The last letter in the series written by George Alfred Jones, who was a Sergeant in the British Army in India with the Bedfordshire Regiment, was written to his parents in March 1897 from Umballa. It is known from other family records that George died in India in 1901 from a pneumonia type infection and is buried there, but there was no known record of the subsequent whereabouts of his wife Mary Brice Jones (nee Saunders) or any children from the marriage.
Recent investigation using the BMD website indicates that Mary returned to Elham, (Folkestone, Kent) with her daughter Mabel Lillian Jones (sometimes spelled Lilian) who had been born on 30th March 1899 in India. The birth of a daughter to Mary and George was after the death of George’s father, John William Jones, when the regular letter writing between the family had ceased, so the birth of Mabel was not previous known nor was the fact that Mary later married again, to a George Richard Harris in 1903 and subsequently they had six children together, three daughters and three sons. It appears that Mabel Lillian changed her surname from Jones to Harris sometime after the 1921 Census. By 1939, she was recorded as Mabel L Harris. There was no record of Mabel having married and in 1939 (age 41) she is recorded as living with her 67yr old mother, Mary Brice Harris, along with two of her half-brothers Reginald and Herbert Harris who were 32 and 31yrs respectively..
Mary and George Harris and their family moved from Folkestone, Kent, to Newton Abbot, Devon, George Richard J Harris had been born in Newton Abbot in 1870 and died there in 1938; Mary died there in 1970 age 97yrs. and was buried in Teignmouth Cemetery, Devon. Her daughter, Mabel, also died in Newton Abbot in 1986 age 87yrs. and her recorded name was Mabel Lilian B Harris. Perhaps the ‘B’ was the initial for ‘Brice’?
Thanks to the family records kept by Gillian N B Thompson, who died in September 2019 aged 79 years, it is possible to provide some background information to the early part of the Jones/Ruston marriage and her connections to them.
John William Jones was born in Bletchley in 1835. Little is known of his early life but he became a soldier and was stationed in Portsea, Portsmouth in 1861.
Eliza Ann Ruston was born in Portsea in 1837. Her parents were George Augustus Ruston and Sarah Ruston (nee Habgood) but she was raised by her grandparents Roger and Louisa Ruston following the death of her mother when Eliza was two years old. Roger died in 1849 aged 75 when Eliza Ann was twelve years old. Louisa lived until the age of 88yrs. and died in March 1867. Eliza Ann’s father George Augustus Ruston had continued to live in Portsea but was ‘struck by paralysis’ on the 13th Aug.1855 and had been committed to the Union Workhouse for the infirm in Portsea in July 1860. and died there in May 1867 only two months after his mother had died.
Meanwhile in March 1961 John and Eliza Ann had married in the Church at Kingston, Portsea and a few months after the marriage John was sent to Ireland with his Regiment and Eliza Ann followed her husband, sailing there on the 24th June 1861. John and Eliza’s first child, Augustus John Jones, was born in Limerick in 1864. Soon afterwards John was discharged from the Regiment following an injury and the family returned to John’s home town, Bletchley, were they took-up residence as tenants of Well House (c 1865).
John and Eliza who lived in Well House for the remainder of their lives, subsequently raised seven more children. Three of the children did not survive infancy, Augustus John, Eliza Ann, and Alice, so the letter correspondence in the Living Archive involved the parents and the remaining five offspring, George Alfred, Louisa Hannah (Lou), Sarah Jane (Sadie), Selina (Lean) and William Henry (Bill).
The eldest daughter Louisa Hannah continued to live in Well House after after her marriage to John Garner in 1903 bringing up three children, William John R Garner, Louisa(e) Garner (who was Gillian Thompson’s mother) and Nora Emily Garner. As recorded in the letters John William Jones died in Well House in 1897 and Eliza Ann continued to live there until her death in 1927, aged 89 years.
Comments about this page
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (dated Jan 2026)
George Alfred and Mary Brice Jones’ family.
The last letter in the series written by George Alfred Jones, who was a Sergeant in the British Army in India with the Bedfordshire Regiment, was written to his parents in March 1897 from Umballa. It is known from other family records that George died in India in 1901 from a pneumonia type infection and is buried there, but there was no known record of the subsequent whereabouts of his wife Mary Brice Jones (nee Saunders) or any children from the marriage.
Recent investigation using the BMD website indicates that Mary returned to Elham, (Folkestone, Kent) with her daughter Mabel Lillian Jones (sometimes spelled Lilian) who had been born on 30th March 1899 in India. The birth of a daughter to Mary and George was after the death of George’s father, John William Jones, when the regular letter writing between the family had ceased, so the birth of Mabel was not previous known nor was the fact that Mary later married again, to a George Richard Harris in 1903 and subsequently they had six children together, three daughters and three sons. It appears that Mabel Lillian changed her surname from Jones to Harris sometime after the 1921 Census. By 1939, she was recorded as Mabel L Harris. There was no record of Mabel having married and in 1939 (age 41) she is recorded as living with her 67yr old mother, Mary Brice Harris, along with two of her half-brothers Reginald and Herbert Harris who were 32 and 31yrs respectively..
Mary and George Harris and their family moved from Folkestone, Kent, to Newton Abbot, Devon, George Richard J Harris had been born in Newton Abbot in 1870 and died there in 1938; Mary died there in 1970 age 97yrs. and was buried in Teignmouth Cemetery, Devon. Her daughter, Mabel, also died in Newton Abbot in 1986 age 87yrs. and her recorded name was Mabel Lilian B Harris. Perhaps the ‘B’ was the initial for ‘Brice’?
Thanks to the family records kept by Gillian N B Thompson, who died in September 2019 aged 79 years, it is possible to provide some background information to the early part of the Jones/Ruston marriage and her connections to them.
John William Jones was born in Bletchley in 1835. Little is known of his early life but he became a soldier and was stationed in Portsea, Portsmouth in 1861.
Eliza Ann Ruston was born in Portsea in 1837. Her parents were George Augustus Ruston and Sarah Ruston (nee Habgood) but she was raised by her grandparents Roger and Louisa Ruston following the death of her mother when Eliza was two years old. Roger died in 1849 aged 75 when Eliza Ann was twelve years old. Louisa lived until the age of 88yrs. and died in March 1867. Eliza Ann’s father George Augustus Ruston had continued to live in Portsea but was ‘struck by paralysis’ on the 13th Aug.1855 and had been committed to the Union Workhouse for the infirm in Portsea in July 1860. and died there in May 1867 only two months after his mother had died.
Meanwhile in March 1961 John and Eliza Ann had married in the Church at Kingston, Portsea and a few months after the marriage John was sent to Ireland with his Regiment and Eliza Ann followed her husband, sailing there on the 24th June 1861. John and Eliza’s first child, Augustus John Jones, was born in Limerick in 1864. Soon afterwards John was discharged from the Regiment following an injury and the family returned to John’s home town, Bletchley, were they took-up residence as tenants of Well House (c 1865).
John and Eliza who lived in Well House for the remainder of their lives, subsequently raised seven more children. Three of the children did not survive infancy, Augustus John, Eliza Ann, and Alice, so the letter correspondence in the Living Archive involved the parents and the remaining five offspring, George Alfred, Louisa Hannah (Lou), Sarah Jane (Sadie), Selina (Lean) and William Henry (Bill).
The eldest daughter Louisa Hannah continued to live in Well House after after her marriage to John Garner in 1903 bringing up three children, William John R Garner, Louisa(e) Garner (who was Gillian Thompson’s mother) and Nora Emily Garner. As recorded in the letters John William Jones died in Well House in 1897 and Eliza Ann continued to live there until her death in 1927, aged 89 years.
Add a comment about this page