Private Jesse James

Jesse was born in Morden on 26 March, 1889 and baptised at St. Lawrence’s Church on 26th May that same year. He was the son of Edmund James and Jane (nee Hoare) who had married at St. Lawrence Parish Church on 27th November 1875. By the time Jesse was born the couple already had 3 older children, Lucy, William and Annie. (Two other children Albert and Harriett appear to have died at a young age.)

Jesse’s father Edmund worked as a domestic gardener and in 1891 the family were living at 21 Garth Cottages together with an elderly Aunt called Martha Hoare who was aged 79 and a lodger called Henry Green.

The couple had one further son named Edmund who was born in 1892.

By 1901 the family were still living at 21 Garth Cottages now with five children and Edmund (snr) was still working as a gardener. Living close by was Edmund’s brother George, who also worked as a gardener and his wife Annie along with their widowed mother, Ann and their two children George (jnr) and Annie at The Orchard, Morden Common.

With the outbreak of war, Jesse enlisted in the army. He became a Private in the 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabineers) regimental number 3307. Before going off to war he married Jessie A Stockbridge (who came from the Canterbury area) in Croydon in 1916.

Jesse died on 16th October 1918 at home in Canterbury aged 27. (His widow Jessie later married a Frank Vincent and they settled in Peckham.)

Jesse's name appears on one of the panels in the Lychgate at St. Lawrence Church, Morden, which serves as the parish war memorial and also on a brass plate in the Assembly Hall of Morden Primary School. Also listed on both memorials is his cousin George Albert James (son of George and Annie.)