John Eldridge married Lucy Finn on 21 Jul 1781 at Boughton under Blean, Kent, England. The children from Finn to Edward were all baptised at the same place. Richard Finn Eldridge is speculated to be a child of John and Lucy and he is otherwise just shown as Richard. James is shown as being born at Cheriton, Kent and the children Joseph and Lucy were baptised at Cheriton. The children John, Richard, James and Joseph are all recorded as being shoemakers.
Richard's children Jane Lucy and George are with Jane's husband John Philpott at Hernhill, Kent on the 1841 census. The Philpott family migrated to New Zealand on the Randolph arriving on 16 December 1850. Richard and his son George are at Lyons in Wayne County, New York on the 1850 US census. Richard's daughter Martha married Peter Adams in Kent and they migrated to the United States after the birth of their second child Matilda Ann.
James son Thomas, migrated to New Zealand on the Westminster arriving at Lyttelton, Canterbury on 9 Jan 1858. He was variously shown as a police sergeant, gold digger, verger, caretaker and a bushman and died on 22 Apr 1913 at Christchurch, NZ.
James grandson Walter Eldridge was shown aged 19 when he migrated to Queensland, Australia on the Nagpore arriving on 26 May 1883. He married Rachel Christina Ballard at St Francis Church of England, Nundah District of Caboolture, QLD on 10 Mar 1888. She was a dressmaker born in that district on 13 Jul 1858, the daughter of James Ballard and Christina Campbell who had married in QLD on 15 Mar 1847.
Joseph's grandson Joseph Eldridge, together with his wife Hannah and four children migrated to Canada on the Lake Manitoba arriving at Montreal, Quebec on 2 Sep 1904.
Thomas Eldridge 1830-1913
Great great grandfather of
Carole Eve Cowan, nee Eldridge