Charles Bernard of St James

1788 - 1820


Biography

Resident planter. Son of Charles Bernard of Jamaica and Bristol (q.v.) and his second wife Elizabeth Jane nee Westland. Baptised in St James, Jamaica, 23/03/1788. Died in 1820. Inherited funds or property from his father. Also owner of Wakefield estate, which he presumably bought himself as he was entitled to will it as he chose. Charles Bernard married Elizabeth Samuells Morris in St James, Jamaica, 13/05/1810. Two children baptised in St James: David (1815) and Mary McKenzie (1817). When his wife Eliza Samuells Bernard died in her 87th year in Montego Bay in 1876, she was described as 'ELIZA SAMUELLS BERNARD, widow of CHARLES BERNARD, late of Eden and Bona Vista, in the parish of St. James', although it is not clear that he had co-ownership of these estates before his death.

  1. In 1831 as a a result of a suit in Chancery between Elizabeth Samuells Bernard and Charles Edward Bernard [senior], a notice to come forward was made to creditors of Charles Bernard of St James Jamaica 'who died there some time in year 1820.'

Sources

Familysearch.org batch nos. I04281-2 and I04281-3; Falmouth Post 17/03/1876.

  1. London Gazette 18804 17/05/1831 p. 953.

NB LBS has identified 6 separate men named Charles Bernard, and the possibility of confusion remains: (1) 'Charles Bernard senior' of the 1754 listing; (2) 'Charles Bernard junior' of the 1754 listing, whom we have concluded was Charles Bernard (1720-1790), probably the son of (1); (3) Charles Bernard 'of Bristol' (1750-1797), son of (2) and father of (4); (4) Charles Bernard of St James (d. 1820), son of (3); (5) Charles Bernard of Frampton Lodge (d. c. 1826), probably son of David Bernard (d. c. 1804) and nephew of (3) and first cousin of (4); and (6) Charles Bernard of Carpenters Hall, who was alive at the time of compensation and was probably the son of (5). There was possibly a seventh, 'Charles Bernard senior' (perhaps in fact 'Charles Bernard Senior'), active in St James in the 1820s.


Further Information

Spouse
Elizabeth Samuells Morris
Children
David (1815-), Mary McKenzie (1817-)
Will

PROB 11/1637 - precis.

Charles Bernard of the parish of St James, Jamaica.

Payment of all just debts and funeral expenses.

All my property real and personal to my beloved wife Elizabeth Samuels Bernard so long as she remains my widow and my friends Ralph Mountague junior Esquire of Bristol and John Henderson Hay of St James, Jamaica, in trust.

Wakefield to be held by trustees until my son David Bernard reaches age 21, at which point should my daughters remain unmarried the trustees are to retain possession of Wakefield for the use and benefit of my said unmarried daughters. But on the marriage or death of all my daughters then the property should pass to my son David. No part of the property should be divided or disposed of before my son reaches age 21.

That part of my estate now vested in the funds which I am entitled to by my father's will shall remain vested in the same manner and only the interest of it be applied for the education of my family. When my son David reaches age 21 then he is entitled to one fourth of the said principal sum, the remainder to be divided equally among my children when each shall attain the age of 25 years.

It is my particular wish that my property real, personal and mixed in this island should be retained by my trustees for the sole use and benefit of my beloved wife so long as she remains my widow.

Trustees to be executors.

Signed 18/11/1819.

Proved in London 22/12/1820 by Ralph Mountague the younger.


Associated Estates (5)

The dates listed below have different categories as denoted by the letters in the brackets following each date. Here is a key to explain those letter codes:

  • SD - Association Start Date
  • SY - Association Start Year
  • EA - Earliest Known Association
  • ED - Association End Date
  • EY - Association End Year
  • LA - Latest Known Association
- 1820 [LA] → Not known
1809 [EA] - 1811 [LA] → Not known

Tentative association only

1809 [EA] - 1823 [LA] → Not known

Tentative association only

1817 [EA] - 1817 [LA] → Owner
1820 [EA] - 1832 [LA] → Previous owner

Relationships (12)

Nephew → Uncle
Nephew → Aunt
Nephew → Uncle
Son → Father
First Cousins
First Cousins
First Cousins
First Cousins
First Cousins
Deceased Husband → Widow
Father → Daughter
Notes →
Inferred by LBS. Online genealogies of the Bernard family are often contradictory and misleading, and many show Sabina Judith as the daughter of Charles Bernard (d. 1842 [sic]) and Eliza or Elizabeth...
Testator → Executor