BENTLEY and RELATED FAMILIES
Chapter 7 John James BENTLEY (1863-1909)
John James Bentley was the second son of Samuel and Eliza (chapter 6). Having learned retail skills from his father, he started his working life as ginger beer salesman, whilst still living at home at 14 Thomas Street, Aston. For a brief period in the mid 1880’s he was a carter, living near his parents at Back 16 Upper Thomas Street, before returning to the retail trade.
From at least 1891 until his death in 1909, John James worked as a travelling mineral water salesman, employed by the Birmingham Syphon Company. The company’s proprietor was Luke Bradley, the philanthropist son of Nehimiah Craddock Bradley a washing soda maker. Nehimiah’s washing soda business was probably associated with the extensive Oldbury Chemical Works, on the northern edge of Langley village. Certainly Luke worked there as a clerk in 1890’s. In addition to working for Luke’s company John James was related to Luke through marriage. Luke’s wife, Annie Copper (chapter 9), was sister to John James’ second wife, Amy Copper (chapter 9). Luke and John James married their respective brides in May and September 1897. Luke was already sufficiently close to John James to act as a marriage witness. Having no family of his own, John James his children and even his grandchildren benefited from Luke’s benevolence.
Luke and Amy lived at The Knoll, 97 Moat Road. When Luke died there in 1957 he left an estate valued at nearly £39,000. He willed a month's salary and two weeks wages to each of his salaried and waged staff respectively. Amy predeceased Luke by six years and had left a similarly valued estate.
John James had previously been married to Amelia Thornton. Although Amelia was born and raised in Aston it appears that the couple were married in Blackburn, Lancashire, in 1883. Perhaps Amelia was in service and John James met her whilst travelling as a ginger beer salesman. Prior to moving to Lancashire, Amelia had been at home with her mother and stepfather. The latter was John Parsons, an innkeeper, and licensee of the Ship Tavern at 106-107 Charles Henry Street in Aston. A more romantic theory is that John James met Amelia whilst visiting her father on business, later eloping with her to Lancashire in order to get married.
The union produced a son, John Edwin Samuel, little of who is known. Amelia died before 1897.
In 1897, at the time of his marriage to Amy Cooper who was nearly 15 years his junior, John James was living at 24 Park Road in Aston. The couple then lived on West Heath Road in Birmingham until John James’ death in 1909 as a result of cancer. He left a Will and an estate valued at £275 16s 2d for which Luke Bradley acted as executor.
Following her husband’s death Amy moved back to her home at Arden Grove in Langley from where she worked in a munitions factory during the First World War. She outlived her husband by nearly half a century, dying in Shrub Hill Hospital, Worcester, as a result of stroke in 1958. By that time she was resident at 15 Spring Drive in Oldbury. She was buried in the same grave as John James in Oldbury’s Rood End Cemetery.
John James and Amy had three children, James Ernest (known as Ernie), Florence Dora Kate and Violet Beatrice May.
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3 . . . . .John James BENTLEY b.1863 d.1909 m.#1 Amelia THORNTON m.#2 Amy COOPER
4 . . . . . . #1 John Edwin Samuel BENTLEY b.1883 d.>1901
4 . . . . . . #2 James Ernest (aka Ernie) BENTLEY b.1898 d.1968 m.Edie WHEELER
5 . . . . . . . female BENTLEY
4 . . . . . . #2 Florence Dora Kate BENTLEY b.1902 d.1994 m.Francis John HANCOCKS
4 . . . . . . #2 Violet Beatrice May BENTLEY b.1905 d.1988 m. Leslie PERKINS
