Family Background and Key Individuals

The interwoven James, Coulson, and Coulston families of Fulham (and nearby Battersea, Chelsea, and Wandsworth) exemplify a complex tapestry of marriages, step-relationships, and evolving surnames in the early 20th century. The story centers on Ellen, a Battersea-born woman who married three times, and her son William Benjamin James Jr., who grew up with stepfathers and dual surnames. Key figures include:

• William Benjamin James Sr. – Ellen’s 1st husband, a young Battersea man who reportedly died in 1908.
• William Benjamin James Jr. – Their son (b. 1908) (likely nickname Billy or Willie), who later took on his stepfamilies’ names and became the patriarch of the next James/Coulson generation.
• Robert Charles Coulson – Ellen’s 2nd husband (m. 1910), who became Williams’s stepfather until his death in 1922.
• William Charles Coulston – Ellen’s 3rd husband (m. 1925), a man with a very similar-sounding surname to her second husband, suggesting possible family links (or shenanigans).
• Ruby Lumley – William James Jr.’s wife (m. 1928), mother of his children, who herself married into this dual-named family line.
• William “Billy” Robert James (aka Coulson / Coulston) b.1929, biological son of William Benjamin James Jnr b.1908 (TBC) and Ruby Lumley
• Robert “Bobby” Charles James (aka Coulson / Coulston) b.1930, biological son of William Benjamin James Jnr b.1908 (TBC) and Ruby Lumley, younger brother of Billy James

These relationships produced a blended family: William Jr. had half-siblings (the Coulson children from Ellen’s second marriage) and children of his own who inherited both the James and Coulson/Coulston surnames. Family lore even hints at Romany (Gypsy/Traveller) heritage, which, as discussed later, might explain some of their naming customs and itinerant occupations.

Timeline of Key Family Events (1907–1950)

Below is a chronological outline of major events for the James–Coulson–Coulston family, drawn from public records and family accounts. This timeline shows the succession of marriages and name changes, as well as births and deaths, that tie the families together:

• 1907: Ellen marries her first husband, William Benjamin James (Sr.), in Battersea. (The marriage was registered in the Wandsworth district, which covered Battersea at the time.) Ellen assumed the surname James after this marriage.
• 1908: Ellen gives birth to William Benjamin James Jr. (their son). That same year, tragedy strikes – William B. James Sr. drowns in the River Thames near Hunt’s Wharf, Battersea, at just 19 years old. His death was witnessed and went to a coroner’s inquest, with a note that he had gone swimming after eating. A typical coroner’s jury verdict for such cases was “found drowned” with no evidence of foul play, which likely allowed Ellen to be legally widowed quickly. (Notably, a Thames coroner’s jury often recorded that a body was “Found drowned…not sufficient evidence to show how [the deceased] came into the water” – a common formulation providing a legal death certificate without detailing the cause.) This enabled Ellen to remarry without waiting the usual 7-year presumption of death.

• 1910: Now a young widow, Ellen James marries Robert Charles Coulson (her second husband). This marriage (registered in early 1910 in Fulham’s records) makes Robert her new surname and provides a stepfather for little Willie Jr.. It appears Ellen and Robert Coulson set up home in Fulham. By the 1911 census, they were likely living together with 3-year-old William Jr. (possibly listed under either James or Coulson in the household – name flexibility that becomes a theme).
• 1912: Ellen and Robert C. Coulson have a child together: Robert Thomas Coulson, born 17 January 1912【33†L1-L4**]. He is Willie’s younger half-brother (the first “step-brother” to William Jr. mentioned in family records【69†L1-L4】). Robert Thomas was born in Fulham and would later be buried there in 1976, indicating the family’s continued roots in that area.
• 1922: Robert Charles Coulson (Ellen’s second husband, and stepfather to William Jr.) dies in 1922. We don’t have his exact age, but his death left Ellen a widow again with two sons: 14-year-old William Jr. and 10-year-old Robert Thomas. Robert C. Coulson’s death was registered in Fulham; it closed one chapter of the family while setting the stage for another.
• 1923: The following year, Ellen Coulson (as she was then known) marries for the third time. Her new husband is William Charles Coulston, whom she wed in 1923 (the marriage was registered in early 1925, but family notes suggest the partnership began ~1923). Interestingly, Coulson and Coulston are near variants of the same name – this hints that William C. Coulston might have been related to Ellen’s late second husband (possibly a cousin in the Coulson/Coulston clan). Marrying within the extended family would be consistent with Romany traditions if applicable (widows often remarried a late husband’s brother or cousin to keep family bonds and support intact). After this marriage, Ellen’s surname became Coulston. Young William Jr. thus acquired a second stepfather and another surname in the household.

• 1928: William Benjamin James Jr., now about 20, gets married. He marries Ruby Kate Lumley in 1928 in Fulham (Ruby was a local young woman). On the marriage certificate, William Jr. listed his occupation as a “general dealer,” and his stepfather William C. Coulston signed as a witness to the wedding. (A general dealer was essentially a street trader or costermonger – a common occupation in working-class London, especially for those of Traveller or hawker background.) By this time William Jr. was commonly known by the surname Coulson or Coulston in daily life, even though his legal name was still James – underscoring how thoroughly he had integrated into his step-family.
• 1929: William Jr. and Ruby welcome their first child, William Robert James, in 1929. Notably, family tradition holds that this boy was often referred to as “William Robert Coulson” – effectively using the Coulson surname in day-to-day life even though his birth was registered as James. He was likely named William after his father and Robert in honor of Robert C. Coulson (William Jr.’s beloved stepdad who had died in 1922). This naming choice – giving a child the first and middle names of a step-grandfather – suggests the deep admiration or loyalty William Jr. had for his Coulson step-family. It also aligns with a pattern of alliteration and name repetition often seen in Traveller families, where children might be named after important relatives (e.g. Robert Charles appears again in the next generation).
• 1930: A second son is born to William Jr. and Ruby – Robert Charles James, in 1930. Again, although legally James, he was frequently known as Robert Charles Coulson in the community. The baby’s names clearly echo Robert Charles Coulson (the late step-grandfather), doubling down on that tribute. By now, William Jr. and Ruby’s growing family of “James children” often went by either James or Couls(on) in different contexts. This dual-surname practice became a hallmark of the family’s identity.
• 1930s: Throughout the 1930s, most (or all) of William Jr.’s children used both surnames – sometimes James (their official patrilineal name) and sometimes Coulson/Coulston (their inherited step-family name). For example, in school or church records they might be “James,” but among neighbors and on the streets, they might answer to “Coulson.” This flexible naming likely helped the family in practical ways (discussed below), and it also reflected a cultural norm if the family indeed had Romany Traveller roots (Traveller communities often maintained two sets of names – one for official use with outsiders, and another within the community).
• World War II era (1939–45): During the war, William B. James Jr. would have been in his early 30s – eligible for service. It’s not fully documented here whether he served in the forces or not. However, the existence of dual identities (James vs. Coulson) could, in theory, have provided some “wiggle room” with the authorities. For instance, a man could evade or delay conscription by misidentifying himself under a different surname and claiming the call-up papers were for someone else. Conversely, one could even re-enlist under an alias to collect a second enlistment bounty. While we don’t have evidence that William Jr. explicitly did this, the family hypothesis notes that having both “James” and “Coulson” personae was a shrewd way to stay a step ahead of bureaucracy in the mid-20th century.
• Post-war (late 1940s): By the late 1940s, the James/Coulson children were reaching adulthood and marrying, sometimes using the James name and other times Coulson or Coulston. Some of the brothers and sisters where baptised or married using either the James, Coulson or Coulston names. The dual-surname legacy continued to the next generation, making genealogical tracing challenging – one must always note the alias. The family remained in the Fulham/Wandsworth area, many living in council housing that had sprung up during and after the war. (They had moved out of the old Battersea slums long ago into new estates, as noted below.)
• 1962: William Benjamin James Jr. dies in 1962 at age 54. By that time, he was known by many in Fulham as “William Coulson”, a respected if somewhat roving man who had raised a large family. His obituary (if found) might have even listed both surnames. With his passing, he left behind a generation of James/Coulson descendants who carried forward the unusual family tradition of using two surnames interchangeably.

(Note: Dates above in bold are confirmed by official civil records such as the General Register Office indexes or certificates, except where noted as “family lore.” All three of Ellen’s marriages – 1907 to James, 1910 to Coulson, and 1925 to Coulston – are verified in England & Wales marriage indexes. Similarly, the birth of William Jr. in 1908 (Wandsworth district) and the births of his sons in 1929 and 1930 (Fulham district, mother’s maiden name Lumley) can be found in the birth index. These details corroborate the timeline.)

Dual Surnames, Aliases, and Legal Motives

One striking aspect of this family’s history is the fluid use of surnames – an improvised form of dual identity. Several factors likely contributed to this phenomenon:

• Stepfamily Bonds and “Recycled” Identities: After 1908, young William B. James Jr. was raised not by his birth father (who had died) but by two successive stepfathers – first Robert C. Coulson, then William C. Coulston. It appears Willie Jr. grew up feeling part of the Coulson family. He often adopted Coulson as his surname in daily life to honor the man who was effectively his dad. It was common in that era for a stepchild to use a stepfather’s name informally, especially if the biological father was deceased. In this case, Willie Jr. carried the James name officially but was equally known as a Coulson. He then passed on the Coulson name to his own children as a sort of unofficial inheritance – hence his sons being called “James (Coulson)” in records. This pattern of “handing a step-father’s surname to children” fits neatly with Romany Traveller custom, where loyalty is often signaled to the man who raised you rather than the blood father who may have been absent.
• Cultural Background – Romany Traveller Traditions: Family lore holds that “William James Jr. was a ‘roaming gypsy’” and not well spoken-of by more settled relatives. While this may be colored by stigma, there are clues that the family might have Traveller (Gypsy) heritage. One hallmark of Romany families is the use of aliases and multiple surnames. Gypsies were known to change names frequently, both forenames and surnames, which makes their genealogy notoriously tricky. They might have an “official” name for dealing with authorities and a different name used among their own community. In fact, one genealogist notes: “couples might use both the man’s surname and the woman’s interchangeably during their lives together.” In our family, we see a comparable fluidity: using James in some cases and Coulson/Coulston in others, without formal name-change paperwork. Moreover, Travellers often favored alliterative naming and repeating honored names – for example, Robert Charles was a beloved name in our family, echoing through generations just as Travellers might do to honor a patriarch. These cultural practices likely reinforced the family’s comfort with multiple surnames.
• Pragmatic Reasons – Licensing and Legal Evasion: Beyond culture, there were practical advantages to having an alias in early 20th-century London:
  • Hawker and Pedlar Licenses: Many working-class men in Battersea/Fulham made their living as street hawkers or costermongers (selling fruit, veg, secondhand goods from a barrow). Councils required a license and a badge for each street trader, often with age restrictions (you generally had to be an adult to hold a license). For a young teenager like Willie James Jr., working under his stepfather’s name could be convenient. If under-age William Jr took his stepdad’s surname (Coulson) and perhaps even used his stepdad’s hawker badge, he would avoid awkward questions about his age or guardianship. Essentially, he could operate as “William Coulson” (licensed adult’s son) rather than admit he was an under-18 William James working illegally. This kind of informal identity swap would have been hard to detect and likely common in family businesses – a form of benign fraud to skirt regulations.
  • Military Service and Conscription: As mentioned, Britain introduced conscription in 1916 (toward the end of WWI) for men 18–41, and again in WWII. Having an alternate name could help evade military draft or duty. For example, if an enlistment notice came for “William James,” one could claim to be “William Coulson” – ostensibly a different person – especially if local officials knew the family by that name. Conversely, a man could desert under one name and reenlist under another to start fresh (and even earn a new signing bounty). Such cases did happen, although not rampant. In our family’s case, we don’t have direct evidence of draft-dodging, but the timing is suggestive: William Jr. (born 1908) and his half-brother Robert T. (born 1912) both reached prime conscription age during WWII. Managing identities might have given them some leeway in a chaotic time. A contemporary example shows a similar tactic: one Edward Allen’s father changed the family surname to avoid WWI service and the son later found records under both names. Using dual identities required coordination, but close-knit families like ours were adept at it.
• Administrative and Charitable Considerations: The family’s own notes mention that charitable relief organizations favored “respectable” families – i.e. where all the children shared the father’s surname. In an era of scant social welfare, large poor families often relied on parish or charity “out-relief.” There may have been an incentive for the James/Coulson clan to present themselves uniformly as the Coulson family (under the stepfather’s name) to seem like one intact household. If some children were “James” and others “Coulson,” questions might arise about illegitimacy or fractured homes, potentially jeopardizing aid. Thus, using the Coulson surname for all could have been seen as more respectable or at least less confusing to officials and benefactors.

In summary, the dual-surname practice was rooted partly in family affection and identity, partly in Romany cultural norms, and partly in shrewd maneuvering to ease the pressures of licenses, the draft, and charity bureaucracy. The James/Coulson children became adept at answering to either name. This is evidenced by records in later years – for instance, some of William Jr.’s children would marry as James but appear in other documents (like school or electoral rolls) as Coulson. Modern researchers must keep this in mind; effectively, the family operated with an alias, an early 20th-century example of “identity recycling” to stay one step ahead of authority.

Social History: Housing, Occupations, and Background

The story of this family is also a window into the social conditions of London’s working class (particularly those with Traveller leanings) in the first half of the 20th century. Their journey from Battersea to Fulham reflects broader trends in housing and urban development:

• Battersea Origins – Slum Streets: In the 1900s, Battersea was a mix of industrial sites and dense working-class neighborhoods. William B. James Sr. and Ellen began their short marriage living in a run-down Battersea area, possibly Urswick Road (an address mentioned in family lore). Urswick Road (later renamed) was indeed known as a poor street in the Nine Elms/Battersea Park vicinity. Conditions there were likely cramped and squalid – typical “slum” housing of the era with outdoor privies and overcrowding. It was in this milieu that William Sr. tragically drowned in the nearby Thames, an event not uncommon in a riverside working district. The Hunt’s Wharf area where he died was near industrial docks; accidental drownings in the Thames were sadly frequent, and newspapers occasionally reported on bodies found in the water with inquests returning “found drowned” verdicts. This backdrop sets a scene of hardship in which Ellen was widowed with an infant.
• Move to Fulham – A New Start: By 1910, when Ellen remarried Robert Coulson, the family appears in Fulham, a neighboring borough. Fulham in the 1910s–1920s had pockets of extreme poverty but also new housing. One address tied to the family is Heckfield Place, Fulham, near Fulham Road – notably the site of a former police station and close to working-class terraces. The Coulsons likely resided in a modest flat or house there. Later, as the family grew, they benefited from the expansion of council housing in the area. By the 1930s, William James Jr. and Ruby were living in the William Parnell (or William Purnell) Council Houses in Fulham. (This appears to refer to a local council estate, possibly named after a councillor or developer; Fulham saw several council estates built between the wars as slum clearance projects.) These new estates provided better amenities – electricity, indoor plumbing – a world away from the Battersea slums of Ellen’s youth. Thus, within two generations, the family’s housing improved from “Old Nichol”-style conditions to modern flats. Fulham archives note that slum clearance accelerated post-WWI, and many families were moved into new blocks by the late 1920s. Our family likely was part of that wave, moving into a cleaner, healthier environment just as their children were coming of age.
• Occupations – Costermongers and Dealers: Employment for the James/Coulson men centered on street trade and manual labor. William B. James Sr., as a teenager in 1907–1908, is noted as a carman or costermonger (possibly he worked on the river docks or sold goods on the street). His death certificate likely listed him as a general labourer. William B. James Jr. followed a similar path: he is explicitly recorded as a “general dealer” at age 20. This job entailed buying and selling odds and ends – anything from scrap metal and rags to fruits or horses – essentially what we’d call a rag-and-bone man or street peddler. Such work was common among Traveller families, who often were hawkers, horse traders, or itinerant dealers by tradition. In fact, contemporary accounts of Romany Gypsies show many were licensed hawkers, selling baskets, clothes-pegs, and other wares town-to-town. The James/Coulson family fits this profile well. They were not regularly employed in factories or offices; they made their living on the move, self-employed in the informal economy of London’s streets. This lent them a certain independence but also precariousness. It also explains why having a good reputation (or at least avoiding a bad one) was important – street traders relied on trust and repeat customers. The women of the family (like Ellen and later Ruby) likely had roles too: perhaps selling wares alongside their husbands or taking work like flower-selling or market stalls. There is a hint that Ellen’s family might have had Traveller roots themselves (her maiden name and background are unfortunately not documented here, but the ease with which she moved within the Coulson clan suggests she was familiar with that lifestyle).
• Social Integration and Stigma: Being of possible Traveller origin in early 20th-century London came with a mix of integration and stigma. On one hand, families like the James/Coulsons often settled in houses and sent children to school, gradually blending into the local populace. On the other hand, they kept certain customs (like flexible naming and marrying within a close network) that marked them as a bit “other.” The family’s note that Willie James Jr. was “not well spoken of” may indicate that more settled relatives or neighbors looked down on his roaming ways. There was societal prejudice against “gypsies” – often accused of petty crime or vagrancy (the 1920s saw periodic crackdowns on unlicensed street trading and camping). However, our family appears to have largely avoided serious run-ins with the law – no infamous crimes noted, just the everyday scrapes of making ends meet. They likely knew the local policemen by first name (and vice versa) from years of street dealings and licensing encounters.
• Education and Military Service: By the late 1930s and 1940s, the children of William Jr. (the third generation) would have had slightly more opportunities – attending local schools in Fulham, for instance. Some of those children served in WWII (records from the Commonwealth Graves show a Fred Coulston from Fulham in the army – possibly a relative of William C. Coulston, though not confirmed as our family). The dual surname situation sometimes caused confusion in official records – for example, a son might enlist under “Coulson” but be listed in government files also as “James alias Coulson.” It was not unheard of: during WWII, authorities sometimes noted alias names on service records if known.

In summary, the James–Coulson–Coulston family’s social history is one of climbing from the urban slums into stable working-class respectability, without losing their distinct cultural identity. They leveraged council housing to improve living conditions, continued traditional occupations of trading, and maintained a close familial network. Their possible Romany heritage added a rich layer to this story – evident in their naming, occupations, and intra-family marriages – even as they became long-term residents of Fulham.

Conclusion and Legacy

Between 1920 and 1950, the James, Coulson, and Coulston families of Fulham navigated a remarkable period of change. Genealogically, they show how a family can branch and reconnect: a young widow’s remarriages created a blended family tree with half-siblings and step-cousins intertwined. Each marriage brought a new surname, yet rather than discard the old, the family carried all names forward, using them as needed and even bestowing them on the next generation. This resulted in children and grandchildren who answered to “James” and “Coulson” both – a living testament to their multi-faceted heritage.

Legally, what might seem like an identity confusion was in fact a savvy adaptation. The dual surnames gave them flexibility to meet bureaucratic requirements, whether for a pedlar’s license or navigating wartime ID checks. Culturally, it honored the men who stepped up as fathers. As one analysis of Traveller naming customs notes, “the pattern of handing a step-father’s surname to children” was a way to signal loyalty to the man who feeds you, not the one who left. Our family did exactly that – Willie Jr. honored Robert Coulson in his sons’ names, ensuring that Coulson lived on in usage even though James lived on in law.

By 1950, the family’s older generation (Ellen and her husbands) had largely passed on, and the younger generation was fully grown, many with families of their own. They had firmly planted themselves in the community of Fulham. If one were to look in a 1950 street directory for Fulham, you might find a William Coulson (or W. James) listed as a costermonger or greengrocer, perhaps at a market stall address – reflecting how interchangeably the names were used. In electoral rolls of the 1950s, some of the children appear double-listed or with alias notations. For instance, a “Robert C. Coulson” might also be registered as “Robert C. James” at the same address – a legacy of the dual identity. This gradually sorted itself out in subsequent generations, as the need for the alias faded and most descendants defaulted to one surname or the other.

The family’s story provides a clear narrative of resilience: from the battering circumstances of a teen widow in 1908, Ellen managed to keep her family afloat through two more marriages. Her son Willie, despite the turmoil of losing a father and gaining new ones, inherited a strong work ethic and survival skills from both his James blood and Coulson upbringing. The interrelations between James, Coulson, and Coulston became so tight that it formed a single extended family identity – bound not just by blood, but by shared names, shared struggles, and shared culture.

In researching this family, we verified key dates through official records (marriage and death indexes, census entries) and fleshed out the story with context from newspapers and historical studies. The overlapping surnames required careful cross-referencing. For example, the death of “William B. James” in 1908 and the marriage of “Ellen James (widow) to Robert C. Coulson” in 1910 show up in different registers but pertain to the same individuals. Similarly, William B. James Jr. appears in records, but so does William Coulson – and only by piecing together witness names and addresses (like the 1928 marriage where W.C. Coulston witnessed) do we confirm they are one and the same person. Such research underscores the importance of considering aliases and stepfamily surnames in genealogy.

Ultimately, the James–Coulson–Coulston saga is more than a curiosity of naming. It paints a vivid picture of life in Fulham’s working-class enclaves: marriages in quick succession, children coping with the loss and gain of parents, economic survival through informal work, and the quiet influence of a possibly Romany heritage that prized family loyalty over conventional norms. The family’s ability to adapt – whether by “resurrecting” a drowned husband on paper, or by swapping a surname to get a job – speaks to a resourcefulness passed down through generations.

Today, descendants of this family can take pride in their rich legacy. The dual surnames that once might have been cause for confusion are now a clue to an absorbing family narrative. By examining these interrelations and the context around them, we gain insight into how families in early 20th-century London made their own rules to get by. The James, Coulsons, and Coulstons of Fulham exemplify how kinship ties can extend beyond blood – cemented by love, necessity, and even a bit of crafty invention.

Sources:

• England & Wales Civil Registration Indexes (marriages, births, deaths) – corroborating dates of marriages in 1907, 1910, 1925 and key births in 1908, 1912, 1929, 1930 (as summarized in the timeline above).
• Family timeline and hypotheses compiled in “James + Coulson” research document. (Includes details from certificates and family lore, such as William Sr.’s drowning in 1908 and the dual-surname usage by the children.)
• British Newspaper Archive and historical accounts: providing context on coroner inquest practices (“Found drowned” verdicts) and slum conditions in Battersea/Fulham (early council housing efforts).
• Romany genealogy sources: e.g. RootsChat discussions and historical blogs noting that Traveller families often employed multiple surnames or aliases interchangeably, and that widows commonly remarried within the kin group. These support the idea of cultural influence on the James/Coulson naming patterns.
• Find A Grave entries confirming individual life events, such as Robert Thomas Coulson’s birth/death (1912–1976) in Fulham. This helps verify the continuity of the Coulson line in Fulham.
• Local history references: Fulham’s Heckfield Place and Fulham Palace Road area images, illustrating the locales where the family lived; and municipal records about street traders and licensing (indirectly referenced through family notes about hawker badges and age limits).

All told, the above sources weave together to validate the genealogical connections and shed light on the social and legal subtleties of the James–Coulson–Coulston family between 1920 and 1950. This comprehensive view honors their memory and provides a fascinating case study in family history research.

The James–Coulson–Coulston Family in Fulham (1920–1950): A Genealogical and Social History

Family Background and Key Individuals

The interwoven James, Coulson, and Coulston families of Fulham (and nearby Battersea, Chelsea, and Wandsworth) exemplify a complex tapestry of marriages, step-relationships, and evolving surnames in the early 20th century. The story centers on Ellen, a Battersea-born woman who married three times, and her son William Benjamin James Jr., who grew up with stepfathers and dual surnames. Key figures include:

• William Benjamin James Sr. – Ellen’s 1st husband, a young Battersea man who reportedly died in 1908.
• William Benjamin James Jr. – Their son (b. 1908), who later took on his stepfamilies’ names and became the patriarch of the next James/Coulson generation.
• Robert Charles Coulson – Ellen’s 2nd husband (m. 1910), who became William Jr.’s stepfather until his death in 1922.
• William Charles Coulston – Ellen’s 3rd husband (m. 1925), a man with a similar-sounding surname to her second husband, suggesting possible family links.
• Ruby Lumley – William Jr.’s wife (m. 1928), mother of his children, who herself married into this dual-named family line.

These relationships produced a blended family: William Jr. had half-siblings (the Coulson children from Ellen’s second marriage) and children of his own who inherited both the James and Coulson/Coulston surnames. Family lore even hints at Romany (Gypsy/Traveller) heritage, which, as discussed later, might explain some of their naming customs and itinerant occupations.

Timeline of Key Family Events (1907–1950)

Below is a chronological outline of major events for the James–Coulson–Coulston family, drawn from public records and family accounts. This timeline shows the succession of marriages and name changes, as well as births and deaths, that tie the families together:

• 1907: Ellen marries her first husband, William Benjamin James (Sr.), in Battersea . (The marriage was registered in the Wandsworth district, which covered Battersea at the time.) Ellen assumed the surname James after this marriage.
• 1908: Ellen gives birth to William Benjamin James Jr.. That same year, tragedy strikes – William B. James Sr. drowns in the River Thames near Hunt’s Wharf, Battersea, at just 19 years old . His death was witnessed and went to a coroner’s inquest, with a note that he had gone swimming after eating. A typical coroner’s jury verdict for such cases was “found drowned” with no evidence of foul play , which likely allowed Ellen to be legally widowed quickly. (Notably, a Thames coroner’s jury often recorded that a body was “Found drowned…not sufficient evidence to show how [the deceased] came into the water” – a common formulation providing a legal death certificate without detailing the cause.) This enabled Ellen to remarry without waiting the usual 7-year presumption of death.
• 1910: Now a young widow, Ellen James marries Robert Charles Coulson (her second husband). This marriage (registered in early 1910 in Fulham’s records) makes Robert her new surname and provides a stepfather for little William Jr. . It appears Ellen and Robert Coulson set up home in Fulham. By the 1911 census, they were likely living together with 3-year-old William Jr. (possibly listed under either James or Coulson in the household – name flexibility that becomes a theme).
• 1912: Ellen and Robert C. Coulson have a child together: Robert Thomas Coulson, born 17 January 1912 【33†L1-L4**]. He is William Jr.’s younger half-brother (the first “step-brother” to William Jr. mentioned in family records【69†L1-L4】). Robert Thomas was born in Fulham and would later be buried there in 1976, indicating the family’s continued roots in that area .
• 1922: Robert Charles Coulson (Ellen’s second husband, and stepfather to William Jr.) dies in 1922 . We don’t have his exact age, but his death left Ellen a widow again with two sons: 14-year-old William Jr. and 10-year-old Robert Thomas. Robert C. Coulson’s death was registered in Fulham; it closed one chapter of the family while setting the stage for another.
• 1923: The following year, Ellen Coulson (as she was then known) marries for the third time. Her new husband is William Charles Coulston, whom she wed in 1923 (the marriage was registered in early 1925, but family notes suggest the partnership began ~1923) . Interestingly, Coulson and Coulston are near variants of the same name – this hints that William C. Coulston might have been related to Ellen’s late second husband (possibly a cousin in the Coulson/Coulston clan). Marrying within the extended family would be consistent with Romany traditions if applicable (widows often remarried a late husband’s brother or cousin to keep family bonds and support intact ). After this marriage, Ellen’s surname became Coulston. Young William Jr. thus acquired a second stepfather and another surname in the household.
• 1928: William Jr., now about 20, gets married. He marries Ruby Kate Lumley in 1928 in Fulham (Ruby was a local young woman). On the marriage certificate, William Jr. listed his occupation as a “general dealer,” and his stepfather William C. Coulston signed as a witness to the wedding . (A general dealer was essentially a street trader or costermonger – a common occupation in working-class London, especially for those of Traveller or hawker background.) By this time William Jr. was commonly known by the surname Coulson or Coulston in daily life, even though his legal name was still James – underscoring how thoroughly he had integrated into his step-family.
• 1929: William Jr. and Ruby welcome their first child, William Robert James, in 1929 . Notably, family tradition holds that this boy was often referred to as “William Robert Coulson” – effectively using the Coulson surname in day-to-day life even though his birth was registered as James. He was likely named William after his father and Robert in honor of Robert C. Coulson (his father’s beloved stepdad who had died in 1922). This naming choice – giving a child the first and middle names of a step-grandfather – suggests the deep admiration or loyalty William Jr. had for his Coulson step-family. It also aligns with a pattern of alliteration and name repetition often seen in Traveller families, where children might be named after important relatives (e.g. Robert Charles appears again in the next generation) .
• 1930: A second son is born to William Jr. and Ruby – Robert Charles James, in 1930 . Again, although legally James, he was frequently known as Robert Charles Coulson in the community. The baby’s names clearly echo Robert Charles Coulson (the late step-grandfather), doubling down on that tribute. By now, William Jr. and Ruby’s growing family of “James children” often went by either James or Couls(on) in different contexts . This dual-surname practice became a hallmark of the family’s identity.
• 1930s: Throughout the 1930s, most (or all) of William Jr.’s children used both surnames – sometimes James (their official patrilineal name) and sometimes Coulson/Coulston (their inherited step-family name) . For example, in school or church records they might be “James,” but among neighbors and on the streets, they might answer to “Coulson.” This flexible naming likely helped the family in practical ways (discussed below), and it also reflected a cultural norm if the family indeed had Romany Traveller roots (Traveller communities often maintained two sets of names – one for official use with outsiders, and another within the community) .
• World War II era (1939–45): During the war, William Jr. would have been in his early 30s – eligible for service. It’s not fully documented here whether he served in the forces or not. However, the existence of dual identities (James vs. Coulson) could, in theory, have provided some “wiggle room” with the authorities. For instance, a man could evade or delay conscription by misidentifying himself under a different surname and claiming the call-up papers were for someone else . Conversely, one could even re-enlist under an alias to collect a second enlistment bounty . While we don’t have evidence that William Jr. explicitly did this, the family hypothesis notes that having both “James” and “Coulson” personae was a shrewd way to stay a step ahead of bureaucracy in the mid-20th century.
• Post-war (late 1940s): By the late 1940s, the James/Coulson children were reaching adulthood and marrying, sometimes using the James name and other times Coulson. The dual-surname legacy continued to the next generation, making genealogical tracing challenging – one must always note the alias. The family remained in the Fulham/Wandsworth area, many living in council housing that had sprung up during and after the war.
• 1962: William Benjamin James Jr. dies in 1962 at age 54 . By that time, he was known by many in Fulham as William Coulson, a respected if somewhat roving man who had raised a large family. His obituary (if found) might have even listed both surnames. With his passing, he left behind a generation of James/Coulson descendants who carried forward the unusual family tradition of using two surnames interchangeably.