Descendants of James Jeanes, mason of South Petherton, and Betty Hollway of Martock, information  supplied by David Jeanes of Ottawa, Canada

This account relates to the descendants of James Jeanes, mason of South Petherton, and Betty Hollway of Martock, married there in 1791, who are buried in the churchyard behind the church in South Petherton, (died 1838 and 1808).

It is interesting how many times South Petherton is misspelled in the various census and other records.

Rydon Farm:

There is some confusion about the Jeanes family at Rydon Farm in the 1901 census, because unfortunately the names for James Jeanes (grandson of the above James), were flipped in the index so he appears as “Jeanes James” and the wrong surname therefore shows up also for his wife “Emma James” son “Frank James” and daughter “Mabel James”.

Their names appear at “Palmer Street farmhouse” with 33 acres in the 1881 census as “James, Emma, Harold, Frank, Mabel and Rose Jeans”.  This is another common misspelling of the surname. In the 1891 census they were all at Rydon but listed as “Jeannes”.

In 1901 Harold, who was a telegraph operator (also in South Petherton in 1891) had moved to Plumstead, Kent, and curiously was also recorded as “Harold James”. This time it was probably because the census taker didn’t hear the surname correctly. The same happened at one of the censuses for the family in Cardiff.

Rose was the only one with her surname recorded correctly as “Jeanes” in 1901, working as a draper’s assistant in Honiton, but her forename was given as “Rosa”.

These spelling variations are very frustrating, but I am convinced from ages, birthplaces and occupations, and the absence of other similarly named people anywhere in England and Wales, that these are the right ones. Yet another spelling variation was “Janes”, which I suspect was the way that the family pronounced “Jeanes”. There is even some evidence that it was originally spelled “Jaynes”.

I don’t know why Frank Jeanes didn’t carry on farming at Rydon after his father, though he may have died in the First World War as he was 37 in 1914.

The other branches of the Jeanes family scattered from South Petherton.

Seavington St. Michael:

James Jeanes’ father David Jeanes died in Seavington St. Michael, where his son in law John Carey Hillard took over his 137 acre farm but died by 1901. My distant cousin, Loretta Dodge, who lives in Yeovil, is descended from this Hillard family.

Deaths Jun 1876 Jeanes David 72 Chard 5c 323 (Seavington is in Chard registration district)

George Jeanes, David’s son, became a Chemist and moved first to South London and then by 1901 to Toxteth Park, Liverpool.

Births Sep 1895   Jeanes Geraldine Vera Toxteth Park 8b 190
Births Dec 1896   Jeanes Aldine Ruby  Toxteth Park 8b 183
Deaths Dec 1897   Jeanes Aldine Ruby 1 Toxteth park 8b 163
Births Jun 1898   Jeanes Arnot St Michael Toxteth Park 8b 189 (St. Michael was George’s home church at Seavington)
Births Sep 1899   Jeanes Ellaline Batstone  Toxteth Park 8b 141 (Batstone was the maiden name of George’s mother)
Deaths Jun 1900   Jeanes Ellaline Batstone 1 Toxteth Park 8b 176
1901 Census:
George Jeanes 46 South Petherton Somerset Toxteth Park Chemist Consulting
Mary Jeanes 36 Loughbon Leicestershire Toxteth Park (possibly Loughboro)
Geraldine Jeanes 5 Lanc Liverpool Toxteth Park
Arnol Jeanes 3 Lanc Carnarvon Toxteth Park (note name was Arnot, not Arnol, according to birth registration)
Births Sep 1901  JEANES Kathleen Batstone Toxteth Park 8b 130

Marriages Dec 1904   JEANES Edward Toxteth Park 8b 331 (I don’t know who this Edward was).

Deaths Jun 1915  Jeanes George 45 Toxteth P. 8b 203 (however he was already 46 in 1901, so age should be 60)

Samuel Jeanes, David’s son, moved to Bower Hinton after 1881, (where two of his uncles had lived as stonemasons).

Deaths Jun 1883   Jeanes Samuel 54 Yeovil 5c 335 (his uncle?)

Samuel and his sister Marian married a sister and brother of the Rendall family
Marriages Dec 1879   Jeanes Marian Sophia  Chard 5c 657  Rendall John Barlett  Chard 5c 657 (Seavington St Michael?)
Marriages Sep 1900   Jeanes Samuel Bridport  5a 775  Rendall Julia Bridport 5a 775 (Shipton Gorge or Burton Bradstock?)
In 1881 Census
John B. RENDALL  Head  M  Male  30  Shipton Gorge, Dorset, England  Miller (C)
Marian S. RENDALL  Wife  M  Female  30  South Petherton, Somerset, England
Samuel JEANES  Visitor  U  Male 26   South Petherton, Somerset, England   Farmer (Out Of Business)
Dwelling  Mill Lane Mill House
Census Place Abbotsbury, Dorset, England
Family History Library Film  1341509
Public Records Office Reference  RG11 Piece / Folio  2109 / 25 Page Number  20
Joseph RENDALL  Head  M  Male  54  Crewkerne, Somerset, England  Miller & Baker
Emma RENDALL Wife  M Female  52  Shipton Gorge, Dorset, England
Julia RENDALL  Daur  U  Female  32  Shipton Gorge, Dorset, England Bakers Daur
Plus other children
Dwelling  Grove Mill House
Census Place Burton Bradstock, Dorset, England
Family History Library Film  1341513
Public Records Office Reference  RG11 Piece / Folio  2122 / 23 Page Number  37

Julia, wife of Samuel, died and he remarried Mary Jane Draisy:
Deaths Mar 1909   JEANS     Julia     60     Yeovil     5c    286
Marriages Bower Hinton
104    09/06/1918    Samuel    JEANS    Mary Jane    DRAISY      Widower          Widow

Burials Bower Hinton
152    Samuel    JEANES    16-May-1926    71

Cardiff:

William Jeanes a stonemason, David’s brother, and my 3rd great grandfather lived in Bower Hinton in 1841, but was a stonemason in South Petherton. His first wife, Susan died in 1842 and he remarried in 1845
Deaths Jun 1842   Jeanes Susan     Yeovil 10 384
Burials Bower Hinton 23    Susan    JEANES    25 June 1842
Marriages Jun 1845   Christopher Sarah   Bath 11 2     Janes William   Bath 11 2

It was this marriage which showed on the certificate that William’s father was James Jeanes, mason, of South Petherton. William had married his first wife at Bath, as had his brother Samuel, and his first four children were born there. His first wife’s family witnessed his second marriage.  In the Bath registers, the name was spelled alternately Janes and Jeanes, but is certainly the same family.

Deaths Jun 1873   Jeanes William 73 Yeovil 5c 318
Deaths Sep 1876  Jeanes Sarah 71 Yeovil 5c 298

All his children, (James, Thomas, David, Anne, and William), except one daughter, went to Cardiff, as he also did briefly in 1851.

In fact William and his son James (who by then was a master mason) were both at Bute Dock, Cardiff, at the 1851 census, and this was the first proof I had that William was born in South Petherton.

James stayed in Cardiff, married a woman from Wiltshire, and had a big family, mostly daughters. His brothers Thomas and David and his sister Ann are also all buried in Cardiff, where I have seen their gravestones.  They have no known surviving descendants.

Deaths Dec 1887   Jeanes James 62 Cardiff 11a 184
Deaths Dec 1888   Jeanes David 59 Cardiff 11a 201
Deaths Jun 1891   JEANES Thomas 65 Cardiff 11a 238
Deaths Dec 1909   JEANES Ann 81 Cardiff 11a 209

William Jeanes, son of William and Sarah and half brother of James, Thomas, David and Ann, married Lavinia Trott (of Stoke sub Hamdon?)
Marriages Mar 1871   Jeanes William Yeovil 5c 713   Trott Lavinia Yeovil 5c 713
Probably when his parents died (in 1873-1876) he moved to Cardiff near his half brothers and was there by 1878 when his daughter Blanche was born.
1881 Census
William JEANS  Head  M  Male  33  Stoke Nr Yeovil  Mason
Livinia JEANS  Wife  M  Female  31  Stoke Nr Yeovil  (Stoke sub Hamdon?)
Blanche JEANS  Daur Female  3  Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales
Frederick W. JEANS  Son  Male  3 m Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales
Dwelling  12 Romilly Crescent
Census Place Llandaff, Glamorgan, Wales
Family History Library Film  1342270
Public Records Office Reference  RG11 Piece / Folio  5282 / 119  Page Number  2
1901 census
William Jeanes    54    Somerset South Peartherton    Glamorganshire    Canton    Stone Mason
Lavinia Jeanes    50    Somerset South Peartherton    Glamorganshire    Canton
Blanche Jeanes    23    Glamorgan Cardiff    Glamorganshire    Canton    Jam Finisher
Evelyne Jeanes    7    Glamorgan Cardiff    Glamorganshire    Canton

I do not know if there are any surviving descendants of this family.

London and Canada:

There were not many male descendants of my great great grandfather, James Jeanes.

His sons were William (a wheelwright and then a coachbuilder in Cardiff), and David (a mason but who emigrated in mysterious circumstances).

William’s sons were Harold, my grandfather, who was in the Royal Flying Corps, and became an accountant and a builder, moving first to Penarth, and then to Kent, just outside London, and David, who died young.

Harold’s sons were my father, who became a doctor and emigrated to Canada, and his brother, also a doctor, who is still in Kent,

My father had two sons and a daughter, born in London, all still in Canada, and my uncle one son, still in Kent, and a daughter, now in Switzerland.  I have one son and daughter in Canada. That’s it for  direct male descendants, though there are quite a few other female descendants of the family, and children of females.