GREAT GRANDMOTHER ELIZABETH JANE HEDGES (JEANDRON/JANDRON): A NATIVE OF JERSEY...

 GREAT GRANDMOTHER ELIZABETH JEANDRON (JANDRON): 

born around 1843, died in 1911...

This record is pretty likely to appertain to my great grandmother Elizabeth Jeandron, often spelt without the ‘e’ and a native of Jersey in the Channel Islands.

ST HELIER COAT OF ARMS, JERSEY...

Her experiences appear to have been rather tough ones but perhaps her later years in Birmingham offered some respite from the hardships of life as a soldier’s spouse, for she went through some tragic times.

Her brother, Francois Amice, born in 1845, died in December of the same year and her mother passed away in July 1851, after the census form had been collated. Elizabeth was about 7 or 8 years old at that time.

After marrying John Hedges, Elizabeth gave birth to a son in 1869 at Colchester, named John William James Hedges, who died 2 years later in Peshawar, Bengal, India.

PESHAWAR, WHERE JOHN WILLIAM JAMES DIED, AGED 2...

Another son, James William John (the reverse name of the above infant) was born on the 25th August 1874 at Sealkote,  India but he passed away on the 25th May the following year. 

Elizabeth’s brother James Jeandron, by then a seaman, passed away in January 1875 to complete rather a traumatic period of her life…

Husband John was suffering from hepatitis during the 1870s and with newborn son Albert Edward (my grandad) only a few months old, John’s discharge from the army meant a return to England for the family in 1879 on the troop ship Seraphis and then time spent in a military hospital at Netley, near Southampton.

Moves to Warwick and then Birmingham surely added to the trauma of Elizabeth’s life and perhaps in Great Brook Street, Birmingham she finally managed to feel more settled… John passed away in October 1905.

Elizabeth then lived with her daughter Julia Catherine and son-in-law Samuel Hodges at 2 Leamington Place, Willis Street, Birmingham.  She eventually died on 5th October 1911, oddly the day after her grandchild Ivy was born. Did she find out that fact before passing away, I wonder?

WILLIS STREET, BIRMINGHAM, WHERE ELIZABETH ENDED HER DAYS...

I was reminded of Les Misérables when I saw Elizabeth’s father’s name however: Jean Jeandron, who was probably born in 1815 and seems to have been married twice. He changed occupations on a fairly regular basis too. 

More about Jean Jeandron’s family in a later article… 

In the 1841 census for Jersey, Jean Jeandron was a 25 year old farmer and married to Esther Julie Cabot. They had a one year old child called John Edward at that time. They were perhaps living at the same address at ‘Ville Bree Village’ with Eda Geo Le Catone, 35, Fisher Le Catone, also 35 and Rachel Le Morguan, 20.

OLD ST HELIER...

By 1851, the 36 year old Jean and spouse Esther, now apparently 40 years of age, were in Seaton Place, St Helier and Jean was a publican. He had actually been born in the St Laurens area, whilst Esther had been born in the Trinity area.

SEATON PLACE, ST HELIER...

Their 10 year old son, John Edward (Jean Edouard), born in the St John’s area, had siblings by this time: Mary Ann, 8; James, 3 (born in the St Peter’s area) and of course Elizabeth, 8, baptised on 6th January 1844 but she was likely born the previous year in the St Laurens area. 

By 1861 though, Jean, 42, was married to Julia Jane Le Boutillier, a launderer (hopefully not a money launderer…) whilst Jean was listed as a shoemaker. Jean’s first wife Esther had died in July 1851, just after that year’s census had been recorded. Daughter Mary Ann was no longer living with him, nor was Elizabeth, both perhaps escaping sometime after the death of their mother?

AERIAL VIEW OF ST HELIER FROM AN OLD POSTCARD...

James though was still at the house, listed as a 14 year old blacksmith. 

In 1871, Jean was listed as 60 years old but as an invalid, wife Julia was 45 (another discrepancy?) but still a launderer and on this census her birthplace was reported to be in the St Brelade area. 

The 25 year old son James married someone called Mary Ann Winter who was 21 years old, the ceremony taking place on 5th September 1872 and on the marriage form he was listed as a seaman… 

It appears that Elizabeth was working as a servant in 1861 at the home of Thomas Vardon, a 36 year old tailor, whose wife Susanne Marie du Feu, 30, was a milliner. Their children were typically named after the parents, for Thomas was 7 and Susan was 2. The address appears on the census as 81 Palace Terrace, Upper New Street, St Helier.

JERSEY FARMWORKERS...

Thomas had first married Marie Anne Barette on 17th September (my birth date) 1848 but she died aged 23 in February 1851. Then he married Susanne (Susan) on 4th September that year. 

Thomas Vardon, then a 25 year old tailor, was living at the home of Francis G Renouf, a shipmaster and his wife Elizabeth J, a dressmaker. The address was Providence Cottage, Providence Lane, St Helier…

PROVIDENCE LANE...

Further back in 1841, Thomas, 15 was again listed as a tailor, living at Ville Bree with father Peter, 50, possibly a mason (tough to read the occupation entry) and mum Elizabeth, 45.

However, back to our Elizabeth who of course met John Hedges sometime beyond her 16th birthday but after 1861 we actually lose track of her. 

Until now...

COLCHESTER BARRACKS...

It appears that the Royal Warwickshire 6th Regiment of Foot was posted to Jersey in 1865 and I guess it's likely that they met at this time...

ST HELIER, 1859, WHEN QUEEN VICTORIA VISITED...