John Alexander Blackett was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne around 1830. No baptism for him has been found but his marriage entry shows his father as William, a blacksmith.
On his marriage in 1853 and at the baptisms of his children he was shown merely as John Blackett, but at his death in 1880 was shown as John Alexander Blackett, and his youngest son was christened James Alexander Blackett in 1864. Since James died when he was a few months old this could have prompted his father to adopt the middle name of Alexander. John’s son, William Fenton Blackett also gave the middle name of Alexander to two of his sons by his first marriage.
John, a tailor, married Grace (nee) Petty in 1853 in Bradford, Yorkshire, where his 9 children were born. He died there in 1880.
For a descendancy chart of John and Grace Blackett please click here.