Jacksons of Crawley

[abbey]

Can anybody help with info on James Jackson who was stationmaster at Crawley in 1867.  I cannot find him in any Census.  He had a son Daniel in 1861 in Crawley but I can find no birth certificate or Census entries for Daniel until 1891 when he surfaces in Bromley and is described as a House Painter.  Daniel married Mary Kitney in 1878.  James was then deceased.  there appears to be a family link to Chadwell in Essex in the early 1800s but I cannot find a direct link.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi there Abby

Have just scrolled through the 19 pages of the 1861 census for Crawley as well as the 21 pages of the 1871 census of the same place:

Could not find any Jackson surnames.

Went through both the 61 and 71 again, this time looking for any occupation connected with the Railway (Porter, Station Master, Engine Drive) but believe it or not - could not find any person whose occupation might fit in with the Railway.

I think we can safely say that they were not actualyy living in Crawley in 61 or 71; maybe they were just on the outskirts somewhere

Sorry not being able to help

Chris in 1066

[abbey]

Many thanks - you seem to have come across the same problems as me!  James Jackson is in the Kelly's Post Office Directory of 1867 as stationmaster at Crawley but where he was before and after that is a mystery!  It wouldn't be so bad if I could find a reference to Daniel's birth but I have trawled through the BMD listings on 1837online with no success.  Not sure what to try next!

Thanks for your efforts.

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi Abbey

Just been on this site

http://www.historicaldirectories.org

and had a look in the 1866 Directory for Crawley - No Jacksons listed.

The next directory published seemed to be the 1878 directory - again no Jackson listed.

All very strange

Chris in 1066

[abbey]

Tell me about it!  I've tried to find Daniel between 1861 and 1891 by name and by occupation but he too seems to have disappeared!  I know when he died and the age then given tallies with 1861 as a birth date as do the census entries for 1891 and 1901.  I have his marriage and death certificates so he certainly existed!

[sillgen]

Took me some time to find them in 1901 but I did succeed in the end.  Did they have earlier children who died?   A long gap after marriage before Annie was born. My only other thought is that there are other Crawleys even Crawley Down would have been as big as Crawley in those days though that does not explain the directory entry.  Jackson is a very common name though.
What was James' occupation on the marriage certificate?
Andrea

[abbey]

Daniel Jackson and Mary Kitney were married 18/2/1887 and Annie was born 1886/7 so I'm a little confused about the 'long gap'.  James is described as "stationmaster deceased" on Daniel's marriage certificate.

Thanks for your help

[sillgen]

You put that they married in 1878 in your first post!   No wonder I could not find them together in 1881!   I thought they married young...
Andrea

[lizdb]

If my memory of the area serves me rightly, Crawley is not on the railway and does not have a station. The nearest station is Three Bridges, or nowadys, Gatwick Airport.

Now, whether in days long gone by, it was on some little branch line that closed down, I wouldn't know, but certainly no railway station there back in the 1960's onwards.