| Born | James JESSEP | 23-Mar-1839 1 6 |
| Location | Fincham,Norfolk, UK | |
| Father | Thomas | |
| Mother | Jane COOPER | |
| Brothers | ||
| Charles | 26-Jan-1838 | |
| William Thomas | 10-May-1842 | |
| Thomas | 1-Nov-1848 | |
| Henry | 21-Jul-1851 | |
| Sisters | ||
| Elizabeth | 10-Mar-1840 | |
| Jane | 04-Apr-1841 | |
| Sarah Ann | 15-Jan-1844 | |
| Lillian Anne | 1846 | |
| Marriage | Rachel OMANT | 31-Oct-1866 2 |
| Location | Hobart TAS | |
| Children | ||
| Alfred James | 30-Sep-1868 | |
| Amelia Ellen | 10-Jun-1870 | |
| Florence Rachel | 18-Jun-1872 | |
| Ada Martha | 1874 | |
| Hedley Charles | 20-Aug-1876 | |
Career and General working notes 4 5
James was the second eldest son of Thomas and Jane (Cooper) and arrived at Hobart Town on the Caroline Middleton on 29 Sep 1854. James' mother Jane, died on the 21 July 1851 in Norfolk and his father remarried Elizabeth English in Gooderstone on 5th October 1853. On the voyage to Hobart Town James' father lost his battle with Scarlet Fever just 9 days after leaving port so now he was alone except for his elder brother, younger siblings and his step mother. James was baptised in Fincham on the 23 Mar 1839 and was 2 when the family was living in Ingham Suffolk, . By the age of twelve James was working as an agricultural labourer most likely for his father who was operating a beer house with an attached farm of 32 acres.
On his arrival in Hobart he would have been at least 15 1/2, although the ship register shows him as 14 years. Regardless he was old enough to leave the ship under the indenture system once he obtained a job. On the 10 October 1854, the government received £3- and James was indentured to Mr Perkins. The previous day the government was paid £3- for Maria Proctor to be indentured to Mr Perkins also. Under the terms of the indenture James had to remain and work in the colony for 4 years. If he wanted to leave before that time the full passage money had to be repaid to the government.
The following year on the 6 July 1855 the Marco Polo arrived in Hobart town carrying more emigrants from England. Of particular interest is James Omant and his family. They were part of a sponsored scheme where local residents paid for their passage. Usually family sponsored family to join them in the colony. James Omant and his family were sponsored by Thomas Omant. The family included James' wife, Martha, and their children, James (19), Joseph (19), Ellen (17) and Rachel (15).
James Jessep married Rachel Omant in Hobart Town on 31 October 1866 in the presence of Thomas Blore, James Omant and Ellen James. The ceremony was officiated by Nathaniel Bennett Wesleyan Church Minister. James and Rachel were both recorded as 27 years old. James occupation was noted as a Steward. James and Ellen were Rachel's brother and sister. Ellen married William Richard James on the 14th February 1860 in Horbart.
James and Rachel decided to move away from Van Diemen's Land and we find them living at 41 Duke St, Sydney in 1869. James became a commercial agent and by 1870 the family were living at 698 George St. Sydney. James and Rachel had two children while in Sydney. Alfred James was born on the 30 September 1868. Amelia E was born in 1870.
The family were on the move again by 1872 they were living in Goulburn where Rachel gave birth to Florence Rachel. Ada Martha was born in 1874 followed by Hedley Charles born 20 August 1876. James continued as a commission agent in Goulburn and also operated a fruitier's business in Auburn St, a main street of the Goulburn business centre. James business prospered and soon owned a number of properties around Goulburn. He advertised regularly in the local Penny Post as a dealer, commercial agent tobacconist and fruiterer.
James was also involved as a victim in a scam around fraudulent cheques. James was asked to cash a cheque by a Mr Oakes of the Oakes of Parramatta but he was just a scammer. James and Rachel were involved deeply in the Goulburn community. James was a Member of the Goulburn Agricultural Pastoral and Horticultural Society and sat on a number of committees, . He was also a private in the Goulburn Volunteer Rifles Association.,
The family was not without tragedy. Ada Martha died in 1975 and three years later our family almost lost their little boy. It was reported that on Saturday afternoon a little boy, son of Mr James Jessep Fruiterer of Goulburn, narrowly escaped being killed by being run over by a cart near the railway crossing. He was riding in a vehicle and was thrown out, the wheel passing over his body causing his intestines to protrude. Doctor Gentle attended him, and he is progressing satisfactorily . Was this Hedley who was hurt? Alfred James enlisted in the Army and no scar was recorded. What a scare for the family.
It is possible that James' health began to decline and was the reason the family sold what they could in Goulburn and moved back to Sydney. The auction had 5 lots listed. Lot 1 was a 4 room Stone Cottage in Pitt Street Ifield known as Treedy's. Lot 2 was Rights, Title and interests in the lease of the property known as the Old Australian Stores. Lot 3 was Rights, Title and interests in the lease of stables, Sheds and out buildings of lot 2. Lot 4 covered the Tobacconist shop in Auburn st. Lot 5 was for two property lots (23 and 24) of the subdivision of Kennedy's paddock. The auction took place on Friday 14th March 1884 at 11 o'clock at Sands & Belcher .
In a letter Rachel wrote to Ellen Jessep (Drake), the wife of William Thomas, James younger brother, Rachel referred to Amelia as Milly, and Florence as Florry. She also talked about Gova ariving from NZ with her son Norman. Gova is Hedley's wife.
James and Rachel were living at 50 Womenah Ave, Darlinghurst when James passed away on the 15 Dec 1884.
| Died | Darlinghurst | 15-Dec-1884 3 |
Reference
1 Mauro, Margaret, Jess'ps in Australia: The order of their comming ( Bathurst, NSW: Integrated Field Services, 1988), p. 34-2.
2 Registrar General, Pioneer Index (1803-1899): Marriage, CD-ROM ( Melbourne: Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, 1993), James JESSEP and Rachel OMANT.
3 Registrar General, The Pioneers Series (1788-1888): Death, CD-ROM ( Melbourne: Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, 1994), James Jessep.
4 Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild, " Ship Caroline Middleton (1854)," Immigrants list as part of the Indenture system, Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild, ISTG Bringing our Ancestors Home ( http://www.immigrantships.net/v2/1800v2/carolinemiddleton18540929.html#crew: Viewed Mar-2010), Caroline Middleton Ship records; citing.
5 Census Returns of England and Wales, National Archives, " 1851 England Census Record", Database Image, National Archives, Ancestry.com ( http://www.ancestry.com: Viewed Sep-2010), Parish of Gooderstone, Norfolk;. Class: HO107; Piece: 1831; Folio: 188; Page: 17; GSU roll: 207486..
6 FreeReg, " Parish Registers," Baptism, FreeReg, Free Ref ( http://www.freereg.org.uk/: Viewed 12-Aug-2011), James Jessep; citing.
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