Reeves, William James

Summary

Father: Amos REEVES
Mother: Mary Ann JESSUP

Birth: 1859
Birth Source: FreeBMD and 1861 Census

Death: 1942
Death Source: FreeBMD

Spouse1: Mary Jane ASHDOWN

Narrative

William James REEVES is the fourth of nine known children of Amos REEVES and his wife Mary Ann (nee JESSUP). Although he is flexible with his age on census returns, he is totally consistent with his place of birth being Stansted, Kent. FreeBMD has a birth registration for William James Reeves during the second quarter of 1859 in the Malling Registration District.

On the 1861 census shows William appears in his parent's household on Horse and Groom Road, Stansted, Kent. He is two years old and was born at Stansted.

On the 1871 census William again appears in his parent's household now on Labour in Vain Road, Wrotham, Kent (actually still in Stansted). He is now 10 years old (12 expected) and employed doing Field Work (a junior/trainee Ag. Lab.)

At the time of the 1881 census William is again to be found with his parents, now in a dwelling by the Hook and Hatcher Beer House, Stansted, Kent. He is 22 years old, unmarried and working as an Agricultural Labourer.

William James REEVES (the son of Amos REEVES) and Mary Jane ASHDOWN (the daughter of Daniel Ashdown) were married in April 1884 at the Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels, Wilmington, Kent. There is a corresponding entry in FreeBMD during the second quarter of 1884 in the Dartford Registration District.
The known children of William James REEVES and Mary Jane (nee ASHDOWN) are

1. Thomas William Reeves, bapt. Jan 1885 at Hartley, Kent, d.reg 1q1888
2. Amos Reeves, bapt. Mar 1886 at Harley, Kent. *
3. Elizabeth Annie Reeves, b.reg 3q1889, Dartford Reg.Dist. *
4. Stephen Reeves, bapt. Sept 1890, Hartley, Kent. **
5. William James Reeves, b.reg. 4q1891, Strood Reg.Dist. *
6. Alfred Reeves, b.reg 1q1895, Strood Reg.Dist. **
7. Henry Thomas Reeves, b.reg. 1q1897, Strood Reg.Dist. **
8. Hephzibah Mace Reeves, b.reg. 4q1898, Strood Reg.Dist. **
9. Florence May Reeves, b.reg. 4q 1900, Strood Reg.Dist. **
10. Rosetta Reeves, b.reg. 4q1902, Dartford Reg.Dist. **
11. Herbert Leslie Reeves, b.reg.3q1904, Dartford Reg.Dist. **
12. Percival James, b.reg. 1q1906 and d.reg. 3q 1906, both Dartford Reg.Dist
13. Ivy Dorothy Amelia Reeves, b.reg. 2q1907, Malling Reg.Dist. **
14. Lily Maud Reeves, b.reg. 4q1909, Dartford Reg.Dist. **
15. Bertie Daniel Reeves, b.reg.2q1910, Dartford Reg.Dist. **

On the 1911 census, William indicates that he and Mary Jane have had 18 children, of whom 15 were still surviving at the date of that census and of whom 3 had previously died. The ten marked above ** were with their parents on the 1911 census and three marked * have been identified elsewhere on the 1911 census.
Probable child of William James Reeves and Mary Jane (nee ASHDOWN) is

• Elsie J Reeves, b.reg. 1q1912, Dartford Reg.Dist (mother's maiden name Ashdown). See Research Note 1 below.

By the time of the 1891 census William and his wife Mary J Reeves are living at Westdown Farm (on the Shipley Hills Road) in Meopham, Kent. He gives his age as 36 and his place of birth as Stansted, Kent. He is working as an Agricultural Labourer. The household also comprises their children Amos (5), Elizabeth (2) and Stephen (1) plus William's brother Stephen Reeves (26, also born Stansted).

On the 1901 census William and Mary are still at West Down, Meopham. William is now 47 years old and gives his occupation as Shepherd. Their family has expanded with Amos (16, Carter on Farm), Elizabeth (14), Stephen (12), William (9), Alfred(6), Hepzibah (2), Florence (4 months) and Thomas (5) listed in their parents household. William's brother Stephen Reeves (39, Farm Labourer) is again included.

On the 1911 census William James Reeves and his wife Mary Jane Reeves are to be found at Chimhams Cottage, Farningham, Kent. William notes he is now 76 years old (sic, 52 expected) and that he was born in Stansted, Kent. He is again employed as s Shepherd. William notes his wife Mary Jane is age 44, was born Button Street, Swanley, Kent and that they have been married 27 years, during which time Mary has had 18 children, of whom 15 were then still living and 3 had died. Ten of their children (denoted by ** above) are present in the family home, as is William's brother Stephen Reeves. Stephen's age is given as NK (50) and this has been subsequently annotated in a different hand with the word "about".

William and Mary's son Alfred Reeves was killed whilst serving during WW1 in October 1917.

It is likely that William's wife Mary died during the fourth quarter of 1917.

It is highly probable that William's is the death noted by FreeBMD in the Dartford Registration District during the third quarter of 1984 1942, aged 84.

Research Notes

(1) FreeBMD shows only three marriages between Reeves and Ashdown individuals in Kent between 1880 and 1925. Of these the marriage of William James Reeves to Mary Jane ASHDOWN is the only one with a Reeves husband. The possibility that Elsie J Reeves is the daughter of incomers to the area should not be overlooked.

Sources

Birth:        FreeBMD     1859, June quarter, Malling Registration District.
Baptism:  
Marriage: FreeBMD     1884, June quarter, Dartford Registration District
                 FamilySearch     https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDK-BS3B
Death:      FreeBMD     1942, September quarter, Dartford Registration District
                 
1861 Census: RG9, Piece 0486, Folio 35 face, Page 3
1871 Census: RG10, Piece 0919, Folio 67 face, Page 3 and continued Folio 67 reverse, Page 4
1881 Census: RG11, Piece 0903, Folio 42 face, Page 17
1891 Census: RG12, Piece 0650, Folio 96 reverse, Page 16
1901 Census: RG13, Piece 0717, Folio 19 face, Page 19
1911 Census: RG14, Piece 3801, Reg.Dist. 43 (Dartford), Sub Dist. 4 (Farningham), Enum.Dist. 8, Schedule 105