the corner of Rådhusstræde and Brolæggerstræde from Andreas Hallander. In 1801, he sold it to his father-in-law. He had already in 1800 bought the Barchmann Mansion at the corner of Frederiksholms Kanal and Ny Kongensgade.[3] He sold it in 1804. In 1803, he purchased a large property at the corner of Bredgade and Dronningens Tværgade (where Hotel Phoenix Copenhagen stands today). In 1810, e sold it to merchant Wulff Salomon (-1842). He had the same year purchased the property at Store Kongensgade 62 and resided there until his death. He purchased the country house Rolighed in 1813 and was for a while also the owner of the country house Høveltegård.[2]

Family[]

Christmas was married at least three times. He was first married to Charlotte Maria Bearsley in 1778 but the marriage was dissolved in 1788. In 1797, he was married to Johanne Henriette Heinrich (1771-1808), daughter of physician and former director of the Danish West India Company Johan Friederich Heinrich (1730-1808) and Birgitte Lexmond (1738-1811). She bore him the sons John Christmas (1799-1873) and George Beresford Christmas (1800-1867). His wife's younger sister Anna Elisabeth Heinrich (1782-1826) was in 1801 married to his business partner Thomas ter Borch. Christmas' marriage to Johanne Henriette Heinrich was dissolved in 1803 and she was later married to first garrison surgeon in Johannes Lorenzen (1774-1807) and then Niels Simonsen.[4]

Christmas was also the father of a number of extra-marital children. He acknowledged having three children by Anna Cathrine Lynge: Frederik Christmas (1804), Ferdinand Christmas (1806), and Albert Christmas (1810). He may also have been married to Wilhelmine Bolt with whom he had a son: Julius William Boldt Christmas (1815-1890), who later (before 1734) emigrated to Sweden.[4]

In 1820, Christmas was married to Eliza Ferrall (1778-1845), widow of captain and merchant Philip Ryan (1766-1808).[4]

References[]

  1. ^ Th. Hauch Fausbøll. "Slægtshaandbogen - Tollæg til personalhistoriske Samlinger" (PDF). slaegtsbibliotek.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Sukkerraffinaderiet "Union House" i Strandgade". idahaugsted.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  3. ^ Frederik Weilbach. "Grev Mogens Friis' Palæ" (PDF) (in Danish). Historiske Meddelelser om København. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "John Christmas" (in Danish). Dansk Biografisk Leksikon. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  1. Lawrence Barroll Christmas, "The Christmas Family in England, Denmark, and America, 1500-2000". Amazon Books, 2020

External links[]

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