In this poem, New Year's Day, in which he celebrates the coming year of 1798, John Man of Reading mentions all his family and his father's family recalling that his sister, Mariah, died early in 1797.

• "My Wife" is Sarah (Baker) (1740-1809).
• "Maria" is John's daughter Anna Maria (1780-1860).
• "Harry, the lad" is John's Henry (1776- ? ) who was in the wine business and thus able to provide.
• "dear Will" is John's son William (1778-1874).
• "Horace" is John's son Horace (1782-1817), who drowned in 1817).
• "Mamma" is John's mother Mary (Balchen) (1721-1798). Note that this confirms that she did not die in 1790 as in the book "The House of Man", but rather the date of 1798 that has been found by Ed Man.
• "Fenchurch Street" a reference to where John's brother Henry (1748-1799) lived. Hall is Henry although Hal would be a more common short form for Henry.
• "Walworth" is where John's brother James (1755-1823) lived in 1797.
• "Ann" is sister Ann (1753-1832), who moved to Reading.
• "Aunt Fanny," may be John's father's youngest sister, Frances (1730- ?? ), who was born in Hurst and is one of the siblings of the father whose lives and deaths have not been found.
• "good lass - Fan" is, probably sister Frances (1757-1842).

New Year’s Day

Should frost and snows my walks oppose
The greatest ill I fear,
I’ll stay at home, no longer roam,
But hail the coming year.

Though I’m not great, I’ll sit in state,
And have my full career;
My pipe I’ll smoke, and crack a joke,
To hail the coming year.

My children all, and wife so small,
Aunt Fan without a peer;
We’ll ope our eyes to Christmas pies,
And hail the coming year.

My Wife I guess the fowls will dress,
If spoilt they will be dear,
If to my mind no fault I’ll find,
But hail the coming year.

Maria’s tarts will please all hearts,
As soon it will appear,
‘Tis such as her the wise prefer,
Who’d hail the coming year.

Harry, the lad, who’s seldom sad,
Shall furnish us with beer,
Or peg a tub of orange shrub,
To hail the coming year.

What shall we do, dear Will with you,
Your serious thoughts to cheer,
You drunk shall be, till you can’t see,
To hail the coming year.

Come Horace last, thou ne’er shall fast,
While mirth attends us here,
Your merry soul shall quaff a bowl
To hail the coming year.

Mamma so kind in me shall find
A love that is sincere
I’ll drink her health while I have wealth,
To hail the coming year.

May Fenchurch Street, enjoy a treat,
Hal’s Poetry and cheer;
If stocks go well, we all can tell,
He’ll hail the coming year.

To Wallworth next, I turn my text,
May James ne’er shed a tear;
His cash he’ll spend to treat his friend,
And hail the coming year.

There is one Man, whose name is [Fan crossed through] Ann,
She comes in the rear;
On her I’ll think whene’er I drink,
Or hail the coming year.

Oh! What a sot, I have forgot,
Aunt Fanny is most clear,
But if she’ll come, we’ll breach the rum
To hail the coming year.

Come fill a glass to a good lass,
Who thinks my notions queer;
‘Tis Fan I drink, who ne’er will shrink
To hail the coming year.

When next we meet at such a treat,
May death not interfere
But joys abound, and health go round,
To hail the coming year.

Dec. 27. 1797.