Family
James was born in 1815 at Forncett St Mary, Norfolk, to parents William, a bricklayer, and Mary. He was baptised on 13 August 1815 at Forncett St Peter.
Census returns identify the following occupations for James.
- 1841 preacher
- 1851 PM minister
- 1861 tea dealer & draper
- 1871 life assurance agent
- 1881 agent to Prudential Assurance Company
He married Elizabeth Johnson Alexander (abt1821-1886) in early 1844 in the Stow Registration District, Suffolk. Census return identify one child.
- Elizabeth (b1846)
James died in early 1882 in the Oldham Registration District, Lancashire.
Circuits
- 1837 Yarmouth
- 1838 Ipswich
- 1840 Lynn
- 1841 Hadleigh
- 1843 Stowmarket
- 1845 Norwich II
- 1846 Aylsham
- 1847 Hadleigh
- 1849 Cambridge
- 1851 Peterborough
- 1853 Wisbech
- 1856 Rochdale
- 1858 disappears
References
W Leary, Directory of Primitive Methodist Ministers and their Circuits, 1990
Census Returns and Births, Marriages & Deaths Registers
Comments about this page
The reason that Rev Seager ‘disappeared’ in 1858 was because he became minister of the Rochdale Elliott Street chapel of the ‘Modern Methodists’ sect, a then-new offshoot of the Primitive Methodists. Presumably his Primitive Methodist stipend stopped so he had to get a day job. The chapel society struggled financially; Mr Seager worked hard to raise contributions, resulting in a letter to the newspaper questioning his credentials.
The chapel’s financial problems continued and, in 1874, it was put up for sale. No further information has been found.
The full story can be found on the Rochdale Elliott Street chapel page on this website.
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