My Genealogy Home Page:Information about William James Smith
William James Smith (b. 1848, d. Dec 1895)
Notes for William James Smith:
8/02/07
William James Smith
This is my great grandfather on my dad's side. Until I started to get involved with tracing my family history, I knew absolutely nothing about this man. Neither Dad nor Grandad ever talked about him that I can recall.
The BMD Register shows him to have been born in J/F/M 1848 with the birth registered at Kensington Ref:Volume 3 and either page 334 or 313
He's my great grandfather, and first appears in the 1851 Census living with his parents in Hammersmith. I'm unable to read the address on the 'image'. It looks like2 Albion Road, and is in the eccleastical district of St Peter, which looks to be just north of King Street, and close to Stamford Brook Station. Several streets with the prefix Albion ... appear in the 1869 Ordnance Survey Map. It looks to be part of Paddenswick, and near to Starch Green. He's aged 3 and has a brother Edward who's aged 1, and an older sister Martha aged 14 The family is headed by William and Edwards fatherJames Smith (1825) and his wife Charlotte (1823). Living with the family is James's brother William, aged 23 born in Arlington, Gloucestershire, also a carpenter; and a lodger Thomas King, who looks to also be a carpenter.
The 1861 Census finds the family still living in Hammersmith, but they are now shown as living at the 'Carpenters Shop', which looks to be in Cromwell Road. William James is now aged 13. The family has grown with the addition of three sisters since the last census. None of the children are listed as 'scholars'
Between 1861 and 1869 William James met Maria Emma Jelly. They married in Kensington in March 1869. She was also born in Hammersmith.
The 1871 Census found William and Maria living in Turnham Green, Chiswick, in the eccleastical disrict of Christchurch. William was still working as a carpenter. They were both aged 23, and by then they had had their first child. This being Jessie M who was born in 1870. The family were living at 2 Gunnersbury Cottage. They were living with another coupleGeorge and Georgina Jeffrey, and named as being a postman.Two doors away from them was the Crown Public House. I was unable to find either The Crown or Gunnersbury Cottages in the 1867 Ordnance Survey map. However I did find Thomas Jeffrey still living at Gunnersbury Cottage in the 1893 Ordnance Survey map of Chiswick. It was listed as being just off the High Road. Gunnersbury Cottages look to be part of Gunnersbury Place.
By 1881 the family had grown with the addition of Alice born in 1873, William born in 1874 and Percy born in 1877. Alice and Percyboth born in Chiswick, and William Albert in Mansion House, Hammersmith. The family were living at 12 Hunt Street This street shows up in the 1867 and 1893 Ordnance Survey maps of Chiswick, but no longer exists.William James is listed as being a carpenter. Hunt Street was located just off of Hogarth Lane, between Chiswick House and the Griffin Brewery. It was in the eccleastical district of St Nicholas. This church is locatedat the endof Church Street, and to the River Thames. This church is written about in Chiswick History books.
The 1891 Census shows the family living at 29 Dale Street, Chiswick. William James now aged 43 is still listed as being a carpenter/joiner They have two more children Arthur and Ethel. The older children Jessie and Percy looked to have gone.. Percy is working as a shop assistant and Alice as a dressmaker. Dale Street appears in the 1893 Ordnance Survey map. It's close to where they lived previously, and part of Chiswick New Town, and lies parallel to Devonshire Road. Both roads still exist on current maps. As I recall from having lived in Chiswick, this was the poorer area of Chiswick. Where they lived was still part of the eccleasticaL district of St Nicholas.
The 1893 Ordance Survey Map of North Hammersmith, does show three Smith's living in the area where William James lived. It firstly shows a James Smith living/working at 15 on the South West side of Paddeswick Rd and Dalling Rd. This is just east ofRavenscourt Park. This James Smith is not listed as having an occupation.The second Smith listed on the map is a W. James Smith living/working at 289 Askew Rd. This W.James Smith is also not listed with an occupation. The third Smith is a William Smith and is living/working further north on the Askew Road. Supporting the likleyhood of these Smith's being my family is the fact that in 1896 William Harold , the oldest son was livingat 3 Dalling Road. It nis also worth noting that my mother was living in Percy Rd. which lays off of the Askew Rd.
William looked to have died in December 1895 aged 47. His death was registered at Brentford Volume 3a ;page 61
More About William James Smith and Maria Emma Jelley:
Marriage: Mar 1869, Kensington.
Children of William James Smith and Maria Emma Jelley are:
- +William Albert Smith, b. 27 Oct 1874, 2 Mansion House Street, Hammersmith, d. 16 Mar 1964, West Middlesex Hospital.Isleworth.
- Alice Eliza Smith, b. 1873, Chiswick, Middlesex, d. 1898, Brentford, Middlesex.
- +Jessie Maria Smith, b. Jan 1870, Chiswick, Middlesex, d. date unknown.
- Percy Smith, b. Mar 1877, Chiswick, Middlesex, d. date unknown.
- Arthur Smith, b. 1884, Chiswick, Middlesex, d. date unknown.
- Ethel Smith, b. 1890, Chiswick, Middlesex, d. date unknown.