A few years later, he married Mary LAWRENCE in Great Mongeham, Kent. I found a copy of their marriage banns online. Married "by banns" in the parish church means their names were read out in the church on three consecutive Sundays. On the third, if no one has objected, they are allowed to be married. "Speak now, or forever hold your peace," I suppose.
They, too, started their family right away. They married on Sept 20, 1846, and Harman was born in 1847. They had moved to Dover by 1853, and eventually raised 9 children there, including Anne Marie (Ancestor 52-7).
Ah, John Henry Bridges. What a good, strong name (inherited from John BRIDGES and Henry ATKINS, his grandfathers). I can't help but picture him as a tall, broad fellow with big forearms. This mental image is somewhat influenced by the fact that he worked as a blacksmith for most of his adult life.
Self-employed blacksmiths were known as general craftsmen, creating everything from tools to decorative items to horseshoes. If they worked as part of a larger operation, they often specialized. Here is an interesting old video about making anchor chains and anchors. It's kind of long, but be sure to skip to the end bit (7:10), with all of them in a circle around the anchor shackle pin.
Sometimes, however, even being strong can't save you. On October 29th, 1880, John Henry Bridges died of a stroke, only 59 years old.