Birth
James, the tenth child of Robert and Amy Eastment, was born at Hardington in about 1839. He was the brother of Esau and Reuben. His father was a weaver.
Occupation
Esau worked as a farm labourer throughout his life. The 1881 census refers to him specifically as a carter.
Married
On 17 June 1865, James married Thirza Jane Chester of Hardington.
Wife
Thirza was the daughter of Jane Chester, whose husband, Levi, was transported to Australia in 1839. Jane gave birth to two daughters after her husband had left the country: Thirza Jane in 1846 and Emily Jane in 1848.
James’s older brother, Esau, married Thirza’s half-sister, Elizabeth.
Married life at Hardington
James and Thirza lived in the High Street for more than twenty years. During this time, they had nine children.
Pendomer
Between January 1886 and April 1891, James and his family moved to Pendomer.
The 1891 census recorded five sons living at home while the other three children were living elsewhere. James’s sixth son, George, was probably boarding on a farm (he was a farm labourer at Leigh in 1901). James’s daughter, Bessie, was a servant at the New Inn, Hardington; his daughter, Mary Jane, was a servant in a private house in Lambeth.
Witness in a paternity case
On 29 September 1886, James testified at Yeovil County Petty Sessions to support his niece, Harriet Eastment, in claiming an affiliation order against William Park, a thatcher of Hardington. The Bench made an order for 2s 6d per week and costs.[1]
Thirza’s death
Thirza died in 1894, aged 50.
James’s later life
In about 1897, James returned to Hardington, living initially at Hardington Marsh and then in a three-room house at the top of the High Street. The 1901 census shows James living with his fifteen-year-old son, Arthur.
Death
James died in 1902, aged 63.
Children
James and Thirza had six sons and three daughters (one of the daughters died in infancy).
References
[1] Pulman’s Weekly News and Advertiser, 5 October 1886, p.6. Harriet was the daughter of James’s brother, William Eastment.