There are many Organs in my cohort, all of whom were related. The best place to view these connections is Andrew Plaister’s book on the Organs, and the facebook page dedicated to the family.
James was baptised in 1834, at St Martins Church, the youngest son of Henry and Prudence Organ. In fact, as they were 56 and 48 at the time, it seems likely that Henry was a child of one of their older children.
Henry was the parish clerk of Nibley. In ’41, the family (Henry, Prudence and James with four of his eight siblings) were living on Boot Hayes Lane, a location that I haven’t been able to find.
Ten years later, he was boarding with the family of his brother Frederick and was an apprentice shoemaker. Oddly, in 1861, he was working as an agricultural labourer and boarding in Hill, in the parish of Berkeley.
In 1866, he married Eliza Jane Burgess, in Bisley. At the next Census, the family were living in Parsonage Street. James was recorded as being a cordwainer (a craftsman who makes shoes with new leather, as opposed to a cobbler). He and Eliza had 2 children, Amy and Frederick. James older sister, Fanny, was also in the household, plus another boarder.
By 1881, the couple had a 3rd child, Harry. The family were still living in Parsonage Street, and James was recorded as a bootmaker.
In 1891, James was in Gillingham prison.
Gloucestershire Echo 27/11/1889
James Organ. Shoemaker, pleaded guilty to two indictments by which he stood charged with, on or abour the 12th April, 1888, and on divers other days, being one of the Trustees of the Court ‘Deers Lea’ branch of the Ancient Order of Foresters Friendly Society, having in his possession $488 2s 10d belonging to the said Court, unlawfully and with intent to defraud, misapplying or withholding the said sum; and further with forging and uttering, on the 12th April 1888, at Dursley, knowing the same to be forged, acquittance and receipts for the sums of £15 9s and £12 2s 8d, endorsed on the backs of two deposit notes issued by the Dursley Branch of the National Provincial Bank of England, with intent to defraud – Mr Griffiths, in addressing the Court on behalf of the prisoner, called attention the temptations he had undergone, and asserting that it was his intention not to appropriate the money altogether, but to reimburse the Society when he had the opportunity – His Lordship thought prisoner had told a most melancholy and lamentable story in his letter. He was sentenced to seven years’ penal servitude.
James was a trustee of the Society, whose funds ran to about £700, so this was a serious offence.
Thanks to the thorough nature of Victorian record keeping, we can have an idea of what James’ appearance was.
from the Register of Habitual Criminals and Police Gazettes
Fair complexion, grey hair, blue eyes, 5’7” tall, oval face, Blue veins across base of spine, two small red moles right chest and one under breast and top left shoulder, both shins discoloured.
Eliza was, at least on the census night of 1891, in Bristol. Their 3 children were living together in Chelsea, London. In the same household, Frederick Thompson, as railway clerk, was boarding. He and Amy married three years later, and had their first child, Cyril, 6 months later.
In 1901, Harry, a postman, and his family were living on Willesdon High Street. The household consisted on Harry, his wife Alice and 3-year-old son Raymond, his parents James and Eliza, his brother Frederick, his widowed sister Amy and her second son Philip Leo.
Where was Cyril? He was in Cheltenham, living in the lodging house kept by his widowed cousin Fanny In the same household was his aunt Fanny, who had been living with James and the family in 1871.
James’ death was registered in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire in 1901, when he was 66. Which seems unusual – perhaps this is another James?
North Nibley One-Place-Study 