George Perchard Davey – born 26 April 1885

My great great grandfather was born 127 years ago today. He was the son of Isaac William Davey (b. 30 December 1851 – St. Helier, Jersey) and Ellenora Goudge (b. 1855 – Grouville, Jersey). George is the middle child of 6 children.

Here is his timeline that I have researched so far:

1885 – George Perchard Davey is born at 14 Lempriere Street, St. Helier, Jersey. Until about a year ago, 14 Lempriere Street was also known as  ’The Eagle Tavern’.

1885 - On the 10th May, George is baptised in the parish of St. Helier. His father Isaac is recorded as a shipwright on the records. His godparents are a Perchard George (his mothers brother). We can presume this is where he gets his middle name from. The other godparent is Evaline Goudge. Ellenora’s sister/ George’s aunty.

1891 – George is 6 years old and is recorded in the census as a ‘scholar’. He is still living at 14 Lempriere Street, along with his parents and siblings: Older brother Isaac – apprentice to plasterer, James – Errand boy, Elenora – scholar. George’s grandparents Isaac William Davey and Ann ‘Nancy’ Le Breton and Aunty Cecelia are also living with them in this tiny home with a pub downstairs! That’s nine people.

1901 – In the next census, George is 16 years old and is living at 15 Union Street, St. Helier, Jersey with his parents and sister Violet. He is working as a ‘Plasterer’, maybe at the same place his brother Isaac was working for 10 years earlier.

1906 – On the 17th May, George marries Ada Margaret Barette, daughter of Frank Barette  - a Barrack Warden. They marry in the parish of St. Saviour, probably at St. Saviour’s Church. Ada was living at Grouville at the time. The marriage took place in the presence of I.W Davey & Eleanor Davey (George’s parents).

1911 – George (aged 26) and Ada (aged 25) have their first child: George Davey. They are living at 15 Winchester Street. Maria Chapman, a nurse, is also living with them. I think she may be a type of ‘night nurse’, there to help with the first few weeks of rearing the baby. This implies that George and Ada have a little spare money and must be comfortable financially.

1914 – George and Ada have another child on the 16th February: Lily Ethel Barette.

1914 – 1918 WORLD WAR 1 – During the war, George is positioned in Nottingham. His Rank: Sergeant of the Royal Engineers, Labour Corps

1917 – On the 19th May, Ada Margaret Barette, native of London,  is sentenced by the Royal Court and sent to prison for ’6 months hard labour.’  Sadly, she is ‘charged with abandoning her four children’ I have to say I was rather gobsmacked when I first discovered this. And many questions still go unanswered. I do not know when her two other children were born or where any of the four children ended up. Is George still serving at war?

1919 – On the 19th May, George (aged 34) enlists in Jersey to serve overseas on active duty – Labour Corps. I still wonder where are the children?

1920 – On the 19th April, George is discharged from service due to ‘Demobilisation’. Character assessed as ‘Good’. Height: 5ft 51/2 – Complexion: fresh – Eyes & hair: brown – Scar on left side of cheek.

1921 King George V, Queen Mary and Princess Mary visited Jersey. Was George named after the King of his time?

1922 – On the 22nd of July, George buys a town house: 7 New Street, James Place, Jersey.

1924 – On the 6th May, George’s son is born (my grandfather): Kenneth George Davey. His mother is Clara Eliza Lozuet. What happened to Ada?

1925 – On the 14th July, aged 40, George writes his Will & Testament.

1938 – On the 28th February, George’s stepson (Clara’s son) dies of an electric shock in an accident at work. Read more about the tragedy here: Tragedy in 1938

1940 – On the 1st of July Jersey is under forced occupation by the German army. George is living at 29 Dorset Street with his wife Clara, son Kenneth and his wife to be Lorna Patch.

1941 – On the 14th July George (aged 56) had to go on ‘Guard Duty’ in Rouge Boullion from 10pm to 2am. He had to report at the Town hall. Locals had been painting ‘V’ for victory signs on German posters, etc. Very near the street to where George lived!

1942 – On the 16th May, George had his possessions insured – a dwelling, Piano, wireless set, etc. with the Jersey Mutual Fire Insurance Society. Wireless sets were confiscated at some time during the German Occupation.

1945 – After five years under German occupation, Jersey is liberated!

1947 – On the 1st October, George (aged 62) dies of a heart attack while ironing upstairs. George is buried in Mont-a-L’Abbe Cemetery on the 6th October, Jersey, UK. The J.E.P. states his age as 64.

It remains a mystery to this day what happened to George and Ada’s four children. Ada stayed in the island after her sentence. The only reason I know this, is because I have seen her Identity cards that all islanders had to have during the German Occupation in the World War 2. I do not know if she tried to get back in contact with her children. As a mother myself, I hope so. Or did she stay in the island just so she could watch them grow up from afar? I would love a reader to answer these questions for me…

Published in: on April 26, 2012 at 2:45 pm  Leave a Comment  
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John Lozuet is born – 23 April 1866

On the 23rd April 1866, my great great grandfather was born. John Lozuet the son of Jean Louis Desire Lozué (c.1840) and Elize Elizabeth Le Brocq (c.1841 – St. Ouen’s).

Here is his timeline that I have discovered so far:

1866 – On the 23rd April John Lozuet is born in St. Ouen’s. The place of birth may have possibly been somewhere along Vinchelez Main Road where his grandparents lived and where John was living at the age of 15. He is the second child to Jean and Elize Lozué. John has an elder sister Eliza, born a year earlier.

1871 – John is 5 years old. Whereabouts unknown? Did he go to France to visit some of his father’s family?

1873-1875  John is aged 7 to 9. His name appears in the St. Ouen’s School log book.

1881 – John is 15 and working as a ‘Carpenter’. He is living somewhere along Vinchelez Main Road with his grandmother Eliza Le Brocq. She is a widow  aged 65, and is the head of household. She is also an ‘annuitant’, which means she may have lived on money left from a will/estate/rent. John’s older sister is also at this address. John’s parents were either away, at work or dead when the census was taken. I have not been able to find them anywhere.

1891 – John is 25 years old. I can’t find him in any census. I believe he may have been travelling or already in America at this time. The photo above was taken possibly around this time. The photographers were Elite & Lotz of 838 Market St., San Francisco, California. The business was  running until about 1906. I also can’t find his future wife Clara Anna Mabey in any census and I wonder if they travelled together at this time. But why to San Francisco? An uncle has suggested that maybe it was for a wedding as a couple from Jersey, Channel Islands were the San Francisco marriage records at about this time. I would love to solve this mystery.

1897 – John’s daughter is born – Ada Florence Le Brocq Lozuet. Her birth is registered in the St. Helier Baptisms. John has moved out of the countryside and into town. Notice the mother’s maiden name ‘Le Brocq’ has been added as a middle name. This was quite common practise once upon a time.

1898 – John and Clara have a second daughter – Clara Eliza Lozuet (my great grandmother).

1898 – Nine months later (or the dates may be wrong) John and Clara have a third daughter – Violet Florence Mabey Lozuet.

1899 – Disaster strikes the Islanders as the Steamer ‘Stella’ sinks off the Minquier Islands near Alderney. Does this affect John at all?

1901 – John is 35 years old. He is back in the Jersey census working as a ‘Seaman’. He is living at 28 Don Road, St. Helier, Jersey with his wife Clara and their daughters: Ada, Clara and Violet.

1902 – John and Clara have their fourth daughter – Mabel Maud Lozuet.

1902 – John is still working as a ‘Sailor’.

1907 – John and Clara have their fifth daughter – Elsie Lilian Lozuet. They are living at 3 Colomberie Cottages, Jersey.

1911 – John is 45 years old. He is living with his wife Clara and their five daughters at 1 Providence Lane, St. Helier, Jersey. he is now working as a foreman, but I don’t know where.

1914-1918 – World War 1. 

1931 – John is living at 44 1/2 Clearview street, Jersey. He dies here  of Pnemonie, Lobaire, Maladie du Coeur (Pneumonia/heart attack) at the age of 65.  He is buried at Mont-a-L’Abbé Cemetery, Jersey.

At some point in time a ‘t’ was added to the end of the surname. On the few records I have found of Jean Lozue, no ‘t’ was ever added. This may have started with John Lozuet’s generation. The Lozuet name has been quite difficult to trace. Even though it is quite uncommon. There are a few Lozuet’s in Australia and I know they must be related but I have hit a brick wall as to how. I have written about the origins of the name here: Origins of the LOZUET name

Unknowns:

  • When do John Lozuet & Clara Anna Mabey get married?
  • When and why does John get his photo taken in San Francisco? Was he working as a Seaman?
  • Where is Clara Mabey when John dies? Has she died before him?

If you feel you can contribute any more information I would love to hear from you. I hope you have found this interesting!

Published in: on April 23, 2012 at 11:03 am  Leave a Comment  
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100 years Anniversary of the Titanic

Today is the hundred year anniversary of the tragic sinking of the passenger liner RMS Titanic.

As usual, when I read about these kind of events, I wonder to myself, were there any Jersey people involved. According to the records on Ancestry.com there are a few Guernsey and Jersey people on the list. Here they are.

From Jersey:

UK, RMS Titanic, Deaths at Sea, 1912 – Name: P Ahier – Birth: abt 1892 Jersey – Residence: Southampton

From Guernsey:

UK, RMS Titanic, Deaths at Sea, 1912 – Name: H Ingroville – Birth: abt 1891 Guernsey – Residence: Southampton

UK, RMS Titanic, Deaths at Sea, 1912 – Name: A Whitford – Birth: abt 1875 Guernsey – Residence: Southampton

From Channel Islands:

UK, RMS Titanic, Deaths at Sea, 1912 – Name: Harry Williams – Birth: abt 1884 – Residence: Channel Islands

 

I also wonder what kind of coverage the local Evening Post (first publishing in 1890) would have written about this awful event.

Jersey and it’s locals with its seabaring history would have been no stranger to tragedy at sea. Even so, such a momentous trip held a lot of hope and sense of achievement, which was lost in an incredibly quick amount of time.

 

To find out more about the Titanic visit the link www.rmstitanic.net

Published in: on April 15, 2012 at 2:06 pm  Comments (2)  
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Tragedy in 1938

The machine that John was moving with two other workmates.

Most families will have a tragedy somewhere in their family history. This happened for my family over 70 years ago, on the 28th February 1938. John Frank Edwin Lozuet (Aka Roy Davey) died at work while doing overtime. This is the course of events according to the many reports in the Jersey Evening Post:

THE STORE FATALITY – 1st March 1938

‘Mr. C. J. F. Petra said he was working with deceased last night. Vasse and Kean asked deceased if he would give them a hand to move the mixer. Witness did not notice anything more until he heard a shout and saw the deceased holding onto the machine with his two hands. Witness realised the machine was electrified when he saw Vasse, Kean and deceased struggling to free themselves from the machine. Witness called to the foreman to switch off and the three men collapsed to the floor.

By the Solicitor-General: There were three machines in the store and the usual rule was to switch off if the machines were moved for any reason. He had not actually had that order given up. Both witness and deceased were lorry drivers and worked overtime in the store in the evening. This had been going on for a month; deceased had worked on the machines before.

Mr. G. P. Davey said deceased was his adopted son, his name being John Frank Edwin Lozuet, born in St. Helier on August 5th, 1915. He saw deceased yesterday about 7pm; he was then in good health.”

The verdict of the inquest into John’s death was:

“That the death was due to electrocution at Messrs. W. A. Nicholls and Sons’ Store, 28 Commercial Buildings.” JEP 2 March 1938

Newspaper articles are invaluable for the amount of detail they give you. From this one piece I have already found out or confirmed the following;

  • John was known by two names firstly John Frank Edwin Lozuet, but mainly as Roy Davey. It  is very important  to find out if ancestors had nicknames when researching your family tree.
  • John’s occupation – a lorry driver
  • His father’s name was G. P. Davey (George Perchard Davey – my great grandfather)
  • John was adopted by my great grandfather George P. Davey – I knew that, but do not know who his real father is.
  • His birth date – 5 August 1915. He died at the young age of 23. His mother Clara Eliza Lozuet never got over his death.

The funeral details in the J. E. P.

I wonder if John had presumed the machine was already turned off and being tired from working so much overtime, he had not thought to check before he helped his workmates move it. The machine being moved was a Guano mixer. A Guano Mixer is “A device employed in fish-guano works for the purpose of thoroughly mixing the fish-scrap with mineral phosphates and sulphuric acid” (www.wordnik.com)

Below is a letter of condolence that Clara received in the post after John’s death.

A letter of condolence to John's mother, Clara Lozuet from the boys of the 'Dorset Tavern'. Dorset Street is where the family were living at the time of the accident.

Below is a photo of Roy doing one of his favourite past times, horse riding. I know very little about Roy’s horse riding except that it was thought that he trained/rode private horses for people.

Published in: on February 28, 2012 at 12:51 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Mary DeFrance

According to the research myself and my friend Kelly have been doing, our ancestor, my great, great, great, great grandmother, Mary DeFrance died on the 6th February 1858. One hundred and fifty four years ago today. For me, researching our female ancestors is really exciting, for they can be hard to trace. This is mainly because the females adopt their spouses surnames. They are therefore quite hard to find in the records if you do not know who they marrried. In this case Marie  married William Davey. How they met is unknown, but from the pieces I have managed to unravel I have created my own story which may one day be proven to be true or incorrect.

  • Marie DeFrance was born in St. Peter Port, Guernsey about 1782. Her father may be Thomas DeFrance born circa 1765.
  • In 1789, the start of the French Revolution takes place. I wonder how this affects the islanders, as thousands of French aristocrats apparently flee to Jersey, expanding the size of St. Helier dramatically.
  • In 1804, Marie marries William Davis/Davey in Guernsey. William, I believe has sailed over from England (he was born in West Coker, Somerset). Maybe for work? I do know that at some time William’s occupation is that of a ‘Carter’. This is not a job that was seen as doing well in the world.
  • Unusually for those days, they do not have a child until 1811 (7 years after marriage), Thomas Davis/Davey. Maybe she had given birth to earlier babies but I have not found any record of them.
  • In 1813, Rachel Mary Davis/Davey is born in St. Helier. So we now know they have left Guernsey for Jersey, Channel Islands, UK. Only the baptism records have been found regarding Rachel, so I do not know what becomes of her.
  • In 1816, William George Davey is born in St. Helier, Jersey (notice the spelling Davis is no longer used).
  • In 1819, Mary Ann Davey is born. She goes on to marry a George Le Breton.
  • In 1821, my great great great grandfather is born, Isaac William Davey. His godparents are William Leto and Catherine De France (later she is Catherine Leto)
  • In 1832, their is a cholera epidemic which sweeps through the town and outskirts. Marie’s husband writes his Will & Testament at this time, as I am sure do many others. In the record Marie’s name is spelt Mary. This english way of spelling their names was sometimes purposely done to blend in with the locals.
  • the rest is unknown..

Then at 2am on Saturday 6th February 1858 Mary dies at her home at 14 Lempriere Street. Fanny Sampson was present. I do not know who Fanny Sampson is yet. She died of ‘vieillesse – old age’ at 76 years old, which suggests to me that she was a tough old girl!

Where she is buried is unknown at the moment, but it is on my ‘to find out’ list.

If you think you are connected to Marie DeFrance or know more about her life, I would love to hear from you!

Published in: on February 6, 2012 at 3:02 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Tracing Your French Surname

I have the following French/Jersey surnames in my ancestry:

JEHAN

GALLIENNE

GOSSELIN

LE BRETON

LE BROCQ

LE MARQUAND

LOZUET

RABET

Therefore, I have to do a lot of research amongst French records and websites. I have subscribed to a great website called The French Genealogy Blog.

I can’t recommend it highly enough for it’s value and substantive knowledge about researching your French ancestry. One of the posts focuses on French surnames and all the books and resources out there that may help you with your research.

A website they suggest that might be of great use to you is:  www.geopatronyme.com. 

Good luck with your research!

Published in: on January 17, 2012 at 10:24 am  Leave a Comment  
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Isaac Davey marries Ellenora Goudge

One hundred and thirty six years ago today, on the 4th January 1876, my great great grandfather married Ellen Goudge. The marriage details are as follows;

No.22

Date: January 4th 1876

Name: Isaac William Davey

Age: 24

Status: Bachelor

Profession: Shipwright

Place of residence at time of marriage: St. Helier, Jersey (possibly 14 Lempriere Street – where the old Eagle Tavern once stood)

Place of birth: St. Helier

Father: Isaac William Davey

Rank: Shipwright

* * * * *

Name: Ellen Goudge (Ellen’s names have been spelt in a variety of ways; Eleonore/Gouge/Goodge)

Age: 21

Status: Spinster

Place of residence at time of marriage: St. Helier, Jersey

Place of birth: Grouville

Father: Henry Goudge

Rank: Mariner

En presence de: A. H. Moon & Mary Frances Davey (Isaac’s brother-in-law and younger sister)

Vicar: Rich? Bellis (hard to decipher)

* * * * *

Isaac and Ellen are still together 35 years later in the 1911 census at 21 Charles Street, Jersey with Elle’s mother (a widow, aged 81) and grandson, John Philip Bree (aged 25, a baker). In the 1911 census it states that out of the 8 children Isaac and Ellen had together 4 are still alive. This creates a bit of a mystery for me, as I am only aware of 7 of their children: Isaac, James, Elenore, George (my great grandfather), Eva, William and Violet.

I have no images of the couple unlike my french ancestors of the same era who had immigration cards with photos.

If you have any more information on this couple I would love to hear from you!

Published in: on January 4, 2012 at 4:27 pm  Leave a Comment  
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2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 12,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Published in: Uncategorized on January 1, 2012 at 5:49 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Isaac William Davey marries Ann Le Breton

One hundred and sixty one years ago today, on the 27th November 1850 Isaac William Davey married Ann ‘Nancy’ Le Breton in the Parish of St. Helier.

Isaac – age 28 – Bachelor – Shipwright – POB: St. Helier – father: William Davey (a Carter)

Ann – age 24 – Spinster – no job – POB: St. Saviours – father: Philip Le Breton (a Thatcher)

The witnesses to this marriage were Charles Le Breton ( who I think is one of Ann’s 11 siblings) and Maria Payne (connection unknown).

Marriage certificates are a wealth of information, some of which will confirm many details you have already discovered which is always a great feeling. The certificate confirms or informs me for the first time who Isaac’s father is. This then gives me another name one more generation further back!

Other information will only lead to more confusion. In my other records of Ann I have her birth place as St. Clements. (Maybe she lived on the border of the two parishes).

I do not know which church they married in. I do know that St. Simon’s and St. Saviours church were both popular with the Davey family.

In the next year Isaac and Ann are living together in Breton Yard. I have not been able to find this location, although I have found a Breton Lane near the Archives. They have their first child, Isaac William Davey on 30th December 1851.  They are together for another 40 years and have 9 children.

I get the impression they were quite a strong couple. They lived together above the Eagle Tavern with her children and at times their grandchildren too! I am almost sure Ann worked in the Eagle Tavern for quite a while as she was at one time a Tavern Keeper aged 44. I do not know when Ann died or where (these are on my list of things to find out).

In October 1899, nine months before he dies, Isaac writes his last will where he states that he wishes to be ‘interred in Almorah Cemetery’ where his ‘beloved wife now lies’.  Fond words to the very end.

Published in: on November 27, 2011 at 4:33 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Mystery family holiday photos from reader

A little while ago, a reader contacted me and said the following:

“I recently purchased a photo album, which contained postcards & photographs of unknown people in the 1930s. I believe the pictures were taken in Jersey as there were many taken of Jersey airport. I would like to include these photos on your Mystery People & Places site.”

It is a great selection of someone’s holiday shots and it would be great to be able to identify the people and places in them! The following 2 photos were definately taken in Jersey:

 

Jersey Airport has since been renovated, added to and expanded. Maybe you can date this postcard?

 

Who is this young lady sitting infront of Corbiere Lighthouse?

Corbiere Lighthouse is still a popular photo spot for both locals and tourists. Is this your ancestor who was either living in Jersey or on holiday at the time?

 

*** The following photos are of mystery people and places***

 

Unidentified houses and location - do you recognise these buildings?

The photo of the three buildings on the edge of the beach are unidentified. I am not too sure this is in Jersey.

 

Where is this magnificent building behind the row of beach huts?

I do not recognise this location. Hopefully, the great building behind the beach huts maybe familiar to someone reading this blog. Or maybe you recognise the young couple in their swimsuits which date about mid 1930. Click on the following blog to see some other examples of 1930′s swimwear: www.glamoursplash.com

 

Notice the lady is wearing a strange type of beach shoe.

 

Do you recognise anyone in this group?

 

I cannot identify the building in the background. Notice that the young boy behind the group is getting out of a pool. Where is this?

 

Is this a wedding photo?

 

I wonder if these photos are of a family travelling to Jersey for a wedding or something similar?

 

Many thanks to Richard who sent these photos to me and many more. There will be more posts including his photos to follow.

 

If you recognise a place or person in any of these photos, please write in and let me know, it would be good to hear from you.

Published in: on November 24, 2011 at 12:46 pm  Leave a Comment  
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