John E Vernon

John Edward Vernon, jeweller, watchmaker and optician, lived at No. 4 from 1865 to 1869. His business premises were at 54 Leith Street.¹ He was born in Edinburgh in 1821,² son of Thomas Vernon and Ann Elizabeth Harker, who were married at Hanover Square, London on 05 January 1806.³ Thomas Vernon was a lapidary.

John Edward Vernon was a founder and first president of the Watt Institution Club (now the Watt Club) for former students of the Watt Institution. At the first annual dinner, on 20 January 1855, James Watt’s birthday, he presented a baton to the club.⁴

John Edward Vernon retired in 1884 and emigrated to Dunedin, New Zealand. He died there 03 January 1899.⁵

He married Elizabeth Shepherd Thomson at St Cuthbert’s, Edinburgh on 11 July 1849.⁶ She was born 09 June 1823 and baptised at Potter Row United Church on 06 July 1823, daughter of Edward Thomson and Marion Laidlaw.⁷

Their youngest son, Walter Laidlaw Vernon was born at No. 4 Malta Terrace on 14 May 1866,⁸ and died there of pneumonia on 25 October 1867.⁹ The other children of John E. Vernon and Elizabeth S. Thomson probably lived at No. 4 when their parents were there. They were:

• Thomas Harker Vernon, born at West Calder on 15 April 1850.¹⁰ He became a doctor and emigrated to the USA.
• Marion Laidlaw Vernon, born at West Calder 11 March 1852.¹¹ She died in New Zealand in 1930.
• Edward Thomas Vernon, born 16 September 1853.¹² He became Minister of the United Free Church, Arbirlot, Angus and died in 1937.
• Ann Elizabeth Harker Vernon, born 28 July 1855.¹³ She died in New Zealand in 1934.
• Charlotte Ann Vernon, born 28 March 1858.¹⁴ She died in 1877.¹⁵
• Agnes Stuart Vernon, born 11 July 1860.¹⁶ She died in New Zealand in 1949.
• John Edward Vernon, born 04 July 1862.¹⁷ He was Rector of Palmerston North High School, New Zealand and died in 1918.
• Elizabeth Thomson Vernon, born 02 July 1864.¹⁸

1. PO Directories 1865-66, 1866-67, 1867-68, 1868-69.
2. Burials. New Zealand. Dunedin. 05 January 1899. VERNON, John Edward (aged 78). https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 20 July 2021.
3. Marriages (PR) England. Hanover Square, London. 05 January 1806. VERNON, Thomas and HARKER, Ann Elizabeth. DL/T/089/003. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 19 July 2021.
4. Heriot Watt University. 2016. ‘The Watt Club: A Short History’. https://www.hw.ac.uk/documents/The-Watt-Club-History_2016.pdf: accessed 21 July 2021.
5. Burials. New Zealand. Dunedin. 05 January 1899. VERNON, John Edward (aged 78). https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 20 July 2021.
6. Marriages index (OPR) Scotland. St Cuthbert’s, Edinburgh. 11 July 1849. VERNON, John Edward and THOMSON, Elizabeth Shepherd. 685/2 460 572. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 20 July 2021.
7. Baptisms (NCR) Scotland. Edinburgh. 06 July 1823. THOMSON, Elizabeth Shepherd. https://familysearch.org: accessed 19 July 2021.
8. Births (SR) Scotland. St George, Edinburgh. VERNON, Walter Laidlaw. 685/1 646. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 21 July 2021.
9. Deaths (SR) Scotland. St George, Edinburgh. 25 October 1867. VERNON, Walter Laidlaw. 685/1 986. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 01 October 2024.
10. Baptisms index (OPR) Scotland. West Calder, Midlothian. 15 April 1850. VERNON, Thomas. 701/ 20 107. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 21 July 2021.
11. Baptisms index (OPR) Scotland. West Calder, Midlothian. 11 March 1852. VERNON, Marion Laidlaw. 701/ 20 107. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 21 July 2021.
12. Baptisms index (OPR) Scotland. West Calder, Midlothian. 16 September 1853. VERNON, Edward Thomson. 701/ 20 107. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 21 July 2021.
13. Births index (SR) Scotland. Heriot and Warriston, Edinburgh. 1855. VERNON, Ann Elizabeth H. 685/7 348. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 21 July 2021.
14. Births index (SR) Scotland. Heriot and Warriston, Edinburgh. 1858. VERNON, Charlotte Ann. 685/7 174. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 21 July 2021.
15. Deaths index (SR) Scotland. St George, Edinburgh. 1877. VERNON, Charlotte Ann. 685/1 819. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 08 December 2024.
16. Births index (SR) Scotland. St Andrew, Edinburgh. 1860. VERNON, Agnes Stuart. 685/2 550. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 21 July 2021.
17. Births index (SR) Scotland. St Andrew, Edinburgh. 1862. VERNON, John Edward. 685/2 539. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 21 July 2021.
18. Births index (SR) Scotland. St Andrew, Edinburgh. 1864. VERNON, Elizabeth Thomson. 685/2 544. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 21 July 2021.