A few weeks ago on October 15th, an updated edition of the John Bunyan family tree was unveiled to include his living descendants, following an appeal in the local paper last year, asking Could you be a descendant of Bedford’s most famous son?
Members of the Bunyan 400 Steering Committee were in attendance, excited to witness this historic moment at Moot Hall in Elstow, the Bedfordshire village where John Bunyan was born.
The newly updated family tree brings together recently discovered branches of John Bunyan’s descendants, namely the Brown family line. This connects Bunyan’s daughter Sarah and her husband William Brown to twelve living descendants through meticulous research into parish records.
The living descendants were presented with copies of the updated family tree which had been designed with support from Bedford Borough Council’s reprographics department.
Volunteer Clive Arnold has worked tirelessly over 35 years to search for descendants of John Bunyan. With help from the John Bunyan Museum and curator (now director) Nicola Sherhod, he has made this project a reality.
Councillor Sarah Gallagher, Portfolio Holder for Customer Experience, Leisure and Culture, said, “This is a remarkable celebration of Bedford’s rich literary and community heritage. Unveiling the living descendants of John Bunyan not only deepens our connection to his legacy but also highlights the importance of preserving local history for generations to come.”
This wonderful discovery compounds our connection to a local man whose legacy remains significant and pertinent today, almost four hundred years since his birth in Elstow.
For more information about John Bunyan and the family tree project, please visit the Bunyan family webpage.
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