People search
(married name will be ignored if broad check is ticked;
a broad check includes a search for nicknames, married names and other alternative names)Where were they from?
Search for places, see all people in the tree with events in that place, and (where added) see places marked on a map with photos, links and other information about the location.
William Samuel Jones WOOLLARD
Abt 1837 - 1869 (~ 32 years)
Has 2 ancestors and 25 descendants in this family tree.
Loading...
Set As Default Person 
Restore Site Default Person
-
Name William Samuel Jones WOOLLARD Relationship 
with Teresa Ann GOATHAM Born Abt 1837 - From the 1851 census where shown as aged 13. Likely to be more accurate than the age at his burial (which suggests born 1829-34)
Gender Male Also known as William Samuel JONES Died 17 Nov 1869 Police Station, Margate, Kent, England 
Cause: Suicide - GRO ref: 2a 480, age shown in index as "35-40"!
Report of coroner's inquest into William's death appeared in the Thanet Advertiser of 20 November 1869 (p.3, col. 4-5):
Suicide. - On Wednesday afternoon, an inquest was held at the Town Hall, before the newly appointed Coroner, J. H. Boys, Esq., on the body of William Samuel Jones Woollard, who met his death under the circumstances detailed in the following evidence :- Joseph Hodges said he was a carpenter. He knew deceased, who was a painter. He had lived with him three years. He last saw him alive about eight o'clock that morning in Ethelbert-road. He was coming from a chemist's. He passed witness, but did not speak. He had seen deceased since his death. Deceased had been irregular in his habits, and addicted to drink. He complained frequently of his head, since having had a sunstroke in the West Indies. He said that when he had anything to drink, it always flew to his head. When he last saw deceased alive he looked very strange. - Benjamin Hewitt said he was a glazier. He had known the deceased about three years. He saw him about half-past nine that morning. Deceased said he had got something that would put an end to his misery. He (witness) was then at work in the Fort-road. A man said that deceased had got something white in a bottle. He then followed him into the "Fort Castle." Deceased said he should never go home any more, held out his hand, and said "Good bye Ben." Deceased then went towards Mr. Matcham's stables, he saw deceased drinking out of a bottle, like the one produced. He took it away, it was half emptied, and he sent it by a man to the nearest doctor's to tell him a man had been drinking out of it. Another man went for a policeman. Deceased said he had done it, he should die he knew. - John Watler, a labourer, said he saw Mr. Woollard come up the Fort-road, about 9.30. When he got up as far as the "Fort Castle" he fell back against the fence, took a bottle from his pocket and tore off the wrapper. He then put it in his pocket again. He (witness) took the bottle which Hewitt gave him to Dr. Hunter's.
- Police-constable Kenny said he was on duty in Fort-road, about 9.25 that morning, and saw deceased leaning against the railings. He went up and asked what was the matter? Hewitt and Watler were there. Deceased said he had taken poison and was a dead man. He then, with assistence, took him to the police station. Deceased said "It was no use living in a world where there was no living to be had" - William Henry Turnell said he was assistant to Mr. Knight, chemist, of High Street. - Deceased came into the shop that morning about a quarter to nine, and asked for some corrosive sublimate. Mr. Knight, who knew deceased, authorised witness to sell it. Deceased was supplied with one ounce dissolved in methylated finish. The sale was duly registered. - William Frith Hunter, surgeon, said he was called about 9.30 that morning to attend deceased at the station-house. The messenger who fetched him brought the bottle produced, which contained a very concentrated solution of corrosive sublimate. Half of the contents of the bottle was enough to poison 50 people, the smallest poisoning dose being three to five grains. Deceased was sitting in the station-house, with his face flushed and swollen, and breathing with great difficulty. He attempted to pass the tube of the stomach pump into the stomach. Owing to the constriction of the throat and difficulty of breathing he was obliged to withdraw it. Dr. Price came and tried to get him to swallow some warm water. Deceased swallowed a small quantity. The stomach pump was tired again; but a change took place and he died in a few minutes. He had attended deceased before on several occasions; on one occasion when he was in a state approaching delirium tremens. He was hypochondriacal - a state of insanity sometimes resulting in suicide. - The Coroner briefly summed up the evidence, and the jury returned a verdict "That the deceased committed suicide while in a state of temporary insanity."
Buried 22 Nov 1869 St. John the Baptist Church, Margate, Kent, England - From PR entry
Siblings1 sister Patriarch & Matriarch 
Thomas Jones WOOLLARD, b. Between 1791 and 1796, d. Yes, date unknown (Father)
Mary, b. Abt 1801 (Mother)Notes - (Research):Who was the 'William Samuel Jones WOOLLARD' who married Emily?
The information from his short marriage to Emily is thin. The marriage certificate (PR entry) names his father as Thomas Jones Woollard, a folder and describes William himself as a granier. Unfortunately his age is just described as 'full' (i.e. at least 21 or born no later than 1842). Neither of the witnesses was a Woollard or Jones.
At the time of his death William was said to be a painter, and the death registration index shows his age as '35-40' (sounds like a guess, but if accurate then b. 1828-34), while the burial register omits giving an age. It seems those involved weren't sure. With the marriage being from 1863 until William's death in 1869 there is no census entry with Emily and William to show his age and birthplace.
The name, though, sounds distinctive enough that it might be easy to find, if not in birth / baptism records then at least in censuses. Due to the presence of the army and navy in the Medway area many were drawn to the area for work, but being in the area in 1863 suggests William might well have been there in 1861 at least. However, I could find no census entry for a William Samuel Jones Woollard, nor a birth or baptism entry.
Although William was dead by 1871 there was a 'nephew' living with Emily and her children. Knowing the names of Emily's own nephews James does not fit. It would seem he was a more distant relation - or a nephew of William's.
From the age and birthplace of the nephew the original GRO index has only one birth registration to fit, and looking on the GRO online index his mother's maiden name was Woollard! Looking for a Woollard = Dean marriage finds Sarah Elizabeth Woollard married James Dean in 1841.
At the time of her marriage Sarah's father is named as Thomas Woollard, a boot-maker. Sarah and James are not hard to find in the census.
N.B. In 1851 they have with them Sarah's brother 'William S Jones'. Surely this has to be the William Samuel Jones Woollard I have been searching for?! Was the omission of Woollard deliberate or accidental? Not clear, but it now seems worth searching for both surnames.
The 1851 census provides birthplaces and ages for both Sarah and William. Although I can find no Woollard family to match in the 1841 census, there is a Jones family which includes Sarah, aged 20 and William aged 3. What is more, the father is Thomas (the names given on both William and Sarah's marriage records) and the mother's name Mary, age (rounded down) 35.
Why would the family, Jones in the 1841 census, subsequently use the surname Woollard?
The following possibilities spring to mind:
1. possibly an error in the 1841 census, and the whole family should have been Jones Woollard, or Thomas should have been Thomas Jones Woollard (as per William's marriage cert.), but with the Woollard lost his middle name was shown against all of the family;
2. possibly Mary had been married before and most or all of the children were born Woollard;
3. possibly Thomas and Mary were not actually married, and Mary's surname was Woollard (maiden name or from previous - or existing - marriage) so that the children's surname was really Woollard;
4. possibly Mary married a Woollard after the census and the children took their step-father's surname. Seems extremely unlikely, given that Sarah's marriage was only about 6 weeks after the census; Thomas would have to have died and Mary remarried in this 6 weeks, and hardly time for a step-father to become so important to Sarah that she would use his name.
To investigate
What happened to the family after 1841, especially to mother Mary between 1841 and 1871? (she was clearly still living in 1817 regardless of whether the 1841 Jones family are the right one or not)
Also, what became of children John, Triphosa and George who would appear to be siblings of William?
Person ID I562 All | England: Kent Group (in Go(a)tham One-Name Study), All in the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study , The descendants (and other halves) of Charles Goatham and Sybilla née Hunt, The descendants (and other halves) of George Goatham and Ann née Winch, The descendants (and other halves) of John Prior and Amy née Reynolds, The descendants (and other halves) of Richard Whitehead and Mary née Grigsby Last Modified 23 Jul 2022
Father Thomas Jones WOOLLARD, b. Between 1791 and 1796, d. Yes, date unknown Mother Mary, b. Abt 1801 Family ID F1499 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family Emily GOATHAM, b. 30 Apr 1844, Faversham, Kent, England , d. 1 Jan 1924, Kent County Lunatic Asylum, Chartham, Kent, England (Age 79 years)
Other Partners: William Kirby HOLMANS m. 28 Jun 1871Married 28 Jun 1863 St. Mary Magdalene’s Church, Gillingham, Kent, England - GRO ref: GOATHAM, Emily to WOOLLARD, William Samuel Jones q2 1863 Medway RD 2a 621
Details from PR entry (image on CityArk, viewed 15 Nov 2016)
"1863. Marriage solemnized at the Parish Church in the Parish
of Gillingham in the County of Kent
No. 155, June 28th 1863, William Samuel Jones Woollard, age: full, Bachelor, Granier, residence at time of Marriage: Gillingham, father: Thomas Jones Woollard, Folder
Emily Goatham, age: minor, Spinster, [no occupation shown], residence at time of Marriage: Gillingham, father: Charles Goatham, Carrier
Married in the Parish Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church by [blank] or after Banns by me, C C Anderson[?] Curate
This Marriage was solemnized between us, William ^ Samuel Jones Woollard, Emily Goatham
in the Presence of us, Evan Charles[?] Greenfield, Caroline Elizabeth Dean"
Children3 children Last Modified 23 Jul 2022 Family ID F105 Family Group Page | Family Chart
-
Event Map Click to hide 
Married - 28 Jun 1863 - St. Mary Magdalene’s Church, Gillingham, Kent, England 
Child - Bathea Emily WOOLLARD - 20 Dec 1863 - Faversham, Kent, England 
Child - Caroline Sybella WOOLLARD - Jun Q 1866 - Margate, Kent, England Child - Tryphena Maud WOOLLARD - Jun Q 1868 - Margate, Kent, England 
Buried - 22 Nov 1869 - St. John the Baptist Church, Margate, Kent, England = Link to Google Earth (if installed; see link below to install) Pin Legend 
