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Research in Other Countries => Other Countries => Topic started by: KC83 on Sunday 04 March 18 18:23 GMT (UK)
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Hello,
I know it is a long shot! but I am trying to track down any information about my paternal great grandfather. His name was James Edgar Clunis, the only information i have is what he has given in a 1911 Welsh Census and from his death certificate. He was approximately born in 1887 in Kingston, Jamaica. He came to Wales, however i do not know when or how he arrived, can only find him in the 1911 Welsh Census at the age of 24, he has also given his religion as a Presbyterian. He was 36 when he died and his children were very young, so no family stories or memories handed down.
I have no idea where to start looking or if i have enough information to get off the ground!!
Any information would be gladly appreciated
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Where has he given his religion as Presbyterian? This is not a census question.
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He was give a month in a welsh prison in 1919 and he has stated it there.
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Hi KC83,
I have not come across much yet on James Edgar Clunis, however I found a Benjamin A Clunis who was born in Neath, Wales in 1918. His mother's last name is listed as Harris. I am sure there is a relation to James as the Clunis name is not very common. I'll notify you if I stumble across any additional information.
Regards,
Shellie
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Hi Shellie,
Benjamin A Clunis is his son and my grandfather. James Edgar also had another son Neri James Clunis and a daughter Margaret A Clunis.
Their mother was Margaret E Harris. I Cannot find a marriage record for James Edgar Clunis and Margaret E Harris anywhere, i wonder if perhaps they did not marry although Margaret uses the name Clunis on the death certificate as she was present at his death.
I also wonder if there would have been any problems with them marrying as James Edgar Clunis is Black and Margaret E Harris is white, not sure what the situation between mixed racial marriages would have been at the time??
Thank you for looking and i look forward to seeing if there is any additional info for this family.
Regards K
KC83
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Hello
There were some earlier 1810 Jamaican images here recently (free download), perhaps there are some later images too ...
https://www.familysearch.org/
You will probably need a sign-in, but they don't usually pester you, except to let you know occasionally when records are updated.
Coming from Jamaica, I can't recall how far Passenger Lists (shipping records) were saved back to? But it would be handy to discover when J. E. Clunis arrived?
Mark
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Hi Mark,
It would definitely be handy to know when J.E.Clunis arrived, He must have arrived sometime between the 1901 census and 1911 census, as i have found him living in Godregraig, Wales in the 1911 census, but have not found him in any other census's.
Cheers
Kris
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Jamaicanfamilysearch is a useful site http://www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com/ but I don't see anything that obviously fits your Clunis family.
Also see http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/tutorials/overseas/jamaican-records
You can pay to have a search made for the birth registration in Jamaica - it's about £8 an hour https://www.rgd.gov.jm/index.php/genealogical-application-form
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Hello All,
My Great grandfather James Edgar Clunis, born approx 1887, was by his own admission in the Welsh 1911 census born in Kingston, Jamaica. I have virtually no information about him apart from the 1911 census. I can not find him using family search or Jamaican family search, ancestry, find my past etc. My question is would there any records of his passage to the UK and where would I start? Any info would be gladly appreciated.
Kind Regards
KC83
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He died 1923 Glamorgan
Who did he marry and when/where as I can't see any marriage entry on freebmd
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Hi Carole,
I have search high and low for a marriage between him and my great grandmother to no avail, She was Margaret Ellen Harris 1891, Neath Glamorgan. She was previously married in 1910 to a Philip Robinson. James and Margaret's 1st child was born in 1915. On James's death certificate she uses the name Margaret Clunis, but I do not think they ever married, which is a shame and makes my research a little more difficult.
Kind regards
KC83
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I saw the Clunis/Harris births. If she only married Robinson in 1910 and he was still alive then she could not have married James. Divorce back then was mainly for the rich.
Given that James died in 1923 - no marriage means no fathers name from a marriage cert
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Adding a link to a previous post on this person, just to help those searching and to avoid duplication of information already found.
Threads merged.
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Hi Mark,
It would definitely be handy to know when J.E.Clunis arrived, He must have arrived sometime between the 1901 census and 1911 census, as i have found him living in Godregraig, Wales in the 1911 census, but have not found him in any other census's.
Cheers
Kris
Hello Kris
Amended: Where your family line stems from the Clunis & Harris parents, have you seen the information on the Child's Full Birth Certificate?
I'm not saying it will be the golden nugget, but one never knows and it might be useful to see what their address / occupation was, their marital status if given, etc?
One snippet can lead to finding another snippet, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.
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Attachment
Birth 1915
Iris L. Clunis, Mother Harris, Registration District of Pontardawe
Deaths 1915
Iris L Clunis, Age 0, Registration District of Pontardawe
Burial location given in the attachment.
1911 Census
Appears to show that James Clunis got has British Residency status from his Parents, seems he had British parentage?
Mark
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My grandfather was born 1870 in Kingston Jamaica. His father was in the army stationed there. It may be the same with your relative.
Try army birth records.
From his birth cert there you can see what regiment his father was in.
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Thanks All, for your information!
Mark I got really excited by resident by British Parentage on 1911 census, but I'm not entirely sure what this means.. Intially I thought his parents or one of them could have been British, then I was told that this could have been stated because Jamaica was a British Colony, which if this is the case does not really help with my research. Thanks Lola, I could possibly try this avenue, of research, it is not something I have thought to try!
Kind regards
KC83
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Thanks All, for your information!
Mark I got really excited by resident by British Parentage on 1911 census, but I'm not entirely sure what this means.. Intially I thought his parents or one of them could have been British, then I was told that this could have been stated because Jamaica was a British Colony, which if this is the case does not really help with my research. Thanks Lola, I could possibly try this avenue, of research, it is not something I have thought to try!
Kind regards
KC83
Hello
From the 1911 Census, I took that to mean, one or both James Clunis parents were British.
So likely no Naturalisation record?
Jamaica records on one web-site were described as Select, which often means that not all are online, only those selected so far.
So perhaps his Birth might be in a Jamaica Presbyterian Register and perhaps not online?
The Kingston Jamaica Civil Register (seems to be online).
Prison Record 1919
Religion Presby. General information suggests Presbyterians went from Britain (early half 19th Century) mainly Scotland to Jamaica, so a British parent possible.
Also another point, James Clunis was let out before serving all of his short sentence. Interesting comment re S of S.
S of S usually means Secretary of State, so either under a Law/Act passed by government (e.g. good behaviour), or perhaps Clunis was released by special permission by the S of S? I wonder which it meant.
Mark
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Thanks Mark,
That sound interesting, I really need to take more notice of the little details on the records I look at, I had no idea what the s of s meant on the prison record, so it looks likely that he was released for good behaviour then. I will also have a look at the history of presbyterians, perhaps I can narrow down on the Presbyterian churches in Kingston at that time, it might give me more of an idea of the area he may have been born in, cheers
KC83
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The army barracks were in Kingston. If in the army he may have been baptised in the army chapel.
I could not find my people on BMD because they were army births.
Jamaican site gives a baptism of of two Clunes babies both same parents but one is Clunie an other is Cliunes, living in Charles St .Kingston in 1886 till 1890. Father was a carpenter.
Just mentioning this as Clunis is sometimes mistranscibed as Clunes, Clunie etc. Keep an open mind.
Also maybe he was with parents in 1901, abroad or in a school or institution in uk and sometimes only the initials were given .
Have you looked on Scottish census records? Clunis is name found a lot in Scotland.
Could he have been with relatives or at school there?
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Hello Lola,
Can I ask what was the Jamaican site you found the baptism record on? I will have a look in the Scottish census, to see if I can find anything. I am lead to believe by relatives, that James came to the UK on his own and left his family, (parents and siblings) in Jamaica, but this info could be wrong.
Thanks
KC83
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Jamaican family search.
Try FIBIS too.
Its a long time since i did any Jamaican fam history.
Put clunis into a googlesearch. See if anything comes up.
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Thank you Lola, I really appreciated the information, you and everyone else has provided, it has given me more areas to focus my search!
KC83
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He seems very elusive .
Not on free cen. For 1901.
3 trees on Ancestry but they have few records and only one is available to view and they dont know anything either.
Did he have brothers Cecil who lived and died in Jamaica? and another who went to the US?
When did Margaret die? And did she remarry after James' death?
Thiink you may need to take out an ancestry world sub for one month to try and see if you can get more info on when he came to UK . Also there may be a better tree on the US side.
Was Edgar Rees and family with whom James boarded in 1911 any relative, in law or?
Good luck!
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He is very elusive!!
Not sure of the names of Siblings. Margaret did remarry, she went to Birmingham, I dont think he was related to Edgar Rees, think they just boarded together, as they both worked in the colliery together, however I'm not sure, hopefully some new info will come to light in the future
Thanks
KC83