RootsChat.Com
Some Special Interests => Travelling People => Topic started by: K27 on Sunday 14 December 25 21:20 GMT (UK)
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Hi,
I have done a lot of my family tree but I’m really struggling to find information about my great grandad.
I’ve scoured through Ancestry and anyone that has him on their tree has the wrong person with the same name.
His name was John Jones (can’t find a birth record, but I know this from family members and on my great nan’s death cert it says widow of John Jones). He was baptised as Jack Jones on Sep 30th 1906 in Northiam. His parents were Obed Jones (son of Samuel Jones and Sarah Ann Brazil) and Phoebe Eastwood (daughter of Mark Eastwood and Mary Ann Coates).
He married my great nan Sarah Ann Elphick in 1938 in Hollingbourne and they had 5 children: Samuel, Sarah, Obed, Kathleen (my nan) and Celia.
He was never spoken about and my dad (his grandson) never knew him.
The last I can find is him living with my great nan and their children in 1939 census in Northfleet. Some time after that, they all moved to Maidstone but I don’t know if John moved with them.
I know there are other members on here that have some of the same family as me going back so hoping someone can help?!
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Welcome to Rootschat!!
On the 1939 record you mention, it has your Great Grandad's birth date down as 26/9/1906, so this is quite likely to be correct, and you could apply for his birth certificate on this basis. I did find his marriage in 1938, but all of his 5 children were born long before then, and some of them are on the 1939 record. He must have been only 18 tears old when he had his first son Samuel in 1924, and the others were born between 1924 and 1933 when Celia was born. Five years later they married, but don't appear to have had any more children afterwards. There is a death for a John Jones aged 60 years in Maidstone, Kent 1967, where you say they moved to, and you could get a death certificate to see who is named on there as being present at the time, which may show one of the family members you already know about.
Regards.
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1911 census has his birthplace as Gravesend Kent but no obvious birth registration for him or his siblings
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Were they from a traveller family? Obed is traveller first name And the surname Brazil is also a traveller name.
There are some children of Obed & Phoebe listed here
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~gypsy/genealogy/gypsy.htm
Traveller family relationships were often complicated, surnames were not always consistent.
Obed Jones & Phoebe Eastwood are mentioned (by Romany Knaves) on the thread.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=579224.msg4377859#msg4377859
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Paco,
Yes I have all info up to that point too. I also came across that 1967 and have wondered if it could have been him. Maybe I’ll order that.
Thanks
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Milliepede,
Yes I’ve been unable to find birth info for any except two of the youngest siblings which was odd that they were registered and the rest weren’t.
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Bearkat,
Thanks for that I will take a look.
Yes they were travelling families. I’ll see if I can get in touch with Romany knaves.