GEORGE JONES born about 1824 in Whitecroft (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Monday, July 29, 2013, 19:27 (4137 days ago) @ angela

Hi Angela and a warm welcome to the forum.

I'm a Jones from Dean, and last year I researched miners in Seaham, but sadly thats where my "speciallist" knowledge ends on this query. However hopefully we'll be able to help you.

To recap, heres the 1881 Census in full, from LDS

"England and Wales Census, 1881"
Name: George Jones
Age (Original): 60
Gender: Male
Birth Year: 1821
Birthplace: Whitecroft, Gloucestershire, England
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Coal Trimmer
Address: 49 Princess Street
Event Place: Westoe, Durham, England
Disability:
Record Type: Household
GS Film number: 1342207
Affiliate Publication Number: RG11
Piece/Folio: 5014 / 84
Page Number: 55
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head George Jones M 60 Whitecroft, Gloucestershire, England
Wife Frances Jones F 27 Seaham Harbour, Durham, England
Daughter Emma Jones F 4 South Shields, Durham, England
Son Thomas Jones M 3 South Shields, Durham, England
Daughter Jane Thompson Jones F 0 South Shields, Durham, England

Sadly for us both, and as I'm sure you know, Jones is statistically the most common surname in the Forest, and George isn't rare either !. At least the Whitecroft record is a good start, more precise than many.
Unfortunately I don't have full access to the Censuses, but looking at this site and also LDS for the 1861 Census these are my initial favourites assuming George is still in the area

"England and Wales Census, 1861"
Name: George Jones
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1861
Gender: Male
Age: 37
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Birthplace: Lydney, Gloucestershire
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: Chepstow
Sub-District: 3 Lydney
Ecclesiastical Parish:
Parish: Lydney
Residence County: Monmouthshire

Name: George Jones
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1861
Gender: Male
Age: 37
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Birthplace: St Briavels Gloucester
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: Chepstow
Sub-District: 3 Lydney
Ecclesiastical Parish: Gloucester
Parish: Woolaston
Residence County: Monmouthshire

HOWEVER there are quite a few possibles, but these two seem mostlikely given age & location, both near Whitecroft.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitecroft

But see all these too !
https://www.familysearch.org/search/record/results#count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3Age...

Searching this FoD site's PRs gives 16 George Jones baptised 1821-1825, I prefer these:

Record_ID: 36932
Entry_Number: 567
Year: 1824
Month: Apr
Day: 11
Parents_Surname: JONES
Child_Forenames: George
Fathers_Forenames: Thomas
Mothers_Forenames: Mary
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Lidney
Occupation: Labourer
Officiating_Minister: Wm. Jones
Event: Baptism
Memoranda: Son of
Notes:
Register_Reference: PFC 209 IN 1/3
Page_Number: 71
Parish_Chapel: Lydney
Soundex: J520

OR

Record_ID: 59273
Entry_Number: 283
Year: 1824
Month: Mar
Day: 14
Parents_Surname: JONES
Child_Forenames: George
Fathers_Forenames: William
Mothers_Forenames: Mary
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Lower Meend
Occupation: Labourer
Officiating_Minister: James Dighton Curate
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P278 IN 1/5
Page_Number: 36
Parish_Chapel: St Briavels
Soundex: J520

As Whitecroft's Chapel didnt exist before 1824, it seems likely George would have been Baptised at nearby Bream, Parkend or Lydney. (Of course thats if he was baptised soon after birth, if at all.)
If you "locate" Bream on this map, zoom out to see Whitecroft just to it's northeast, the map shows the various chapels in the area. Then as now Lydney was a bigger, older town, being a port on the Severn.
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/maps/parishmap.php

This website has reminiscinces & photos of Whitecroft including the Chapel.
http://www.coghlan.co.uk/whitecroft.html

The Chapel was the first Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in the Forest, in 1824,
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=23273

Also see
http://www.westdeanpc.org.uk/whitecroft/
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/downloads/Stories_Articles/Sixty_Years_Behind_the_Counter...

==========================

Angela, I too havn't been able to find the Marriage Record between George and Frances. However I'm intrigued by the name of their youngest (?) child, Jane Thompson Jones. Could the Thompson be a surname clue perhaps to Frances' family ?. I ask as to properly trace George's birth then we need to track him thro the Censuses as best we can, so all clues can help.

Again using FamilySearch, searching the 1841 Census for George gives several possibilities !!.
https://www.familysearch.org/search/record/results#count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3Age...

???

UPDATE:
Foolishly I forgot I had the 1851 census on cd.
Checking that gives, again, a few "possibles" including in Newland which is not too far from Whitecroft and by far the oldest Church in the area, bearing in mind 1824 or so (I wish we were certain) was early days in terms of Dean chapels & church building. However PURELY based on location how's this household seem to you ?.

Clearwell is very near Whitecroft, then again they could easily have travelled all over the Dean in George's lifetime before 1851.

2444 1851 CENSUS HO107/2444 FF.0026-0041 ED.2A COLEFORD 1
Piece: 2444 Folio: 0030 Schedule: 005

Address: Clearwell

JONES Jane HD W 60 Ag. Lab. Widdow GLS Newland (c1791)
JONES George SO U 30 Ag. Lab. GLS Newland (c1821)
JONES Mary GD - 6 - GLS Newland (c1845)

????

The correct way to narrow down all these possibilities is to trace them all thro the various Censuses etc, but this is beyond my ability I'm afraid.

Hope this helps if only a little,
wishing you a pleasant trip to the Dean next week,
Jeff