It has been difficult finding information on this side of the family but luckily I made contact with someone in Australia who is the only person I have found researching Janes in London. There were a lot of Janes in Cornwall but very few in London. To begin with we couldn’t find a connection between the families but my contact had an address on a birth certificate from 1841 and this enabled us to find the family in the 1841 census, where I finally found my great great grandfather Henry. To date this is the information we have.
Joseph Jane
Joseph was my great great great great grandfather and he married Mary. We have found 7 children on the IGI, all except the first child were christened at St.Botolph without Aldgate
Mary christened 31st May 1801 at St.Giles Cripplegate
William christened 17 April 1803
William Henry, born 28th January 1805, christened 17th March 1805
Elizabeth Ann born 10 December 1806, christened 15th February 1807
Henry, born 16th June 1809, christened 6th August 1809
Elizabeth born 20 February 1812, christened 15th March 1812
Eliza born 5 July 1814, christened 31st July 1814
Caroline christened 7 July 1816
Henry Jane (senior)
Henry, born 1809, was my great great great grandfather. He was christened on 6th August 1809 at St.Botolph without Aldgate. He married Isabella Hogg on 11th October 1829 at Spitalfields Christchurch, Stepney. Isabella’s father was Joseph Hogg, mother Ebby. In 1841 we found Henry and Isabella living at 3 West Street, Globe Fields, Mile End. Henry is aged 30, occupation carpenter, his wife Isabella also aged 30 and children Isabella aged 9, Joseph aged 7, Henry aged 6, Eliza aged 4 and Thomas aged 2.
In the 1851 census the family was living at 7 Regent Place, Mile End Old Town. Henry and Isabella were there with Joseph aged 17, Henry aged 15 (scholar), Elizabeth aged 14, John aged 10, Mary Ann aged 7, Thomas aged 4, Richard aged 3 and Sophia aged 1. Isabella is aged 19 and working as a servant at 2 Artichoke Place, Mile End Old Town.
In the 1861 census the family are living at 9 Latchmere Road, Battersea under the name Janes.
Henry is a carpenter aged 51, his son Joseph is aged 26 and also a carpenter. Richard, Sophia and Caroline are all in the household. Daughter Isabella is now married and called Bone, she has a daughter Eliza aged 2 born in Stepney.
Looking on the IGI, these are the details for the 11 children
William Henry, born 1830 and christened 29th August 1830 St.Dunstan, Stepney. William married Charlotte Double on 20th December 1851 in London St.Mary, Walworth.
Isabella Hogg Jane, born 1832 and christened 13th May 1832 St.Dunstan, Stepney.
Joseph born 1834
Henry (my mother’s great grandfather) born 1835 in Mile End (see below)
Elizabeth Ann born 1837, christened on 23rd July 1837 at Saint Dunstan, Stepney.
Thomas born 1839, christened on 9th August 1841 at St.Peters, Stepney. He died September quarter 1841.
John Jane was born 8 December 1841 and christened 11th January 1843 at St.Dunstan, Stepney. He died 23rd October 1920 in Fulham. John married Jane Sarah Brown June quarter 1867 in Wandsworth.Jane was born 2 September 1844 in Bethnal Green, Middlesex and died 18 December 1920 in Fulham. They had 12 children:
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- Thomas born 1866
- Henry Joseph born 2 September 1869 in Fulham, married to Mary Ann Dale, died 8 February 1947 in Greenford, Middlesex, They had 9 children:
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Ethel (Hetty) born 1892
William Walter born 1893
Henry Joseph born 1894
Edith Ada born 1895
John William born 31st May 1901
Daisy Maud born 4th March 1904
Marjorie Violet born 1913
Olive
Ernie
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- William born 1872, married Lucy Rescorel 1892
- Jane Sarah born 1874
- Caroline Sophia born 1876
- Joseph Henry born 1878 and died 1915
- Arthur born 1880
- Albert born 1881
- Richard Charles born 1883
- Isabella born 1883
- Rose born 1885
- Charlotte born 1887
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Thomas born 1845, christened 8th February 1846 at St.Dunstan, Stepney.
Richard Christopher born 16th October 1847, christened 3rd December 1854 St.Peters, Stepney.
Sophia born 24th October 1849 and christened 11th November 1849 at St.Dunstan, Stepney.
Caroline born 19th October 1851 and christened 3rd December 1854 at St.Peters, Stepney.
Henry Jane
My great great grandfather Henry Jane was born in 1836 and married Mary Ann Winkworth in 1861 at the Parish Church, St.Luke, Chelsea. At the time of their marriage, Henry’s address was 9 Kings Road, and Mary Ann’s address was 15 Manor Street. Witnesses at the wedding were Charles and Eliza Foulsham. I have only found one child from the marriage so far, William Henry.
On Henry’s marriage certificate and his son’s birth certificate, his occupation was given as a coachman. By the time we get to the 1881 census, he is living with Mary at 20 Coburg Row, Rochester Row, Westminster and his age is given as 45. His occupation is now cab driver and his birthplace Mile End. In 1891 he and Mary are living at 3 Old Rochester Row, Westminster and Henry is cab driver/groom and Mary is laundress, birthplace Swarraton. Henry Jane died on 5th December 1897, aged 62 at St.Georges Hospital, St.George Hanover Square. His occupation on the death certificate was given as night watchman and his address 30 Lillington Street, Westminster. He died of a haemorrhage and an inquest was held on 7th November 1897.Mary Ann died in 1915.
I found Mary Ann and her family in the 1841 census for Swarraton, Hants, she was living with Thomas and Sarah Winkworth. I have recently made contact with a descendant of the Winkworths and apparently Mary Ann was the illegitimate daughter of Charlotte Winkworth, daughter of Thomas and Sarah. Charlotte was christened on 1st June 1817 and Mary Ann was christened on 16th December 1837. Charlotte married William Dory in 1839. Charlotte’s sister Eliza married Charles Foulsham in 1859 in Wandsworth and they were the witnesses mentioned above. Eliza married again on 10th October 1870 to James Maitland at St.Thomas, Portsmouth. In the 1901 census, Mary Ann is living as a housekeeper to James, who is a widower.
William Henry Jane
William, my great grandfather was born in 1865 at 3 Rogers Court, Eaton Lane, North Pimlico. In the 1881 census, he was living with his parents and his occupation was given as messenger (unemployed). In 1884 he married Harriet Ellen Pelley at the parish church of St.John, Battersea and his occupation at this time was railway porter. The address for both is 12 Saville Road, witnesses Frederick William Dunning Savage and Sarah Louisa Darcy.
William and Harriet had six children.
Lilian Rose (my grandmother) was born on 30th July 1885 at 64 Rochester Row, Westminster.
William Frederick was born 18th July 1887 also at 64 Rochester Row and died in 1888.
Henry Charles, known as Charles Harry or just Harry, was born on 6th September 1889 at 36 Winstanley Road, West Battersea. He married Rose Fitzgerald on 20th April 1919 at Christchurch, Broadway, St.Margaret Westminster. He was 29 at the time and was living at 14 Vandon Street. His occupation was given as booking clerk and witnesses at the wedding were William John Welch and Marjorie Fitzgerald. The bride was aged 25 living at 2 Horseshoe Alley and her father was William Fitzgerald, occupation labourer . It turns out that Rose was the daughter of Elizabeth Ann Artlett and William Fitzgerald.
Ellen Florence was born 17th August 1892 at 94 Grant Road, W.Battersea and died 1893.
Richard Frederick, known as Dick was born on 15th January 1895 at 7 Ascalon Street, East Battersea. My mother had three 1st World War medals for an R.F.Jane who she thought may have been an uncle. I discovered that this was Richard Frederick, my great uncle, who was a private in the 23rd London Regiment and was sent to France on 27th October 1915. He was killed in action on 6th July 1917 at the age of 22. My friend Jeff found details of where Richard was buried in Oak Dump Cemetery, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium and I visited the grave in 2012.
I didn’t know any more about Great Uncle Dick until in 2013 I had an email from Sally Lorch who sent me the following information:
I have been researching Richard because my maternal aunt Ellen Mable Downer known as Nellie was engaged to Richard. It all started because I found some postcards which had Richard’s name on, that he had sent to Nellie whilst in France/Belgium. I also have the engagement ring which I have worn since Nellie’s death in 1985. Nellie never married following Richard’s death at the time of his death Nellie was 17 and from what I have been told they were to marry following her 18th birthday in May 1918. One of the saddest things I found was the last postcard from Richard to Nellie which was sent on 25th June 1917 and received on the 11th July 1917 by which time he had been killed in action.
I only have about four postcards and one picture of them both because the majority of items were destroyed when the family home at 4 Handel Street Wandsworth was bombed during the second World War.
Sally kindly sent me scans of the postcards and these photographs of Dick and Nellie. I believe the other person in uniform on the photo with Dick is his half brother George Albert Webber who would have been about 15 or 16 at the time and who survived the war. From his cap badge he was serving in the Royal Fusiliers, City of London Regiment. The small photo of Dick was in a locket which Nellie used to wear. On the back in very faint pencil is written Dick XX.
This is a transcript of what was written on the backs of the postcards:
Lady in Pink
At the top
PS will write long letter tomorrow
My Darling
Just a line to say I received your last letter & papers quite ok. I have just heard from (looks like either Bill or let). I am quite ok & hope you are the same. Love & Kisses from Dick
This one is dated 25 June 1917
Lady in Green
My Dearest
Just a line to let you know I am quite ok. Hope you are the same. Write soon dearest. Love & Kisses from Dick.
This one is dated 23 June 1917
Soldier with Gun
From your ever loving sweetheart xxxxxxx Please write soon as I am dying for a letter from you xx.
From what I understand this one was sent to a friend’s address (Miss B Barnham).
Couple about to kiss
This one was sent to Dick from a friend called Bill and he then sent it on to Nellie.
Dear Dick. Received card congratulations old chap what do you think of the card some card eh it beats yours au revoir letter at first chance Bill
Richards has written at the top right side what do you think of this Dearest from an old pal of mine.
It was from this one that Sally traced Richard because it gives his rank and service number 701165 and regiment etc.
Mabel was the last child of William Jane and Harriet and was born on 7th January 1898 at 13 Crichton Street, Clapham. Mabel married Harry William Knight on 2nd April 1921 at Holy Trinity Church, Vauxhall Bridge Road, Westminster. Harry’s occupation was aged 24 and an unskilled labourer, his father George William was a blacksmith. Mabel’s maiden name is given as Janes on the marriage certificate and her father as Henry William Janes, deceased, occupation guard. Witnesses at the wedding were Beatrice Harris and Alfred Hutchin. The address for bride and groom was 36 Bessborough Gardens.
On the various birth certificates of his children, William’s occupation is lamp cleaner, lamp porter, railway labourer, railway porter and railway guard. In a letter from my cousin Tina in 1999, she gave me the following information
“Mum doesn’t remember ever meeting any grandparents, and they were not mentioned except once as far as she can recall. This was when Mum was looking through some old photographs and came upon a photo of a man, she asked Lilian who it was and was told it was her grandfather. There were also photos of African women, and Mum seems to remember Lilian saying something about her father leaving and going to Africa.”
This is interesting as all the information I have so far suggests that William worked most of his life on the railways in England. On his last child’s birth certificate in 1898, William was said to be deceased but despite extensive searching, I have been unable to find a record of his death. I have checked the deaths abroad as well, but found nothing.
I have found another William Henry Jane born in 1855 and married to Ellen Fuller. On their son Edwin’s birth certificate in 1892, William’s occupation is given as engine driver at a gold mine (possible African connection?). Their address at this time was 14 K Peabody Buildings, Orchard Street, Westminster which is the same area where my Janes were living. Edwin died in 1893. William and Ellen were married on 16th November 1889 at The Parish Church, St.Margarets West. William was aged 34, a bachelor, living at 26 Wilfred Street (very near Rochester Row), occupation fireman. His father’s name was William, deceased, also a fireman. Ellen was aged 24, living at 5 Tothill Street. Her father’s name was Francis, deceased, a corn chandler. Witnesses were Robert George Fuller and Alice Fuller. Their daughter Grace Alice was born on 22nd October 1894. I found the family in the 1901 census still living at Peabody Buildings, Block 13. William (called Henry) is aged 42 and his occupation stereotyper print, born in St.Neots Cornwall. His wife Ellen is aged 35 born in London. There is a son Francis, aged 10 born in London Camden and a daughter Grace, aged 6 born in Westminster.
I have also found Frederick John Jane married to Jane Fuller. Frederick was born 1858 in St.Neots, Cornwall. Jane Fuller was born in 1855 in Hornsey, Middlesex. In the 1881 census, Frederick was aged 23 and a footman living at 24 Eccleston Square, St.George Hanover Square. His future wife was aged 26, a housemaid at the same address. William Morris was the head of the household, a member of the London Stock Exchange and his nephew Sydney Morris is also there, occupation surgeon.
On their daughter Mary Zulass’ birth certificate in 1888, Frederick’s occupation was still a butler, domestic. Their address at this time was 13 C/G Block Peabody Buildings, Orchard Street, Westminster.
From information I have received from a contact in Ontario, Canada it turns out that William Henry and Frederick John were brothers. Their parents William Jane and Grace Higman were both born in St.Neots, Cornwall. There was another brother Petherick Higman born in 1860. There was also a daughter Mary probably a daughter from William’s first marriage to Mary Jane. In the 1861 census for St.Neot the family were living at 36 Dranes Village. William was a copper miner. In the 1871 census the family were still at St.Neots, William was a farmer of 36 acres, William Henry was an agricultural labourer and Frederick was a carpenter. By the 1881 census William is a farmer of 22 acres, Frederick and William Henry have left Cornwall by this time and are living in London.
As yet I don’t know whether there is a connection between the Cornish and the London families.