Photo: Dorothy Hall
In Barnard Castle (St. Mary) Church Cemetery is a family headstone which reads:-
To
the beloved memory of
Joseph H. Jemmeson
died Dec. 8th 1921
aged 86 years
Also Mary Jane widow of the above
died Jan. 8th 1928
aged 65 years
And of their sons
Private Fred Jemmeson
Killed in action at St. Quentin
March 22nd 1918 aged 23 years
Private Thomas Jemmeson
Died of wounds at Etretat
October 5th 1918 aged 30 years
2nd Lieut. Geo. Edwin Jemmeson R.A.F.
killed in a flight accident in Russia
May 15th 1919 aged 19 years
Peter Wise and Brenda McMahon have submitted the following:-
Joseph Jemmeson (father) married his first wife, Mary Ann Magee on 25th March 1872. The couple had several children together including Rachel, Hannah, Joseph and Jane. Unfortunately Mary Jane died in 1882 (Q4) at the young aged of 35 years.
Within a year Joseph had remarried (on 21 November 1883 at Staindrop) Mary Jane Bradley and produced 9 children. There was an age difference of 27 years between the newlyweds.
Their oldest son, William was born to the couple on 31 October 1884 but there seemed to be problems within the marriage as on 19 February 1885 a court petition was raised by Joseph for Mary Jane to return to her home to attend to her wifely duties. It seems in May 1884 Mary Jane separated from Joseph and has ‘ever since refused to return home’ and ‘render him conjugal rights’.
The judge decreed that Mary Jane return home.
Their problems seem to have resolved themselves as over the next 18 years a further 8 children arrived.
Wilfred (known as Fred), the couples' 7th child, was born at on 31 October 1901 at Marwood, Durham.
Fred’s siblings were William (a blacksmith), Thomas (grocer’s assistant) Mary Ethel (a dressmaker with her own account) whilst several of the others children were attending school. They were Albert Edward, Edith Annie, George Edwin, Greta Eveline, Thomas, Ernest and Eliza. Thomas was working as a grocer’s assistant in 1911.
The 1911 census shows all 11 members of the family living in 5 roomed accommodation at home at 10 Balliol Street, Barnard Castle.
In just over a year between 21/03/1918 until 15/05/1919 two of his brothers George Edwin and Thomas were also killed in the Great War. A fourth brother survived but his name is unknown.
Fred was brother to George Edwin Jemmeson and Thomas Jemmeson
Fred Jemmeson is remembered in Barnard Castle on B135.02, B135.23 page 5 and B135.25
