Author Topic: John Jones c1808-1879 aka Jackie Baker, shoemaker in Lampeter  (Read 2440 times)

Offline rkive82

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John Jones c1808-1879 aka Jackie Baker, shoemaker in Lampeter
« on: Wednesday 28 October 15 16:44 GMT (UK) »
John Jones was my great, great grandfather. He ran a thriving shoe and bootmaking business in Lampeter for many years up to his death in 1879.

His son William Jones took over the business for a while. William's obituary includes "The deceased was a native of Lampeter, and came from one of the oldest and best known families in the town. He was the son of the late John Jones, boot and shoe manufacturer. His father kept a shoemaker's shop, and employed a large number of hands. ln fact his shop was the principal seat of industry in the neighbourhood, and his boots were famous throughout the land. "Jackie Baker," as he was familiarly known, were household words for many a decade and the history of Lampeter is inseparately connected with that of his shop. The old shop, which was a long straw thatched building, was at the lower end of the town below the Church. But the boot factory extended far beyond this old building for he had a large number of shoemakers working for him at their homes in the neighbouring villages. The shops were afterwards removed to High Street, where more commodious premises had been built for the purpose. At the death of his father, Mr Williams Jones succeeded to the business, and carried it on successfully for many years, until he retired from the trade to take over the Black Lion Hotel."

Yes. This is a fair amount of info, but I'd love to see a photo and/or advertisement for his products.

Strangely, I have found very little information about John Jones/Jackie Baker (with probably different spellings translated from Welsh).

Can anybody provide more details about the shoemaker, John Jones?
Thank you,
Richard PJ
RPJ
Jones Thomas Dickinson Paulsen Olsen Jackson Laidler Ramage Brown

Offline keyboard86

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Re: John Jones c1808-1879 aka Jackie Baker, shoemaker in Lampeter
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 28 October 15 17:21 GMT (UK) »
Hi in 1861 a possible John Jones aged 53 occ Shoemaker b Pencarreg Carmarthenshire with wife Ellen and William aged 20 b Lampeter plus many workers in trade are at Bryn, Lampeter
Census ref RG09/4188/61/1
Keyboard86
Pelly/Pelley/Kingsbury/Challis/Nalder/Rochester/Raydenbow

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Offline rkive82

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Re: John Jones c1808-1879 aka Jackie Baker, shoemaker in Lampeter
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 28 October 15 17:32 GMT (UK) »
Thanks Keyboard.
  I should be more clear. I have all the census, marriage and death details (but not birth) for John Jones.
  However, although his boots were "famous throughout the land", I find no successful results for a Google search on Jackie Baker and couldn't find reference to him on Welsh Newspapers. "Jackie Baker," as he was familiarly known, were household words for many a decade and the history of Lampeter is inseparately connected with that of his shop."
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  Are there Lampeter history books that might make reference to "Jackie Baker?"
Richard 
RPJ
Jones Thomas Dickinson Paulsen Olsen Jackson Laidler Ramage Brown

Offline jencairns

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Re: John Jones c1808-1879 aka Jackie Baker, shoemaker in Lampeter
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 19 January 16 18:30 GMT (UK) »
Hi RichardPJ
Re the bookmakers of Lampeter

Only just seen your posting. I actually have a photograph from a newspaper date uncertain, but I will search for it... possibly around 1897 which may be a bit late for your John Jones.  This is titled "A celebrated Lampeter industry", and then a photo of all the workers on the day of the photograph, AND all their names. Including one John Jones, but of course I don't know if this is your John Jones.
The newspaper continues... "Jacci Baccers" - ... shows the last generation of JB's famous shoemakers.

I have a copy of this quite coincidentally. I have no relatives in the photo. But I am particularly interested in one of the shoemakers called John Joshua Davies, as one of his sons (who also worked for Jacci Baccers for a short time before war intervened, and this son witnessed one of the Christmas day "truces" on the front line which has only recently come to light.

Let me know if you are interested in the photo, and I will post it here - and will in the meantime try and tract the original newspaper article for you if I can persuade the LLGC search engine to oblige us. 
Cheers, Jen


Offline rkive82

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Re: John Jones c1808-1879 aka Jackie Baker, shoemaker in Lampeter
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 19 January 16 19:31 GMT (UK) »
Hello Jen,
Great! I would very much like to see the photograph.
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My John Jones, my great great grandfather, died in 1879. I shall try searching using your spelling of Jacci Baccers and see if I find anything.
*
Thanks very much
Richard PJ
RPJ
Jones Thomas Dickinson Paulsen Olsen Jackson Laidler Ramage Brown

Offline jencairns

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Re: John Jones c1808-1879 aka Jackie Baker, shoemaker in Lampeter
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 19 January 16 19:55 GMT (UK) »
Here it is, a bit earlier than I thought ie the newspaper gives it as around 1887. I have just searched the Nat Lib but failed to find the paper in question. Must be there somewhere.

Not sure if this is working... lets see !...

Offline rkive82

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Re: John Jones c1808-1879 aka Jackie Baker, shoemaker in Lampeter
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 19 January 16 21:04 GMT (UK) »
Thanks very much Jen.
John's son William took over the business and then retired in 1887.
"CAMBRIAN SHOE FACTORY.—Mr W. Jones, late proprietor of the Cambrian Shoe Factory of this town, having recently retired from business, his employees, numbering over thirty, assembled last Thursday evening, the 1st of December, at the Black Lion Hotel, where speeches were made and songs rendered. Mr Jones was voted to the chair, and on his right sat Mr James Megicks, the oldest workman in the firm, who has been working under Mr Jones and his late father for upwards of fifty years. After a few remarks from Mr Jones, Mr James Megicks gave a very interesting history of the bygone times, which only two or three of those present could remember. Mr J. Joshua Davies gave a brief account of his time while under his late employer, and he only wished his successors would follow in his footsteps. After speeches by Messrs E. Davies, T. S. Jones, D. Davies, and J. Davies, a very enjoyable evening was brought to a close by D. E. Jones singing the National Anthem."

- from the Cambrian News and Merionethshire Standard 9th December 1887
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I searched for Jacci Baccer on google but found nothing. I shall try Welsh Newspapers online. I do hope you can find the article and I'll learn more about our John Jones.
Thanks
Richard
RPJ
Jones Thomas Dickinson Paulsen Olsen Jackson Laidler Ramage Brown

Offline jencairns

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Re: John Jones c1808-1879 aka Jackie Baker, shoemaker in Lampeter
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 19 January 16 21:26 GMT (UK) »
Thats a great quote, so perhaps the photo was taken at around the same time. There are still Megicks in Lampeter - well I know of one. Can you pm me your email address and I will send you a decent copy of the photo. My version (which one can read quite well) was too big for rootschat to allow.
I also just looked in A History of Lampeter, which only has one sentence on John Jones. I will try to copy it for you tomorrow. It has no new information.