52 Ancestors in 52 weeks: 11/52 Thomas Jefferies 1822- 1900
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| dog rose - the flower emblem of Hampshire |
Thomas JEFFERIES
1822-1900
Ahnentafel
Number 38
NB
Variations in spelling of Surnames: Jefferies, Jeffries
Context
for discovery:
This biography was written as part of the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks exercise devised by Amy Johnson Crow. You can join in too here. March is Women’s History Month and this week’s theme is flowers.
Thomas was my 3rd great-grandfather on my paternal side of the family. He was a Convict Warden. I suspect his work exposed him to the darker side of life; brutality, desperation, sickness, fear, greed, grief.
Given our theme of flowers, I have tried to lighten the mood of this week's post by allowing the local flora to peep through intermittently in the post.
A list of local flora in Portsmouth can be found here. Dates written in blue below are from http://projectbritain.com/
Timeline
including major World Events/Disasters/Wars etc
1820 George
III succeeded by George IV
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| Hyacinths |
Birth Date/Place:
Thomas was born circa 1822 in Portsea, Hampshire, England to Henry Jefferies, a butcher and Jane (possibly Smith).
Thomas was the youngest of three brothers.
The eldest, Henry, was born in 1817 but died when he was 4 months old.
William Henry was born in 1818.
Perhaps we can imagine that Thomas' father, Henry, introduced a love of flowers to Thomas and brought his wife Jane some hyacinths when he was born.
Baptism
Date/Place:
Thomas was baptised on12 March 1822 in St John’s Chapel Portsea, Hampshire, England[i] by the Rev William Stevens Dusautoy. Thomas' father's profession is recorded as Butcher and they lived in Queen Street.
Rev. Dusautoy had just been appointed as Curate of the Parish the previous month.
4 February 1822 Hampshire Chronice Page 4, British Newspaper Archives
There is some confusion in the documents that I have been able to find about the church online. St John's Fareham, claims in their historical brochure that the church began in 1789. The Proceedings of the Church Missionary Society online book indicate it began in 1813. A memorial plaque found online gives a different date again! Not to mention a different religion i.e. Catholic. Family Search gives a different date again - its source being Samuel Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of England from 1848. The earliest mention I can find of St John's Chapel Portsea in the British Newspaper Archives is 1807. The Portsmouth Encyclopedia records it was on the South side of Prince George's Street and was destroyed by fire after an air raid on the 12th August 1940. A publication by the WEA (Portsmouth Branch Local History Group) - Memories of Portsea places it at 25 Prince George Street where Wintworth Press Printers used to be. It says:
The building was built in 1791 as a Roman Catholic Chape, St Johns, englarged in 1851.It was replaced by the new church in Edinburgh Road which opened as St John's Cathedral.
Whereas, the history of St John's Fareham claims that the church moved to Lions Gate Road (now Edinburgh Road) in 1857 and then to Surrey Street Portsea in 1864 - The Circus Church. All very confusing.
Schooling
I have been unable to
find records of schooling. Given that schooling was not compulsory until 1871 and indeed, not free until 1891, Thomas may have been lucky to receive any schooling.
1825 first locomotive passenger service begins
1826 Thomas’
father Henry dies when Thomas is only 4 years old. (FindMyPast Hampshire Portsmouth Burials CHU 3 1E 13)
1829 Catholic emancipation
1830 George IV succeeded by William IV
1832 Reform act changes parliamentary representation
1833 Factory Act restricts work hours for women and
children
1834 Tolpuddle Martyrs
1837 Victoria comes to the throne
1838 slavery abolished in British empire
1840 vaccination for poor beings
1841
Census
Not found
1845 Irish
potato famine
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| Common Yarrow |
Marriage
Dates/Places:
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| Hampshire Advertiser, 4 September 1847 Page 8 |
1848 Public Health act
Being a convict guard was a dangerous occupation as the article below shows:
17th June 1848 Hampshire Advertiser, page 3, courtesy of British Newspaper Archives
1848 eldest child and son Henry born 2nd quarter (FindMyPast England and Wales Births Volume 7 Page 131)
1850 eldest daughter Sarah Jane born 1st quarter
1851 Census[iv]
18 Maitland
Street Portsea, Thomas, is living
with Sarah and Henry his son aged 2 and Sarah his daughter aged 1. He is described as a Warder on Board Convict
Ship York. He is recorded as being born in
Portsmouth and his wife in Gosport and the two children in Portsmouth.
From Morbidity and Mortality on Convict Voyages to Australia Hamish Maxwell-Stewart and Rebecca Kippen:
"while female convicts were loaded directly from shore-based prisons, males (as Miller had described) were first assembled on hulks. As the dangers of mutiny were greater, male convicts were given fewer freedoms. There were more restrictions placed on the number who could exercise on deck at once and more soldiers were on board, exacerbating levels of crowding."
From Allowed to die’? Prison Hulks, Convict Corpses and the Inquiry of 1847 by Anna Lois McKay Published online 5 May 2021
Duncombe reported that the prisoners on the hulks believed that they were ‘allowed to die for the sake of their bodies to go to the school of anatomy’. They felt that medical treatment was purposefully deficient, so that their bodies could be sold for profit.The hulks did begin to house sick, old and infirm convicts; in May 1846, the most recurrent illnesses were recorded as phthisis, or tuberculosis, and scrofula, another form of tuberculosis.Duncombe and Captain Williams found that dying on board the hulks was a public affair, lacking in dignity. If a convict died in the night, he was not only denied the last rites by a minister, but also his clothes and bed were ransacked by fellow prisoners. If they died after eight o’clock in the morning, the nurse looking after them was entitled to their rations.
From Lucy Williams Convicts in the Colonies: Transportation Tales from Britain to Australia, Pen and Sword History, 2018:
The mortality rate on the hulks was high. In their ealiest years of use, around one in every five inmates succumbed to disease, infection, or exhaustion....They had no fixed sanitation....rats and lice were rife, as was disase amonst convicts who alrady had their immune systems further degraded by hard physical laobur and poor diet....(page 22) and
Time on the hulks took its toll not only on the physical health of prisoners but on their mental health too. ...While freinds and family were permitted to vist prisoners on the hulks, they were not permitted to board the vessel, having instead to pull alongside it on a spearae boat. Visits were kept short in duration. James Vaux recalled 'If a friend or parent has come 100 miles, they are not allowed above a ten minute interview...."
1852 21 March daughter Caroline was born at Dock Row Portsea. (General Register Office, certified copy of an entry of birth, County of Southampton, Kingston and Landport Sub-district, Caroline Jefferies, 21 March 1852 at Dock Row Portsea, registered 27 April 1852, purchased 4 September 1996 and in Alex Daw’s possession.)
The convict prison opened this year on the corner of Cumberland Street and Gloucester Road Portsmouth. Lat. 50.80241 Long. -1.103096
1854 Sarah Jane dies 4th quarter (FindMyPast England and Wales Births Volume 2B, 235)
1854 Crimean War begins
1855 daughter Eliza
Jane born - 4th quarter (England and Wales births, 2B, 316)
1859 daughter Ellen
born - 1st quarter (
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| 5th March 1859, Hampshire Telegraph, Page 8, British Newspaper Archives |
1861
Census [v]
Thomas is
living at 27 Alfred Street, Portsea with Sarah his wife and Henry aged 12,
Caroline aged 9, Eliza Jane aged 5 and Ellen aged 2. Thomas is recorded as
being a Warder in Convict Prison.
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| 7th June 1862, Hampshire Advertiser, courtesy of British Newspaper Archives |
1862 daughter Alice Maude born - 1st quarter (England and Wales births, 2B, 365)
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| 23 January 1864 The Sun London |
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1865 daughter Amelia Louisa born - 2nd quarter (England and Wales births, 2B, 386)
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| 14 September 1867 Hampshire Telegraph |
1867 2nd reform act doubles the electorate
enabling 1/3 of adult males to vote in elections.
1870 Education Act means school for everyone
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| Ragwort |
1871
Census
Thomas is in
the Census as Principal Convict Warder at the Prison.[vi]
Caroline’s
mother is recorded as a widow (but I’m pretty sure Thomas is alive and well so
it could just be a mistake) . She and Caroline and Caroline’s four younger
sisters, Eliza Jane, Ellen, Mance and Louisa are living at 21 Ridge Street
Portsea. Caroline’s beau James Cook is visiting that night.
25th October 1871 eldest daughter Caroline marries James Cook. (General Register Office, certified copy of an entry of marriage, County of Hampshire, Parish Of Portsea, James Cook and Caroline Jefferies, 25 October 1871, purchased 3 June 1991 and in Alex Daw’s possession)
1872 voting by secret ballot is introduced
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| 17 July 1875 Hampshire Telegraph, courtesy of British Newspaper Archives |
1876 Alexander Bell invented telephone and primary
education is compulsory
1877 first public electric lighting in London
1878 wedding
of son Harry Jefferies
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| 11 September 1878 Hampshire Advertiser, courtesy of British Newspaper Archives |
1881
Census[vii]
Thomas is living at Anglesea Road Unicorn Building with Sarah and Ellen aged 22, dressmaker and Maud, aged 19 and Louiza aged 16.
From the rates book for Portsea in 1881 we find that Thomas is paying 8 pounds per annum rent. Presumed neighbours are John Pardo and Simeon Bennett.
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| 25th October 1884 Te Graphic Page 1, courtesy of British Newspaper Archives |
1887 invention of the gramophone
1891 free education for every child
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| Common Mallow |
1891
Census[viii]
Thomas now a
pensioner (Convict Service) and Sarah are living at 87 Havant Road Portsea.
From the rates book of 1896 we find Thomas is paying 9 pounds 10 shillings per annum rent for Number 87. Neighbours are Henry Pratt at No 85 and George Crighton at No. 89.
1894 Portsmouth convict prison closed
1897 September wife Sarah dies and is buried 24th August aged 73. Religion is Anglican (FindMyPast, Hampshire Portsmouth Burials, Portsmouth History Centre CH 3/1E/49)
1898 son Henry of South Road Buckland, pensioner, dies aged 50 and is buried 25th October in Kingston Cemetery, Freeman's Plot, 11th row, 24th grave (FindMyPast, England and Wales, Portsmouth Burials G BBK4 11 Page 29 )
Immigration/Migration Dates/Places:73
Not
applicable
Military
Service Dates/Places:
Not
applicable
Organizations/Associations
Dates/Places:
Not found
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| Bittersweet Nightshade |
Death
Date/Place:
Thomas died 20th
August 1900 aged 79 at Gladys Avenue North End. If you have been reading my blog posts lately you will remember that this is the address of his daughter Caroline Cook.
Burial Date/Place
On Thursday 23 August 1900 Thomas was buried at Kingston Cemetery in Payne's Plot, 26th row, 8th grave. (FindMyPast, Portsmouth History Centre G/BBK4/11 Page 386 Portsmouth Burials Hampshire)
Occupation Dates/Places:
Convict guard/warden at Portsmouth
Criminal record:
No records found
Physical Description:
Not able to discover
Probate:
Unable to find.
FAN CLUB
(Friends and Neighours)
Baptism sponsors/godparents - not identified
Marriage Witnesses Officiants
Accompanying passengers on shipping list - not applicable
Newspaper – see above
Census – other lodgers/neighbours – as above
City directories – others living in household/on street
Land Deeds – witnesses/buyers/sellers
Maps – neighbours
Military – unit members
Death – informant/undertaker TO DO - Obtain Thomas' death certificate
Music - I thought a convict song would be appropriate.
CONCLUSION
This has been a good post to write for a number of reasons. It has given me an insight into how frightening and desperate it must have been to be a convict and also a guard. I have ancestors on both sides of the "wall" and have empathy for both. It was great to look up the flora of the area my ancestor lived. It gave me a great sense of what the place was like. The flowers are by and large small but hardy - appropriate for a seaside town. I discovered new information e.g. where Thomas was buried.
How has your week been? I attended a QFHS Members Meeting where we had a guest speaker from the National Archives talk about the lighthouses of Queensland including the one where one of my ancestors taught - Bustard Head Lighthouse. I look forward to getting there one day.
I also participated in the #ANZAncestryTime Twitter chat which is now taking place once a month. I also attended the second class in Creating a Family Heirloom Cookbook which is firing all my neurons with ideas for a memory book for 33 Charlton Street where my husband's family grew up. The home was sold this week, hence the desire for a memory book of photos and perhaps recipes.
I have also just joined the Hampshire Genealogical Society in the hope of obtaining more information about my ancestors lives in Portsea.
I also received a couple of books this past fortnight - one is The London Encyclopedia which ways nearly 3 kilos. The other is The A-Z of Victorian London. I purchased both 2nd-hand. They look wonderful and I am sure will serve me well for many years to come. An inter-library loan also turned up at my local library Urban Development in 19th Century London - Lambeth, Battersea & Wandsworth 1838 - 1888 by Janet Roebuck published by Phillimore 1979 which I hope will provide some insight into my CARRETT ancestors.
Happy hunting!
References
[i]
FindMyPast, Hampshire, Portsmouth baptisms, 12 March 1822 Thomas Jefferies,
Archive Reference CHU 5/A/1/5 Page 47 Portsmouth History Centre.
[ii]
British Newspaper Archive, Hampshire Advertise Page 8 Marriages 4th
September 1847 accessed 6 March 2022
[iii]
Ancestry, England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973, FHL Film Number 919748, 919749, 919750, 919751, 919752, 919753, 919754, 919755,
Family Search, 2013 accessed 19 March 2022
[iv] Ancestry.com. 1851 England Census [database
on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.Original data:Census
Returns of England and Wales, 1851. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives
of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1851. Class: HO107; Piece: 1657; Folio: 378; Page: 6; GSU
roll: 193562
[v] Ancestry.
Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc.,
2005.Original data - Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861. Kew, Surrey,
England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO),
1861. Class: RG 9; Piece: 632; Folio: 54; Page: 22; GSU roll: 542674
[vi] Online
publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004.Original data
- Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871. Kew, Surrey, England: The National
Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1871.Class: RG10; Piece:
1133; Folio: 94; Page: 1; GSU roll: 827780
[vii] Ancestry
Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004. 1881
British Isles Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.Class: RG11; Piece: 1145; Folio: 86; Page: 2; GSU roll: 1341280
[viii]
Ancestry, Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc.,
2005.Original data - Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891. Kew, Surrey,
England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO),
1891. Class: RG12; Piece: 857; Folio: 68; Page: 10; GSU roll: 6095967
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