| Census Year | Copy Found | Certificate Type | Copy Found | Associated Locations | |
 |
Yes |
|
No, pre-1837 |
|
Place of birth (No map yet) |
 |
No |
|
No, pre 1837 |
|
Place of marriage |
 |
Yes |
|
Possibly Q3 1875 Mutford 4a 434 |
|
Residence |
 |
Yes |
Research Dates
14 September 2005
James was born to parents Robert and Honour sometime in 1785 being their
first child of seven. Nothing more is known of him until his
marriage on the 16th September 1808, when he would have been aged 22 or 23, to
wife Sarah Hollingsworth. The trail goes quiet once more until the
1841 census, where he appears without wife Sarah, who may already have died,
although in the meantime she produced four children between the tears 1817 and
1835. In this census, James is aged 55, and his description is a
Miller, once again a departure from the usual family occupation of fisherman.
Additionally, he was also the census enumerator for this census, so the returns
for the district are all in his handwriting.
The 1861 census finds him living with daughter Hannah and her husband John, together with their two children Julia and William. This time, James is shown as being aged 73, a widower and Parish Clerk, and living in London Road, Kirkley.
In the 1871 census, James is still living with his daughter Hannah, her husband John and their daughter Julia. He is now aged 85, and still shown as a widower. This was to be James' last appearance in a census, as he died some four years later, in 1875, aged 89 or 90. His age will be properly established once the death certificate has been obtained.
Death Certificate
 |
| This census record, which is rather unique as it is in James' own handwriting, shows him at home in Kirkley, aged 55 and a Miller. With him are his four children, eldest son George aged 24, also a Miller, youngest child William aged 6, and daughters Hannah aged 18 and Sarah, 15. No further information can be gleaned from this census, other than that all members of the family were born in Suffolk. |
 |
| James is living with son-in-law John Sealer and daughter Hannah in this census, together with their two children, daughter Julia and son William. James is now aged 73, and shown as a Parish Clerk, having, it would appear, retired from his job as a Miller. Perhaps the 1851 census, when it is released, will fill in the gaps and answer a few questions. Interestingly, James is shown as a Boarder, not father-in-law, in the Relation to Head box. |
 |
| On the occasion of this census, James is found still living with John and Hannah, as in the previous census, but this time only their daughter Julia is with them, son William not being present. James is now aged 85, and a widower. His trade is no longer listed, so perhaps by now he had relinquished his duties as the Parish Clerk. He is also shown as Father-in-Law this time round, rather than as a Boarder, so perhaps his place in the household had become accepted. |
