Thomas Brown

[mrsbee]

I am looking for information on a Thomas Brown born 1871 to William Brown and Martha Miles in Blandford, Dorset, England. I know from his social security application he listed them as his parents, however, cannot find through the census that he ever lived with them. I know that he arrived in the U.S. sometime around 1901. A sister of his also came to the U.S. Sarah Jane Brown. Was he adopted out?

[Mort29]

Did he have a middle name of Bartlett ? otherwise cant see a Birth Index entry in the Blandford District +/- 5 years 1870 for either of them 

The mooted parents names are on the same Index page of this marriage in Southwark, Surrey (S. London) - but w/o the certificate, we cant be sure who married who of those 2 couples ...

Marriages Dec 1868   
 
Brown  William    St George S  1d 157   
Hayles  James     St George South'k  1d 157   
Miles  Martha     St. George S  1d 157   
Smith  Elizabeth     St George S.  1d 157   

[mrsbee]

I do not know his middle name. As he never appeared in any England Census as living with his parents am assuming he was given out to another family as there was a girl child born the same year and there were several other children.

[Richard Knott]

Welcome to Rootschat.

The Blandford registers have several baptisms for children variously listed as children of William and Martha Brown, or William and Martha Ann Brown (Elizabeth Ann, 1863; William, 1869; Ellen, 1872; Emily Jane, 1874).

The 1881 census lists William and Martha with William, 14; Ellen, 10; Emily, 6.

The 1871 census lists William and Martha with Sarah Jane, 10; Charlott, 7; Maria, 5; William, 3; Frederick, 1.

Freebmd has the following marriage:

Dec 1861 Blandford Forum
William Brown
Martha Ann Myall

In 1861 William Brown is a lodger next to Martha A Miles and her family.

Apart from London being a long way from Blandford, and several years after Sarah Jane was born, the banns for the 1868 marriage list William's wife as Mary Miles.

I can give you fuller details of the census entries and others, if you don't have access to them.

Richard

[mrsbee]

I do have that information and believe that William Brown born 1841 died Sept 1914. However, I just can not find Thomas living with the family at any time. I have found a Thomas Brown born about that time with another family in the same area. He is listed as a nurse child.
What is a nurse child? Could this possibly be our Thomas Brown?

[Richard Knott]

Right; it would have been useful to know what you already knew. Your original post, for instance, didn't mention Martha's middle name or alternative spelling for her surname.

Between them, these three threads will tell you most of what you want to know about nurse children:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,45473.0.html
and
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,3864.0.html
and
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,48520.0.html

Richard

[Mort29]

Apart from London being a long way from Blandford, and several years after Sarah Jane was born, the banns for the 1868 marriage list William's wife as Mary Miles.

Its not unheard of for marriages to be a long way from 'home' - not that this one was being offered as a solution...... and as to your point about the name in the Banns - who's to say which is correct?

Sarah Janes age at entry to the USA is not yet known, so again its all surmise ref your census finds  w/o the actual link of a Thomas being in the family.

Right; it would have been useful to know what you already knew. Your original post, for instance, didn't mention Martha's middle name or alternative spelling for her surname.

Perhaps the OP didnt know those facts?

[mrsbee]

Thank you for the information and I am sorry I didn't mention all that I have already obtained regarding Thomas Brown. Most of the information I have is from after he arrived in the U.S. However, I obtained a copy of his social security application on which he gave his parents names as William ? Brown and Martha A. Miles born on March 5, 1871 in Blandford, Dorset, England. There have been several years mentioned on census as to the one he arrived in the U.S. 1894, 1897 or 1901. It is believed in the family that he was a stow away on a ship arriving in Canada first and then to U.S. I know that he married and his first child was born in 1904. I have also linked him with his sister Sarah Jane Brown here in the U.S. through an obituary for Sarah listing him as her brother. Sarah arrived in the U.S. about 1900 with a daughter Elizabeth (father unknown). Elizabeth was born in 1881 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England. Sarah Jane was the oldest of the family being born in 1861.

[Mort29]

Given those new facts, the circumstantial evidence is growing that he was of the W & M family.

Looks like Sarah Jane was registered as Myall btw.

Thomas isnt shown in Registered Birth Index. If he was born March 1871, he should just have made it onto the 1871 census - but of course, the census is a 1-night snapshot in 10 years  .... so in 1881 he could have been elsewhere (school perhaps), and by 1891 left home...

Can you give the exact Ref for the Nurse Child you found? I can only see a Henry....

Did Sarah Jane still use the name Brown when she arrived in 1900ish?