James Woolley

4x Great-Grandparents · WOO-001

Biographical Information

James Woolley was born about 1817 at Wolverhampton, Staffordshire Confirmed. A cabinet lock maker by trade — a characteristic Black Country / Wolverhampton metal trade — he and his wife Caroline were the parents of Emma Ann Woolley, who married (secondly) Samuel Joliffe and carried the line to Bristol.

Confidence of each fact: Confirmed primary record · Probable strong but unproven · Inherited family knowledge · Conflict sources disagree · Hypothesis working theory

Full Name & Name Variations

James Woolley
"Jas Woolley" — census abbreviationInherited
Woolley / Wolley — spelling varies by clerkInherited

Birth & Death

Born: c.1817, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England
Place: Wolverhampton, Staffordshire

Places of Residence

Wolverhampton, Staffordshire (1851 census)

Occupation(s)

Cabinet lock maker [CONFIRMED — 1851 census]

Education

Not yet researched.

Family

Spouse: Caroline Woolley

Children:

Emma Ann Woolley (b. c.1848 (our line))
James Woolley (b. c.1850/51, Wolverhampton (infant in 1851))

Siblings:

Not yet enumerated.

Parents:

Father: Thomas Woolley
Mother: unknown

Information Gathered (2 entries)

Found via the 1851 Wolverhampton census (Session 69): head of household, aged 34, cabinet lock maker, with wife Caroline (28), daughter Emma Ann (2) and infant son James (0) — all born Wolverhampton. His daughter Emma Ann is our 2× great-grandmother.Confirmed
His marriage & father (Session 69). He married Caroline Smith at Wolverhampton St Peter on 17 March 1844; the register names his father as Thomas Woolley (a 4× great-grandparent) and the bride's father as S. Smith.Confirmed

Sources & Documents (2 sources)

1851 Census — James Woolley household, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire ↗"England and Wales, Census, 1851"; Jas Woolley (34, cabinet lock maker), wife Caroline (28), daughter Emma Ann (2), son James (0). HO107, piece/folio 2018/354.FamilySearch / TNA

Marriage — James Woolley & Caroline Smith, 17 March 1844, Wolverhampton St Peter ↗"England, Staffordshire, Church Records, 1538-1944"; groom's father Thomas Woolley; bride's father S. Smith.FamilySearch / Findmypast