Thomas Henry OPIE 1858

[normabakker46]

Hello,

I have a problem.  Thomas Henry Opie was born to Richard Opie & Sally Dunstan in May, 1858 at Stithians, Cornwall. Until recently I had assumed he was the Thomas Henry Opie who married Mary Elizabeth Spargo in the June Qtr. 1881,  Helston and lived in Treweege and this fits with him living unmarried with Richard & Sally in 1881. However, I recently came upon a posting some 8 years old from Canada seeking information on the siblings of Thomas Opie son of Richard Opie & Sally Dunstan who died in Canada.  There was a Thomas Opie who married Gertrude Williams in Redruth in 1877 and emigrated to Canada but he was there in 1881 with his wife and one or two children not in Cornwall. I have no response from the original poster but assume she must have had some firm basis for asking the question. Thomas Henry Opie was one of three executors of his father's Will but the other two executors did the work not Thomas Henry.  So could he have been in Canada? But, if so, why the 1881 Census record in Cornwall? Just to complicate matters Richard Opie's brother John who also married a Dunstan (this time Elizabeth) also had a Thomas Henry Opie born in Sept., 1858 in Wendron, Cornwall. Although he did not marry - thank heavens.  If anyone can help it would be appreciated.

Regards, Norma Mason Bakker, Australia

[krisesjoint]

Hi Norma.

Taking a look at this Thomas in Canada. He was born about 1858 (consistant in the census records) Unfortunately his death in 1920 does not list parent details

The birth of a daughter in Canada lists parents as Thomas OPIE and Gertrude WILLIAMS so you have the correct marriage for this Canadian couple.

None of the records I have checked list a middle name for Thomas.

I wonder if this may be this particular Thomas

http://www.cornwall-opc-database.org/moreinfo.php?ID=1437861&dbtype=baptisms&formval=

He appears in Gwennap in 1861 and 1871 but not after that. There is a Gertrude Williams who seems to fit the bill also in Gwennap 1861 and 1871. Gwennap is in the Redruth Reg District, so these two do seem likely candidates for the 1877 marriage.

Marriage certs would confirm these chaps fathers names.

Cheers Kris 

[stannarp]

Hi Norma,

Not directly relevant to your enquiry, but I have some OPPY / OPIE's in my tree, although I don't see 'yours' there, as I've been focussing mainly on the PHILLIPS family in Stithians, but you're welcome to have a look at my tree (see url below).

Can't guarantee that it is 100% accurate, as the inter-marriages between OPPY / PHILLIPS / MARTIN / KNUCKEY / SPARGO, together with the tendency to repeat the same names in each generation (certainly the PHILLIPS family did!) make it a bit difficult to figure out who belongs to whom...

Also, you may find this resource useful:  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~stithiansopc/index.htm (if you haven't found it already in your research in Stithians).

Regards,

Patricia

[normabakker46]

Hi Kris & Patricia,

Thanks for your comments.  I think you are right Kris, in that I have to bite the bullet and send off for a marriage certificate. I think I will send for the Thomas Opie & Mary Spargo option because I was sure I was on the right track with them until I came across that posting from Canada suggesting that Thomas Opie m. to Gertrude Williams was the son of Richard & Sally.  Patricia, I have Phillips of Redruth marrying into the Opie family but I couldn't see any connection.  I do understand what you mean about the names though. I also have Carthews & Polkinghornes & Dunstans, etc. and I think I'll throw a party if I come across one with an individual name!!

Cheers, Norma

[stannarp]

Hi Norma,

Good luck with all this - I'm thinking of sending off for those CD's about families of Stithians at some point to help me figure out 'my' PHILLIPS connections & sort out the intermarriages with OPPY / PHILLIPS / MARTIN / KNUCKEY / SPARGO, if I do, and I remember to look for a connection to your OPPIE's I'll PM you and let you know!

Right now I'm trying to figure out the intricacies of Swedish family history, which looks set to occupy the spare time I have for this for quite a while, but I'll eventually get to a dead end and go back to the UK or Australia

Regards,

Patricia

[normabakker46]

Patricia,

When you want the information on the Phillips from the Stithians let me know. Always happy to help out a fellow Opie/Phillips searcher, even if they are on different branches.

Cheers, Norma

[stannarp]

Hi Norma,

Just seen your kind offer re the Stithians Families CD's ... just bitten the bullet and ordered them as they married into most of the other families listed on these disks, so I thought it would be a useful resource for me to have to sort out which 2nd cousins married which 3rd cousins

The number of variations on Methuesela Phillips I have in my tree over the generations is frightening, LOL!

Hope your research is going well, maybe I'll find a connection to your OPPY's here!

Regards,

Patricia

[jacko47]

Dear Norma,
My father Frederick William James Opie was born in South africa 1912 Johannesburg to Frederick and Nellie Opie Nee Holman, Frederick Opie sinior was also born in South Africa 1894 +- to James born 1847 Cornwall and Eliza Phillips 1850 also Cornwall, they had one daughter and three boys altogeter and spent a lot of time in South Africa mining, Thomas Henery Opie is witness to my fathers birth here in SA so could have been James Opie's brother, they were all miners or engin drivers which has nothing to do with steam engines, it was the hoist that took the miners to the relevent levels in the mine to work. I hope this info is of healp.

Jack Opie born 1947 in good old Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)

[JaneyCanuck]

There is a Gertrude Williams who seems to fit the bill also in Gwennap 1861 and 1871. Gwennap is in the Redruth Reg District, so these two do seem likely candidates for the 1877 marriage.

Just to confirm that, Gertrude Williams Opie's parents are shown on her death record as Stephen Williams and Sarah Blaney (and spouse as Thomas Opie), matching the Gertrude in Gwennap:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JKJC-H6N

So that probably makes the Opie-Williams marriage certificate unnecessary for now ... although the original question here is old now and has probably been settled.

I would really think that the person who stated that this Thomas in Canada was the son of Richard Opie and Sally Dunstan had made an assumption based on incomplete research and stated it as fact. Not an uncommon phenomenon!