Category: James

James Family Ancestry

The furthest that I have definitely been able to trace this branch of the family to, is about 1761 and George James. This George, was born in a very small village in Somerset, called Pitcombe. I have found the record of his birth to Benjamin James and his wife Ann. In researching Benjamin, I can find one strong possiblity which is  a birth of Benjamin to William and his wife  Elizaabeth on 4th March 1737 in Shepton Mallet which is just 10 miles from Pitcombe so this may well be accurate.

Birth of Benjamin to William and Elizabeth (low right) in March 1737

Mary and I went to Pitcombe for a few days to look around and went to the church where all the James family seem to have been baptised and married. However, we did not find any graves for the direct ancestors there.

                              PITCOMBE CHURCH

 

                                   PITCOMBE CHURCH
                 MARY INSIDE PITCOMBE CHURCH
First Generation of James
George James(1761-1841) and Ann Masters (b 1759)
My four Greats Grandparents

George was born in 1761 to Benjamin and his wife Ann and died in 1841.  I found this entry of his birth.

              Birth George James 1761
Marriage of George James and Ann Masters, 1785

George married Ann Masters and they had seven children

  1. A son, George, who was born in Pitcombe on 11th May 1788, baptised on 7th June 1788 and died before 1793
  2. A second son, William, who was born in 1790 and baptised on 3rd October 1790. William married Jane Lever on 31 January 1825 when he was aged 35. William & Jane had four children.
  3.  A daughter, Elizabeth, in 1792, baptised on 21 January 1792 and who married William Cock in 1822.
  4. George James, who was  born on 2nd June 1792 and, baptised on 23rd June 1792 in Pitcombe, Somerset. He married Martha Cayford on 3rd August 1818 in Pitcombe.
  5.   Henry James, born in 1796
  6.  A second daughter, Ann, born in 1797
  7.   A son, Benjamin, born in 1797, baptised on 2nd October 1797. He married Hannah Wilton on 25th November 1822 and died before 1851. They had four children:
  •  Jane James, born 1827 in Bruton, Somerset.
  • Mary Anne James, born 1828 in Bruton, Somerset
  • William Wilton James who was born in 1824 in Bruton, Somerset
  • Fanny James, who was  born in 1850 in Bruton

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I have found George James, aged 80, in the 1841 census living with his wife and one of his grandchildren – Letitia, daughter of his son, George, along with her husband, William Young. Sadly George’s occupation is down as pauper. This census was taken on June 6th 1841 and George was buried just 17 days later, on the 23rd!

                 BURIAL RECORD OF GEORGE JAMES
SECOND GENERATION OF JAMES
george james  & martha cayford
My 3 greats grandparents

George was born in 1793, and baptised on 2nd June 1793 at Pitcombe. He married Martha Cayford on 3rd October 1818, also in Pitcombe. Martha was born in Bruton, in 1792 . They had the following ten children:

  1. Letitia James born in 1819, baptised on 26th August, 1819. Letitia married William Young in 1841. I have been in touch with descendants of Letitia and she and William had ten children, and eventually moved to Blaenavon, Wales for work in the mines. Letitia died in 1877 in Lanchester, Durham of TB, or consumption as it was known in those days.
  2. William James was also born in 1819 and he and Letitia appear to have been twins as George and Martha only married the previous year and had both children baptised on the same day on 26th August 1819. I gather that William died as a baby
  3. Henry James, born in 1824 in Pitcombe. Henry married Sarah Cannon in King Western, Somerset and died in 1910 in Pitcombe at the age of 91.
  4. Ann James, who was born in 1826
  5. Benjamin James, my Great, Great Grandfather, born in 1829 in Pitcombe and baptised on 11th January 1829. Benjamin married Ann Courtney on 5th December 1850.
  6. Frederick, born in 1831 in Pitcombe, baptised on 12th June 1831 and who died in Frome in 1902. Frederick was an innkeeper and a farrier.
  7. Daniel James, born in 1833. I found out quite a lot about Daniel as he married Amelia Ann Hill in 1858 and they had 5 children together. However, in 1861 he was a capenter journeyman but in 1866 I found him in Brixton prison. He was found guilty of larceny but, I rather think that was due to being unable to feed his family as, Amelia is in the workhouse 1871 and then goes to live with her brother.  Daniel did not return to Somerset after his release, but went to North Shields where he remarried (bigamously I believe) and had another five children with Sarah.
  8. George James was born in 1836 and died shortly after birth
  9. Elizabeth who was born in 1839
  10. Thomas James.

I found that Frederick James, (the son of George & Martha) was an innkeeper and farrier and had lived in Castle Combe working as a farrier, and in Frome. When in Frome, he ran the public house called the Wagon & Horses, 3 Gentle Street. Mary and I went to see it and had this photo taken there. It is now a private  home.

               MARY OUTSIDE FREDERICK’S PUB

We also found the house he had lived in, which was up a tiny alley way. We were actually invited, by the present owner, to have a look around but declined as we felt it a bit of an imposition.

Frederick’s house at 10 Portway, Frome, was the last one in the  photo below:

Frederick James lived in the end house

George James & Martha Cayford were married in 1818 and I have found this entry of their marriage in Pallott’s Index:

In the 1861 census, George is aged 47 and his wife, Martha, is aged 48. He is described as a master farrier and they have living with them their daughter, Elizabeth, and two Grandchildren, Samuel aged 18 and Sarah Jane Young aged 9. These Grandchildren are the children of William and Letitia.

Martha died just 3 years later in 1864.

Ten years later, in the 1871 census, George is living as a lodger, aged78, and a blacksmith. He died in 1878

THIRD GENERATION OF JAMES

BENJAMIN JAMES & Ann Courtney
My great great grandparents.

Benjamin was the fifth child of George and Martha, and he worked as an agricultural labourer.

Benjamin married Ann Courtney, (obviously where Bunty got her middle name from!), on 5th December 1859 when he was aged 21 and Ann was 19.

They had the following  six children:

  1. George James – my Great Grandfather – who was born in 1852
  2. A second son, Charles,  born in 1854 in Pitcombe
  3. A third son, Thomas, born in 1860 in Pitcombe
  4. Their only daughter, Elizabeth born in 1863  in Discove, Somerset
  5. Nathaniel born in 1868 also in Discove
  6. Harry born in 1870 in Discove,

In the 1861 census, Benjamin and family are living in Pitcombe but, in 1871 they are in Bruton, Somerset, Ten years later they are living at Brickyard, Bruton and are still there in the 1891 census. However, in 1901 Benjamin & Ann are living at Sexeys Hospital in Bruton. This appears to be an almshouse and Mary & I visited it when we had our few days in Somerset. What a lovely place!

You can now read about my Great Grandparents, George and Emma James

George & Emma James