Where is William, or is he James?

[Rachel A]

I've been trying to piece together the life of my great great grandfather - William James Davies. Here's what I know -

Born 1845, Buxted

1851 - Living with parents James & Mary in Buxted

1861 - Unable to locate

1871 - Unable to locate

1875 - Mar qtr - marries Mercy Spicer, Portsea, Hampshire

1881 - Living in Lewes, Sussex, working as a groom/coachman

1891 - Living in Hellingly, Sussex, working as a groom/gardener

1901 - Living in Alfriston, Sussex, working as a boot maker (own account) in Market Square, going by names of James W Davies

1905 - Listed in the Post Office Directory of Sussex as a boot maker in Alfriston

1908 - Wife Mercy dies in Eastbourne (daughter/my great grandmother lived there)

1911 - Unable to locate

Death - possibly in Eastbourne mar qtr 1922 aged 76 (under William James Davies)

Please can a kind person help me with the missing gaps.

Many thanks,

Rachel :)

[Merry]

To save me having to look them all up, do you know if he always said the correct place/year of birth when you have found him?

Have you found his parents in 1861 and 1871 or were they dead?

What first name did he used each time you have found him?

[Merry]

Maybe he had been in the navy or associated occ if he married in Portsea? Was he a bachelor?

[Rachel A]

Thanks Merry :)

Right age and same date of birth 1851, 1881, 1891 and 1901

Only goes by Jas W in 1901

Parents James & Mary Davies/Davis -

James - Buxted, Sussex c1810
Mary (nee Fermor) - Warbleton, Sussex c1817

1861 - James is an ag lab in Buxted. Wife & daughter complete household

1871 - James, farm labourer in Uckfield, living with wife and another unmarried daughter

Someone's tree on Ancestry says that James died in 1875 (yet to be confirmed). Widow Mary lived with son William James Davies in 1881 (Lewes) & 1891 (Hellingly). Same tree on Ancestry says that she died in 1894.

[Rachel A]

Yes, I did wonder if it was this that brought him to Portsea. I first started looking at this family a year ago and couldn't find a Naval record then... :confused:

[Rachel A]

I'm presuming he was a bachelor, as I haven't seen their marriage cert.

[Merry]

I've found him in 1911.........

William Davies, boarder, widower, 66, jobbing gardener, b Buxted, Sussex

He's on a farm in Ticehurst District - householder Nelson Thomas. I've not checked the transcript, but I only entered Bux* for place of birth, so maybe the rest of the word is mistranscribed?

[Janet Chiltern Borders]

Based in Portsea he could also have been in the army. Have you checked FMP army records? I have an army man who was based in Portsea for a while and one birth and a baptism is recorded in Portsea on FMP army registers in 1868/9.

I note you have a marriage to a Mercy Spicer and quarter but have you got the actual Marriage Certificate?

Janet

[Merry]

I'm presuming he was a bachelor, as I haven't seen their marriage cert.



It would be good if his marriage cert stated he was army/navy etc!

[Rachel A]

I've found him in 1911.........

William Davies, boarder, widower, 66, jobbing gardener, b Buxted, Sussex

He's on a farm in Ticehurst District - householder Nelson Thomas. I've not checked the transcript, but I only entered Bux* for place of birth, so maybe the rest of the word is mistranscribed?

Thanks Merry :)

[Rachel A]

Based in Portsea he could also have been in the army. Have you checked FMP army records? I have an army man who was based in Portsea for a while and one birth and a baptism is recorded in Portsea on FMP army registers in 1868/9.

I note you have a marriage to a Mercy Spicer and quarter but have you got the actual Marriage Certificate?

Janet

It would be good if his marriage cert stated he was army/navy etc!

Good point, thank you :)

And a good reason to order the marriage cert! :)

[kiterunner]

I've found him in 1911.........

William Davies, boarder, widower, 66, jobbing gardener, b Buxted, Sussex

He's on a farm in Ticehurst District - householder Nelson Thomas. I've not checked the transcript, but I only entered Bux* for place of birth, so maybe the rest of the word is mistranscribed?

If you search the 1911 census on Genes Reunited, it shows his birthplace as Sussex Buxted.

[Rachel A]

I am such a idiot!!!!!!... :o :o :o

I have Mercy Maria Davies' birth cert on my computer, sent to me last year by my second cousin, and it says that William James Davies was in the Private Army Service Corps.

Thankfully I didn't go and order it!... :d

[Merry]

William James Davies was in the Private Army Service Corps.



Should that be, he was a private in the Army Service Corps?

[Rachel A]

It reads down as a column, one word per line, no abbreviation. So I suppose, yes, he was a private... :D

If anyone's able to find a record of him I'd be really grateful, thank you :)

[Merry]

I can't find anything on him for his army service. Tried various combinations with and without first name, with and without rough year of birth, with and without county of birth etc. :(

[kiterunner]

Same here.

[Rachel A]

Thanks for looking Merry. Hopefully someone will be able to turn something up, or suggest a way forward to find his service record :)

[Rachel A]

I've been looking on the National Archives site on their advice page on how to research a pre-1913 soldier and this has led me to this database on Ancestry http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=1686

A William James Davies is coming up, but I can't access the record as my membership expired last week.

Can someone do that for me to see if it's the correct one please??

Here's what I do know...

William James Davies born c1845 Buxted, Sussex
The 1875 birth certificate of his daughter describes him as private, army service corps in Portsea, Hampshire.
Missing from the 1861 & 1871 censuses, so must have joined c1860. By 1881 was a groom/coachman in Lewes, Sussex

Thanks for looking! :)

[Lindsay]

Had a quick look and the William James Davies at the top of the list served 1920-1935 so probably too late to be your man?

[Rachel A]

Yes too late. Not to worry, thanks for looking :)