John was Collector of the Port of Quebec, appointed by the Queen, for thirty-three years (The Ely Ancestry. New York : Calumet Press, 1902, pg. 310). The Newfoundland Times 3/26/1884 contains articles on the occasion of his retirement. He is buried at Metropolitan Church, Quebec, Canada.
John was baptised 3/5 or 3/15 1809 at St. John's Church, Bermuda (Church register). This was the same date his brother William Charles was baptised, leading to the assumption they were twins. This is verified by "Genealogy of the Denny family..." pg. 113.
Spent only his childhood and youth in Newfoundland and moved back to Bermuda where in 1840, as a member of the Bermuda Assembly, he was appointed as a sub agent to ship Jamaican free blacks and runaway slaves to Canada (Matthews, Keith. Profiles of Water Street Merchants. Maritime History Group, 1980).
215] The list of the partners of Prince Edward's grandson H. R. H. the
Prince of Wales, at the ball, etc., given in his honour in Quebec, by the
Mayor and citizens, at the Music Hall, on the 21st August, 1860,
comprises: 1. Mrs. Langevin (wife of Sir H. L. Langevin, M.P.P., and Mayor
of Quebec); 2. Mrs. Cartier (wife of Sir George Etienne Cartier, Attorney
General); 3. Miss Irvine (daughter of Colonel Irvine, then Provincial
Aide-de-Camp); 4. Miss Price; 5. Miss LeMesurier (since married to Capt.
Carter); 6. Miss Derbyshire (Mrs. J. Adamson); 7. Miss Clementina Sewell;
8. Miss Caron (daughter of Hon. Justice Caron, and now wife of Mr. Justice
Taschereau); 9. Lady Milne; 10. Miss Napier, of Montreal (since married to
Capt. Bell); 11. Mrs. Serocold (wife of Captain Serocold and daughter of
the Hon. Chief Justice Duval); 12. Miss Dunscomb (daughter of the
Collector of Customs at Quebec); 13. Miss Fischer (daughter of the
Attorney General of New Brunswick); 14. Miss Mountain (daughter of the
late Bishop of Quebec); 15. Miss Agnes Anderson; 16. Mrs. Ross; 17. Mrs.
Alex. Bell; 18. Miss Tilley (daughter of Sir Leonard Tilley); 19. Mrs. R.
H. Smith.
http://www.fullbooks.com/Picturesque-Quebec13.html (4/11/2008)