James Harman, born about 1819, a coal merchant, married to Elizabeth born about 1820; both born in Martham Norfolk and living at Damgate Road Martham in 1881. White's History, Gazetteer and Directory from 1883 (ancestry.co.uk) has James listed under Coal Dealers living in Martham.
In 1881 James and Elizabeth had one son still living with them: Paul born about 1858 and a fisherman.
Martham is a village 9 miles north of Great Yarmouth and 3 miles from the coast. According to John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (www.visionofbritain.org.uk) the village stood on rising land above the marshes which is likely the origin of Damgate Road's name. Son Paul would have fished in the reed beds and marshes around the village as well as in the river Thurne.
In 1871 Damgate was a separate hamlet to Martham. James and Elizabeth were at 1 Damgate Corner with three sons: Benjamin born about 1852, John born about 1854 and Paul who was still at home in 1881. Although all three sons are down as being born in Martham, James and Elizabeth have given different birthplaces than those in 1881 - James was born in Somerton and Elizabeth in Rollesby. Somerton is between Martham and the coast and Rollesby just a bit further inland than Martham, so both close enough.
James, Benjamin and Paul are all described on Wherrymen with John being a fisherman. Wherrymen operated wherries: shallow boats that were used for transport on the waterways throughout Norfolk. It would be quite plausible for James to then concentrate on transporting and supplying coal by 1881.
In 1861 there's no sign of James Harman and family in the census. A search for the family without the surname, i.e. James born in 1819 + or - 2 years with wife Elizabeth and children Benjamin, John and Paul, brings up James Latter and family according to ancestry.co.uk transcription and James Satter and family according to findmypast transcription. A close look at the census suggests it could be either: the initial letter looks similar to the S on Scholar and Sarah, the L on Littleboy, or even the F on Formerly. None of which of course tie in with Harman. Everything else though ties in: James, Elizabeth and the three boys' birth years and birthplaces are all the same as 1871. The address is the same: Damgate Corner and James was a boatman. There are two extra children in 1861: Henry born about 1843 and Elizabeth born about 1847 both in Martham. Henry was also a boatman and Elizabeth, a teacher at Sunday School. Boarding with the family was Sarah Green born about 1784 in Ormesby Norfolk and formerly a housekeeper.
In 1851 James and Elizabeth (Eliz on the census) are down as Harman, James a boatman and living on Damgate Road with four children: Henry born about 1843, Js (James?) born about 1844, Eliz born about 1847 and Thomas born about 1850. The 1861 census entry must be a mis-transcription by the enumerator. Interestingly living next door in 1851 is Mary Harman, a widow, born about 1785 in Swafield Norfolk and described as a Market Woman. James's mother maybe?
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