The James Family

 

Edna, Polly and Tom James at 231 No Williams, Renton, ca early 1940s

The family chain:

Ellen James                             About 1786 - ?

Matthew James                      1804 - 1861

Thomas Enoch James           1858 - 1929

Thomas James                        1887 - 1976

Edna James Gallagher           1923 - 2018

 

It appears that the family name should be Bennett, not James. 

Okay, this involves some explanation.  It would be great if more were known, but apparently no one in the family was aware of this.  This issue was discovered during research for this blog back through the generations.  The paper record goes back as far as Ellen James.  She was born about 1786 in Kingsley, Staffordshire, England.  

Red marker is where Kingsley is on the map.

Not much has been discovered about her, except that she had a son, Matthew, about 1804 in Kingsley, Staffordshire.  The father’s name was James Bennett.  So far, nothing further has been discovered about James Bennett.  It is unknown whether James and Ellen ever married.  At the time of Matthew’s birth they were not married, thus Matthew’s last name was James, not Bennett and it was noted that he was illegitimate.

Matthew's name is listed at the bottom, right

On September 5, 1827, Matthew married Jane Johnson.  The record is below at the bottom of the page.

Record of Matthew's marriage to Jane Johnson

The couple had five children: William (1828), Matthew (1830), Emma (1831), James (1834) and Mary Ann (1836).  Then something happened to Jane.  She passed away in 1837.  It is not known what caused her death.  Matthew remarries later that same year.  His new wife is Mary Mathews.  On the parish record they were listed as widower and widow.

Record of Matthews marriage to Mary Mathews Clews or Clows

The next record on Matthew is the 1841 Census.  This was the first census in England in which people are listed by name.  So even though he was born in the early 1800s, Matthew (as well as his mother) cannot be tracked until 1841.  By then Matthew is about 36-37 years old, he is living on North Street in Stoke Upon Trent, Staffordshire.  

Matthew James and family are listed in the middle of the page

The move from Kingsley to North Street in Stoke On Trent

16 North Street; formerly Black's Head, now called Stoked, a gastropub

The Census says Matthew is a coal miner and there are now seven children in his household, the five he had with Jane: William (14), Matthew (12), Emma (10), James (8), and Mary Ann (5); and two he had with Mary: Ellen (3), Sarah (1) and an Ann Clowey or Clowes.  Ann was not Matthew’s daughter, but Mary’s from a prior marriage.  The ages listed on the census should not be taken literally as they were often not accurate.  Matthew for example is listed as 38.  However that would mean that he was born in 1803.   No record has been found to support that.  Records have been found that indicate a birthdate of 1804 or 1805.

The next record is the 1851 census.  Matthew and his family are still living on North Street.  Over the last ten years they have added significantly to their family.  They now have ten children.  Those born after 1841 were: Benjamin (7), Joseph (5), Edward (3) and Ruth (2).  The total would have been eleven, but daughter Mary Ann passed away in 1844 at about age eight, cause unknown.

A page from the 1851 England Census for Stoke Upon Trent, township of Hanley

In another ten years they have two more children: John (7 in 1861) and Thomas Enoch (3).  Curiously, only Thomas and Mary had middle names.  The family does lose another child before 1861 – Ruth passed away in 1855 at about the age of six and again, the cause is unknown.

The 1861 England Census for Stoke Upon Trent

So from at least 1841 to April 1861 the family has been fairly stable living in the same residence and adding to their family despite the loss of two children.  But in July, 1861 Matthew dies.  He is only 56 years old.  The circumstances seem a little odd.

Matthew's death record showing cause of death

Matthew worked in the coal mines in Staffordshire.  His job in the mines was as a Butty.  A Butty or a charter master, or contractor was in the 19th century and earlier a man who contracted with a pit owner to work a colliery seam for a tonnage price, while arranging and paying for labor himself.  At the end of a shift he was going to send a boy down to check out a reported gas leak, which would have been standard practice.  Instead, he went himself.  He had an open flame with him.  The resulting explosion when the flame ignited the fumes killed Matthew.  

From the Wolverhampton Chronicle, July 17, 1861

From the Staffordshire Advertiser, July 13, 1861

It is curious why a miner with probably 40 years experience would go into an area that had a suspected leak with an open flame.   A careless mistake or suicide?  Hard to know.  The inquest that was held after the explosion just said he was killed when the open flame he was carrying ignited the fire damp (see newspaper articles above).  The inquest thought it odd that he would do that, but did not appear to pursue the reason any further and just ruled it an accidental death.  However, it is interesting to note that Matthew signed his Will on July 5, 1861.  The explosion that killed him occurred on July 8^th.  Makes one wonder if he was having financial problems (not enough money for the payroll maybe?).

This page shows that the Will is being accepted into probate in August 1861.

This page is the Will itself; the date of the Will is July 5, 1861 and it can be found just above Matthew's name where he signed the Will with an "X".

The Will of Matthew James

Matthew’s son, Thomas Enoch James, was only three years old at the time and the youngest of twelve children from two wives.  Mary James may have passed away three years later in 1864.   If so, John (10) and Thomas Enoch (6) were the only children at that point that were too young to work and look after themselves.  None of them have been found in the 1871 census, so Mary could have been gone.  The boys have not been found in that census either, so it is not clear who they went to live with after their mother's passing.

The next time that Thomas Enoch James appears anywhere is in the marriage records.  On April 29 1877, Thomas marries Ann Alice Newton.  They were both 19.  The wedding took place at St James Church in Wigan, Lancashire, England.  So between 1861 and 1877 he had made his way north from Staffordshire to Lancashire.  His occupation is listed as “collier”.

By 1881, Thomas and Ann Alice are living in Worsley Mesnes, Pemberton, Lancashire.  He is working as a coal miner.  They have two daughters Bertha (2) and Elizabeth (1). 

The 1881 England Census for Worsley Mesnes, Pemberton, Lancashire

Thomas James (1887-1976; Grandpa or Tom) was born on October 14, 1887 in Westhoughton.  On Christmas Day of that year he was baptized at the parish of St. James in Wigan.  

The birth record for Thomas Enoch James, October 14, 1887 

It is interesting to note that he was baptized as “Thomas Enoch,” the same name as his father.  However, he was never referred to as Thomas Jr. within the family.  In fact, family members (his wife and his daughter) maintained that he did not have a middle name, but took his father’s middle name later in life.  That is obviously not true.

The church record shows them living on Worish Lane in Westhoughton.  There is no “Worish” Lane on the map today.  May be a misspelling of Wearish Lane.  Thomas’ father’s occupation was listed as a Pit Sinker.  A sinker was a highly skilled man who “sank” (i.e., dug) the shafts for coal mines.  Skilled sinkers were in great demand and moved from colliery to colliery to dig shafts. 

By the time of the 1891 census, the family has moved to 219 Wigan Road in Westhoughton which is about 6 miles west of where they were in 1881.  Back then Westhoughton was spelled as “West Houghton.”  In the space of ten years they added six more children to their family: Mary A (9), Robert (7), Jane (5), Tom (3), Amelia (2) and Ann (1 day old when the census taker arrived!).  All but Mary A. were born in Westhoughton.  Robert was the first one born in Westhoughton.  He was born there in 1884.  Mary A was born in Wigan in 1882.  So the move to Westhoughton occurred between 1882 and 1884.

The 1881 England Census for Westhoughton

The move from Wigan to Westhoughton

It is interesting to note that Bertha, who is all of twelve years old, is already listed as being employed.  She is working as a cotton weaver.  For Westhoughton that was fairly typical.  The boys went in the mines by the age of 12, if not before, and the girls went to the cotton mill.

By 1901 the family has moved again.  They are living at 112 Church Street in Westhoughton, a move of three quarters of a mile.  The move may have been necessitated by the growing size of the family.  The 1901 census shows that there are eleven (!) children at home.  They have added four more children: Ada (7), Albert (5), William (3), and Nellie (1).  The family ended up with a grand total of twelve children.  Of the children listed in earlier census records Bertha, the oldest, is no longer living at home; Elizabeth (21) is working as a cotton weaver; Mary Ann (19) does house work within the family home; Robert (17) is working below ground in a coal mine; and Jane (14) is working as a cotton weaver.  Tom is all of thirteen and is already working in the mine.  He is listed as an “engine minder” below ground.

The 1901 England Census for Westhoughton

Thomas Enoch James and Ann Alice Newton James, probably mid 1920s 

At the time of the 1911 census the family is still living at 112 Church Street.  Tom is the oldest child at home, the five older children having moved out on their own.  All of the children living at home still are working now – the boys in the mines and the girls at the cotton mill - except for Annie (19) and Nellie (11).  Annie is working in the house, taking up the position that Mary Ann had.  Nellie is in school.

The 1911 England Census for Westhoughton

Tom is working in the mines as a “Miner Hewer.”  A hewer is a coal face worker who digs coal, loosening the coal with a pick.  The next oldest is William.  He is thirteen and is working in the mine as a “Pit Boy Lasher-on.”  Hard to know what this was.  The term was not found in an 1880s book on mining terminology.  But given William’s young age and lack of experience, he probably had a job dealing with the more menial tasks in the mine.  With Nellie at age eleven still in school, it would seem that the children were sent to work as early as 12 or 13.  There is some indication that the youngest accepted age in England for children to start work was 10.   However that did not seem to be the practice in this family.

In 1914 Tom marries Mary “Polly” Barker, the oldest daughter of William Barker and Elizabeth Ann Woods Barker.  Polly was born in Rainford, Lancashire in 1889 and moved to Westhoughton with her family about 1898.  It is uncertain where Thomas and Mary lived in Westhoughton.

The Marriage Certificate for Mary Barker and Thomas James, 1914

Wedding Photo, 1914
From left: William Barker (father of the bride), Millie James (sister of the groom), Polly Barker, Tom James, Ben Barker (brother of the bride), Lizzie Barker (sister of the bride)

By 1914 England is facing World War I.  Of the sons it is known that Robert and Albert served in the military.  Robert served in the Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Field Artillery regiment as a Gunner (Regimental Number 26287).  He was wounded in the war and died of his wounds on September 30, 1916 in the Huddersfield War Hospital in Yorkshire.  

Robert James' Enlistment Paper; note that it appears he enlisted in 1901, long before WW I; it was one way out of the coal mines

Record showing what Robert died from

Pension Record - shows that Robert was married and had a daughter; a pension went to both of them; nothing more is know about them

A ribbon keepsake from Robert's funeral

It is hard to know which battle and how he was wounded.  One record has him in the “D” Battery of the 119^th Brigade.  Another record (Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects) has him in the “D” Battery of the 73^rd Brigade.  Both units fought in France in 1916, most notably in various phases of the Battle of Somme which took place from July 1 through November 18, 1916.  It was during this timeframe that Robert was most likely wounded (unit information from http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-royal-artillery-in-the-first-world-war/batteries-and-brigades-of-the-royal-field-artillery/).

Tom may not have served in the military.  At the time, men were required to register for the military with few exceptions.  One of the exceptions was if the man was married.  

A poster announcing the enlistment requirements in 1916.

Since Tom married “Polly” Barker in 1914, he would have been exempt from service.  Also, his job would likely have been enough to exempt him.  He worked down in the coal mines.  Coal was very important for the war effort.  Many miners found service in the military to be a relief from, or a way out of, the mines so many did volunteer.  It is likely that the military was not too keen on drafting men who worked in the mines.  In any event, no record has been found of Thomas’ serving in the military (the writer kicks himself for not having the presence of mind to ask his grandfather what he did during the war years).  Thomas was a Quaker during this time.  It is possible he may have had objections to serving in the military, but there is no evidence for this.

In fact, his brother Albert was also a Quaker during this time and he did serve in the military.  He enlisted on October 12, 1915 in the Royal Marine Light Infantry (Plymouth Division Short Service, #1137).  He did serve in France during part of the War.  He was “demobilized” in April 1919.

Albert James' Service Record 

As for William James, there is no record of him in the military.  His grandson, Philip James, said that he worked in the coal mines during the war.  According to him, William felt he drew the “short straw” as he would have preferred to have been in the army with his mates.

In 1918 Tom and Polly have a son, Albert Barker James.  In 1922, Tom James, his wife and young Albert move to America.  In 1923 brother Albert James follows.  They sailed out of Liverpool on December 23^rd.  They landed at St. John’s, New Brunswick, Canada on January 3, 1923, a journey of eleven days.  Hard to imagine such a long journey, with a four year old son and having both Christmas and New Year’s aboard ship.  Grandma mentioned that it wasn’t all smooth sailing either.  At one point the motion of the ship caused her to fall down a set of stairs.  She had a pronounced hump on her back which she always attributed to that fall.

Manifest for the S.S. Marloch sailing to St John New Bruswick

 

The S.S. Marloch, the ship that Tom, Polly and Albert James sailed on to America

Somehow they made their way from St. John’s to Cle Elum, Washington.  From one small town to another.  A journey of over 3300 miles most likely made by train.  

Grandpa came to America because an aunt (now unknown) painted a rosy picture of America.  It is uncertain whether he expected to be able to get out of the mines.  In Cle Elum the largest employer at the time was the mine.  In fact, the area was a company town.  He got his wages from the mine company.  He paid his rent to that same company and he bought his food (and virtually everything else) from that same company.  That same year in November their daughter, Edna, was born.  

In 1929 Tom’s father, Thomas Enoch James and his mother, Ann Alice, pass away.  Ann Alice passed away first in May at age 71 and then Thomas Enoch passed in July, also at age 71.  Both are buried with their son Robert in a common grave in the graveyard surrounding St. Bartholomew’s Church in Westhoughton, Lancashire.

Thomas, Ann Alice and Robert James' common grave is not far from the gate pictured above.

In the fall of 1929 the Great Depression hit.  Fortunately the family had six years in the US to adjust to the way of life here.  In 1930 the family is still in Cle Elum.  They lived on Roslyn Street.  The census does not give any house numbers.  

1930  Federal Census for Cle Elum, Washington
Tom James and family are listed near the bottom on line 43.

The family moved about this time to Western Washington.  Tom used to move the family from Renton to Bellingham and back again as he looked for work in the mines.  When there wasn’t work in Renton, they would go to Bellingham.  Tom’s brother Albert lived up there and maybe he was helpful in letting Tom know where the jobs were.  In any event, the 1940 census indicates that by 1935 the family was in Renton at 231 North Williams.  This may have been the first home they actually owned in America.

231 No. Williams, Renton, WA ca 1940s

In 1936 Tom went to work in Alaska.  Not completely certain why.  Possibly it was for some steady work and possibly it was just to see what Alaska was like.  In either case he worked there for a year at the Lucky Shot Mine.  

Lucky Shot Mine in Alaska

Tom James in Alaska, 1936

During that time Polly and Edna went to England for a visit.  It was the only time that Polly went back to see her family.  Edna always said that her mom was terribly homesick the whole time Edna was growing up.  Their son Albert had joined the Navy by this time, so he was away from home.

Albert James in uniform, ca late 1930's

They were in England during the time that Edward VIII abdicated as King of England.  Edna remembered people taking their coronation mugs and cups and smashing them on the walkways and streets outside their homes.  Edna did bring home some coronation cups and a plate with her, but not of Edward VIII, it was his brother and successor, King George VI (Queen Elizabeth’s father). 

Edna and Polly James, 1936
Probably taken at the time they had their passport photos taken

Mary Alice James Glover (Tom's sister), daughter Hilda Glover, Polly James

Front - Albert Aspinall, Millie James Butterworth, Lizzie James Aspinall
Back - Ada James, Edna, Polly, Annie James
Millie (Amelia), Annie and Ada were Tom's sisters and known as the Three A's.

Hilda Glover and Edna standing.  Mary Alice James Glover seated

The Three A's in Westhoughton
Probably taken before the 1936 trip to England

By the time of the 1940, the family is back in Renton (Albert was living in Los Angeles and working for a contractor).  They are again living at 231 North Williams.  This is where Tom and Polly would remain for the rest of their lives.  

The 1930's Federal Census for Renton, WA 

Edna graduated from Renton High School in 1942.  She went to work at Boeing in Renton for a while.  She was able to walk to work from where she lived.  

Edna's Senior High Photo
Best friends were Mary Hilson and Grace Gallagher

Photo of Edna taken near or shortly after graduation from High School

In 1943 Edna married Ken Gallagher.  

Edna and Ken on the steps of St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Renton, WA

Ken, Edna and the Wedding Cake

Polly and Edna on brother Albert's Wedding Day, 1946

They met at a pea patch while picking peas.  Edna said that Ken’s sister Grace helped arrange the introduction.  Grace had been a friend of Edna’s in High School.  They lived for a time in the little house at the back of Tom and Polly’s place.  It was VERY small with just a kitchen, a sitting room and a bedroom.  Not certain where the bathroom was.  Its address was 231 ½ North Williams.  And half a house is about what it was (many years later a gas explosion in the house caused it to burn down).

Tom and Polly were married for 62 years.  

Albert James, Polly, Edna and Tom
On Tom and Polly's Golden Wedding Anniversary, 1964

Edna, Tom, Polly and Albert
On Tom and Polly's 60th Wedding Anniversary, 1974

In 1976 Tom passed away while walking in his yard looking at his garden.  It was October 3^rd.  He was eleven days away from turning 89 (his birthday was October 14^th, a date he shared with his grandson (the writer) who was born on his 65^th birthday).  By the time Tom passed away he had lost the sight in one eye, lost most of his hearing and one leg was shorter than the other by about two inches.  All due to his work in the mines.  He loved gardening and growing tomatoes in particular.  He was the first one to take the writer to a library.  It was an old Carnegie built library in Renton.  

The old Carnegie built Renton Library; demolished in 1966.

The writer remembers seeing nothing but books, floor to ceiling!  It was long ago demolished to make way for the library over the Cedar River.  The writer remembers checking out a book on the Kings and Queens of England.  That visit started the writer on the joy of reading and an appreciation for libraries.  Thank you grandpa!

In 1978 Polly passed away in the Group Health Hospital in Redmond (now part of the Microsoft campus).  She had been ill only briefly.  Polly told everyone she was 87.  As the family was cleaning out her house they discovered documents that said she was 89.  She had been shaving two years off her age, likely in an attempt not to sound too old!

Tom and Polly's graves in Renton, WA

Southlawn Building at Greenwood Memorial Park in Renton where graves are located

The Family at Play, ca early 1930s
Albert, Polly, Edna and Tom James

___________________________

OF NOTE –

Lambert Colin James (1919-1976) was the son of William James (1897-1969).  William was a younger brother of Tom James, the writer’s grandfather so Colin was Edna’s cousin.  Colin enlisted in the Navy at the start of World War II.  He was assigned to the HMS Dorsetshire. 

The ship was a heavy cruiser of the County class of the Royal Navy, named after the English county (now usually known as Dorset).  She was launched on 29 January 1929 at Portsmouth Dockyard, UK.

H.M.S. Dorsetshire

In late May 1941, Dorsetshire was one of the ships which engaged the German battleship Bismarck in the North Atlantic. On 27 May, Dorsetshire was ordered to torpedo Bismarck, which had by that point been crippled by repeated aircraft and naval attacks.  Dorsetshire torpedoed Bismarck, which then sank rapidly, either from the damage she had received from the British, or from Bismarck's crew working to scuttle her.  Dorsetshire was able to recover only 110 of the Bismarck's crew from the ocean, before being forced to leave to evade a suspected U-boat.  (From https://military.wikia.org/wiki/HMS_Dorsetshire_(40)).

It may be hard to understand the magnitude of this victory now.  But at the time it was like winning the war.  The Bismarck had sunk the battle cruiser HMS Hood which was the pride of the British Navy.  Plus the Bismarck was a monster of a ship.  It outgunned anything the British had and it was faster.  Along with the German U-boat fleet it presented a real threat to the Allied Navy as well as merchant shipping which was important in keeping Britain supplied during the war.

The Bismarck 

Colin did not talk much about his time in the Navy.  The writer spent some time with him in England in 1975.  He was what you would expect from a WW II Navy man – a heavy smoking, beer loving man.  A very colorful individual.  But he was also the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back.  If you could put up with the cigarette smoke, he was a great guy to have a beer with!

 

Brothers Alan and Colin James in uniform

Crew of the HMS Dorsetshire celebrating the sinking of the Bismarck.
Colin can be seen on the left behind the tubes, he has a cap on and his hand is in the air.

"THUMBS UP"
Colin is on the left in front.  It appears as if he is looking at his thumb.
Note his initials - LCJ - on his uniform 

"THUMBS UP" - the full picture
This picture was found on page 141 of Robert Ballard's book on the Bismarck.
Colin is not looking at his thumb, but at the photographer directly in front of him.
Not certain whatever happened to the picture that photographer took!

For further information see –                            

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Dorsetshire_%2840%29

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/31/bismarck-second-world-war-royal-navy-1941

https://military.wikia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Bismarck

Bismarck by Robert Ballard, Chartwell Books, Inc., 2007