Samuel Backler, Vicar of Ashwell, Hertfordshire, was born on 13th April 1662 in Huntingdon.  He was the oldest son of Samuel Backler (born 1630 in Huntingdon), who married Ann Eedes in Huntingdon on 7th April 1660.  He had a sister named Martha Backler (born 12th February 1660) of whom, at present, nothing else is known and a brother, John Backler (born 16th December 1665), who is the subject of a separate blog page.  Barbara has covered various descendants of Samuel the vicar, in a lot more depth in her blog http://www.backlers.com and the purpose of this blog page is to help with tracing Backlers that I have identified in my research that belong on this blog page and then do not relate to my other blog pages.  A process of elimination!

Samuel, son of Samuel, attended Christ’s College, Cambridge where he obtained both a BA and an MA.  He married Mary Howorth of St. Botolph, Aldersgate, London (1666-1728) on 3rd January 1687 at St Michael, Wood Street, London and they had nine children, all born in Ashwell, accompanied by much tragedy as four of them died very young in the year they were born:  Ann Backler (1689), John Backler (1692), Anne Backler (1693) and John Sotherton Backler (1699).  I have not yet found anything further about Mary Backler (born 1687), Anne Backler (born 1698) and John Backler (born 1706).  Another son, also called Samuel Backler (born 1690), attended Christ’s College following his father’s footsteps and he succeeded his father as Vicar of Ashwell, when he died in 1720.  Their mother Mary survived until 1728 and was buried in Ashwell.

Samuel’s and Mary’s remaining son was Sotherton Backler (born 1703 – died 1763) who was an apothecary.  He married Ann Ashley (died 1768) in 1732 and they also had nine children again accompanied by tragedy.  Ozell Backler (1733 – 1733), Ann Ozella Backler (1734 – 1736), Sotherton Backler (1737 -1737), Jane Ozella Backler (1738 – 1741), Ozella Backler (1743 – 1745) and Samuel Backler (1753 – 1755) all died in infancy.  I have not yet found any further information about Ann Backler (born 1741) or Elizabeth Backler (born 1748).

Their remaining son was another Sotherton Backler (1746 – 1819), who was married first to Frances Harris with whom he had four children and second to Hannah Osborne with whom he had ten children.  Sotherton distinguished himself by becoming Clerk to The Worshipful Company of Apothecaries, one of the great London guilds.  The descendants of Sotherton and Frances will be covered in a separate blog page and the descendants of Sotherton and Hannah will be covered in another separate blog page.