James Finucane Draper & Eliza Baldock Way ​

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James & Matlida were both born in St Peter Port on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. He was born on the 4th of October 1807 & she was born on the 27th of November 1808.

 

James had moved to Jersey by the time he was 24. He lived at a number of addresses in St Helier, including 35 Belmont Road, 11 Don Road, 55 Bath Street, 13 Duhamel Place, 9 David Place and 2 St Mark's Villas. He was a talented watercolour painter and a caricaturist. Some of his works were published. He was also a playwright and several of his plays were performed at the Theatre Royal, Don Road and the Royal Hall in Peter Street. By 1869 he had acquired a studio at the Masonic Temple, Stopford Road, but he was to die only seven years later in 1876, aged only 41. He is buried at St Saviour's Cemetary, St Helier, Jersey.

 

He is best known for his watercolours of Channel Island scenes, but they are comparatively rare. He taught his youngest brother, Charles Draper, who was also born in Guernsey, to paint. Collections of his work are held by the Jersey Heritage Trust and the Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery.

 

They lived for most of their lives on Jersey, with James being widowed by 1861, it is believed that Matilda died in Sheffield, Yorkshire in 1858; as this is the only death record we have found that fits in with his being widowed by 1861.

 

They had six children.  For some reason, thier first child, Alice Matilda was adopted by James' sister Clara Elizabeth Draper & her 1st husband Buddle Atkinson. Alice would later marry Frank Robert Simpson, the eldest son of Clara's second husband, John Bell Simpson. Clara Eliza, their second child, married Frank Buddle Atkinson, her first cousin by Clara & Buddle.