Thomas Collins foreign annuitant in 1851?

[mew64]

Hi everyone, I wasn't sure where to put this one, so sorry if this is the wrong board.
Thomas Collins born  c1795 in either Fulbeck or Wellingore Lincolnshire (within 5 miles of each other) appears on the 1851 census married to  Portugese lady by the name of Donna (meaning Mrs. or lady of the house) Ludovina Leocadia, at 6 Lambeth Square in London.
 Thomas is listed as a 'foreign annuitant', I gather this means he was in reciept of an allowance of some sort. I'm wondering if he could have been in Portugal with the military & that's how he met his wife? They had three daughters & three sons that I know of, sometimes their birth places are given as Lisbon Portugal, other times at various locations around London. This is proving to be a wonderful family to research with some very interesting people, such as their daughter Carlotta married John Baptiste Zerbini, professor of music & well known violinist. One of Carlotta & John's daughter's who was named after her mother, became a well known actress in her time.
I would love to find out more about Thomas, was he in the military, where did the annuity come from etc.?
Any help or advice would be great, many thanks.

[stanmapstone]

John Baptiste Zerbini, professor of music & well known violinist.

Just to say that Professor is an appointment as the principle lecturer or teacher in a field of learning  at a university or college."Professor" in this context has a different meaning. "Professor of Music",  or "Music Professor" as applied to ordinary music-instructors, means they profess to teach music. At that time it was more usual for people to call themselves "Professor" of Music etc. if they wanted to impress. You can see plenty advertising in the newspapers, and in Directories in the 19th Century. In the 1881 Census there are 13 Doctors of Music, and 3,593 Professors of Music.


Stan

[Britgirl]

Hi Mew64, I'm also researching this family and they are fascinating aren't they!
I'm dying to locate their marriage in Portugal and would love to find Leocadia's family.

For ages I thought both Thomas and Leocadia had died in the 1850s but today I just found them in Islington in 1861, living as Robert B Scott, his wife Leocadia and their 30 year old son Guillume! Everything else says Robert Scott is Thomas Collins so goodness knows why he's living under a different name!

I believe Thomas was christened on 24 Jan 1790 in Wellingore, Lincs to William & Jane, the 6th of 7 children.

[Britgirl]

And you're not going to believe this but I just tried another search, and came up with a book written by Thomas Collins, "Statement of Claims on the Portugese Government", detailing his claim for compensation from the Portugese goverment for various wrongdoings against him in the 1820s!!

You can read it for yourself here: http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Statement_of_claims_on_the_Portuguese_go.html?id=ijc7AAAAYAAJ&redir_esc=y Scroll down the page to Section One!

I've only got so far but he mentions he was there in 1816, having previously married a respectable Portugese lady (not named so far) and their 10 children - I have 10 in my database!

Thomas was a publisher so it would be easy for him to get the book out, and as we know he was reciving an annuity in 1851!
I think this might just answer many of our questions! 

[mew64]

Hi, and thank you so much! I'll be in touch once I've had a chance to read the book, wow this could be so helpful!
Thanks again.

[Dave Jones]

Cambridge Chronicle 23rd April 1813
Married
Monday se’nnight, at St Nicholas’s Chapel, Lyon, Thomas Collins Esq., Deputy Commissary in Lord Wellington’s army, to Signora Leocadia Lodivina Da Silva, of the kingdom of Portugal.

[Britgirl]

Dave!!!!! You're a star!
Thank you so much for finding the marriage. 

[aamkj]

Hi all,

I'm desperately hoping I'm not eight years late to the game! I too am researching this family. Thomas Collins/Robert Scott and his Portuguese wife, Leocadia Lodivinia, are my x5 Great Grandparents and I'm anxious to find out anything I can about Leocadia's roots. It seems I've hit a dead end and can't trace her within Evora, Portugal where she's supposedly from. The other issue I've run into is her birth date, or lack thereof. Every source I have points to a birth year of 1802, but with their marriage taking place in 1813, I sincerely hope my sources are wrong and she was older than eleven!
Does anyone have information for Leocadia or her direct family in Portugal, or an accurate birth year for her? Failing that, any clue of the best way to go about researching a Portuguese family from that era whilst quarantining in the UK? 
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated, and I thank you in advance.

J

[janey2103]

This Thomas Collins is my 4 the great grandfather.