Birth

James, the second child of John and Elizabeth Genge, was born at Hardington in 1837. He was the older brother of John Barrett Genge.

Parents

His father, John, was a weaver. His mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of John Barrett, a farmer at Hardington Marsh.

Two years after his father died in October 1846, aged 32, his mother married a farm labourer named. William Park. The census returns of 1861 and 1871 record her as the village schoolmistress.

Occupations

In March 1851, James was a farm labourer at White Vine, Hardington. Ten years later, he was a railway labourer and militiaman living at Hardington Marsh.

Poaching

On 3 December 1856, James Genge, 19, and James Eastment, 18, appeared at Yeovil County Petty Sessions accused of poaching. The magistrates gave them a choice of paying a £1 fine or spending five weeks in the house of correction. They chose the latter.[1]

Physical characteristics

The prison records describe James as 5 feet 4 inches tall with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a fair complexion.[2]

Disappearance

James has not been found after 1861.

 References

[1] Sherborne Mercury, 9 December 1856, p.2.

[2] Somerset, England, Gaol Registers, 1807-1879