James Adamson BEST

  General Notes:

Birth Mar 1885 St Thomas 5b 42
- mother's maiden is Hooper on new GRO indexes

Birth Certificate
1884 in Sub District of Exmouth in the Registration District of Saint Thomas in the county of Devon
Twenty third December 1884 at No. 13 George Street Withycombe Raleigh Exmouth
James Adamson, Boy, Samuel John Best, Elizabeth Jane Best formerly Hooper, Tailor.
Registered by E J Best, Mother, George Street Withycombe Raleigh on Twenty Seventh January 1885
- certificate copy was issued 13 May 1916, presumably so he could enlist in the army (see below)
- on the back of the certificate it states
James A Best
6 Hartopp Rd (crossed through)
30 Exeter Rd (crossed through)
131 Exeter Rd
Exeter
Devon

Marriages Jun 1910 St. Thomas 5b 113
Best Alfred John - married Ada Gooding
Best James Adamson - married Elsie Osborne
GOODING Ada Alberta
OSBORNE Elsie Sophia
- two brothers, but marriages a month apart

Marriage Certificate
At The Parade Chapel, Exmouth in the district of Saint Thomas in the Counties of Devon & Exeter on Seventeenth May 1910
James Adamson Best, 25, Bachelor, Tailor, 8 Albion Street Exmouth. Father Samuel John Best, Tailor
Elsie Sophia Osborne, 23, Spinster, Dressmaker, The Mews Lympstone. Father John Osborne, Carriage Proprietor
Witnesses were John C Osborne (father) and Alfred Best (brother)
- certificate copy was issued on the day of the wedding

Death Dec 1977
Exeter 21 1017 Best James Adamson born 23 DE 1884

Death Certificate
Twenty third December 1977 at 2 Pineridge Close, Exeter
James Adamson Best, Male, born 23rd December 1884 in Exmouth Devon
Tailor (Retired) of 2 Pineridge Close, Exeter, Devon
Informant was Mollie Kathleen Earnshaw, daughter, present at the death, of 2 Pineridge Close Exeter Devon
Registered on 23 December 1977
- died on his 93rd birthday and just 2 months after his wife. They had been married 67 years

1891 Census
RG12/1676 F56 P34
13 George Street, Exmouth (Withycombe Raleigh), Devon
Samuel J Best, Head, M, 40, Tailor, Devon Exmouth
Elizabeth J do, Wife, M, 40, , Devon Topsham
Rose M do, Daur, , 14, , Devon Exmouth
Alfred J do, Son, , 12, Scholar, Devon Exmouth
Kate do, Daur, , 10, Scholar, Devon Exmouth,
Emily E do, Daur, , 8, Scholar, Devon Exmouth
James A do, Son, , 6, Scholar, Devon Exmouth
Harriet L do, Daur, , 5, Scholar, Devon Exmouth
Eliza do, Daur, , 1, , Devon Exmouth
Jessie H do, Daur, , 1m, , Devon Exmouth

1901 Census
RG13/2029 F69 P13
7 George Street, Exmouth (Withycombe Raleigh), Devon
Samuel J Best, Head, M, 49, Master Tailor (employer), Devon Exmouth
Elizabeth J do, Wife, M, 49, , Devon Topsham
Alfred J do, Son, S, 21, Tailor (working at home), Devon Exmouth
Kate do, Daur, S, 19, Shop Assistant, Devon Exmouth
Emily do, Daur, S, 17, (working at home), Devon Exmouth
James do, Son, S, 15, Tailor (working at home), Devon Exmouth
Louisa do, Daur, , 14, , Devon Exmouth
Eliza do, Daur, , 12, , Devon Exmouth
Jessie do, Daur, , 10, , Devon Exmouth
Ada do, Daur, , 8, , Devon Exmouth
John do, Son, , 6, , Devon Exmouth
- Daughter Rose was living away as a nurse in Exminster at the Devon County Lunatic Asylum see RG13/2040 F145 P6, Schedule 20

1911 census (indexed as Bent)
RG14PN12582 RG78PN722 RD270 SD1 ED11 SN32
The Mews, Lympstone, Devon
John Clement Osborn, Head, 51, Married, Cab Proprietor, Shobrooke Devonshire
Jane Osborn, Wife, 46, Married 25 years, , Woodbury Devonshire
Elsie Sophia Best, Daughter, 24, Married 1 year, , Exmouth Devonshire
Amy Winifred Osborn, Daughter, 18, Single, Dressmaker, Exmouth Devonshire
James Adamson Best, Boarder, 26, Married, Tailor, Exmouth Devonshire
- against Jane Osborn it states there were 3 children born alive and 3 still alive, in this marriage
- against Elsie Best it states that there were no children
- the house had 6 rooms
- no infirmities shown in the final column of the form

Address at birth of daughter (1912) - 5 Hartopp Road, Withycombe Raleigh, Exmourth

Address when he registered the death of his sister (Rosie May Allford) was 131 Exeter Road, Exmouth

WW1 service record from Ancestry.co.uk, taken from National Archive WO363
Name: James Adamson Best
Age: 31 yrs 5 months
Birth Year: abt 1885
Residence : 6 Hartoppe Rd, Exmouth
Regiment Name: 9th Battalion South Staffs Regiment
Regiment Number: 41162
Document Year: 1916
Trade: Tailor
Next of Kin: Mrs Elsie Sophia Best (wife), 6 Hartoppe Road, Exmouth
Marriage: Elsie Sophia Osborne (spinster) on 17th May 1911 at Exmouth (one year out!)
Children: Mollie Kathleen, born 4th December 1912 at Exmouth
Awarded: British War Medal, Victory Medal
Demob states his address as 8 Hartopp Road, Exmouth
Joined: 25 May 1916 at Exeter
Demob: 23rd January 1919
Religion: Methodist
Record has letter (May 22 1916) from Alfred Best (ladies and gentlemen's tailors) of 22 Chapel Street, Exmouth stating that James is a tailor of exceptional ability - brother trying to stop him being enlisted?

Medal records for the South Staffordshire Regiment, 1919 (WO329), page 1605
Roll of individuals entitled to the Victory Medal and British War Medal
41162, Pte, BEST James Adamson, 41162 9/S.Staff.R Pte

Medal Card
Best James A, S Staff R, Pte, 41162
Victory, Roll F/101 B13, page 1605
British, do, do

1939 Register
Ref: RG101/6819D/011/30 Letter Code: WFKN
111 Exeter Road , Exmouth U.D., Devon, England
James A Best 23 Dec 1884 Male Tailor (Master) Married 140 1
Elsie S Best 07 Mar 1887 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married 140 2
John C Osborne 09 May 1859 Male Private Service Coachman (Retired) Married 140 3
Jane Osborne 14 Jul 1864 Female Incapacitated Married 140 4
James Nicholas 16 Oct 1915 Male Master House Painter Decorator Married 140 5
Mollie K Earnshaw (Nicholas) 04 Dec 1912 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married 140 6
- against Mollie (for the change of name to Earnshaw on 22.5.1971) is annotated 23.6.71 CR283 DN

  Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation: Tailor Journeyman, 1912, Exmouth, Devon, England.

• Occupation: Tailor, 17 May 1910, Exmouth, Devon, England.

James married Elsie Sophia OSBORNE, daughter of John Clement OSBORNE and Jane KNOWLES, on 17 May 1910 in Exmouth, Devon, England.¹ (Elsie Sophia OSBORNE was born on 7 Mar 1887 in Withycombe Raleigh, Exmouth, Devon, England, died on 16 Oct 1977 in Exeter, Devon, England and was cremated in Exeter, Devon, England.)

  Marriage Notes:

Date taken from Diamond wedding telegram