Charles Thornton

[jstuber]

I agree that's not him.

I suspect he died in a coal mining accident in the Iowa county next to where he was married (Monroe), in 1901.  A Charles Thornton appears in the 1900 census there (with another woman) but gave his age 20 years younger and born in Australia, not England.  That would explain any accent he had.  A person named Charles Thornton is well recorded as dying in that accident. 

I think his whole life was filled with deceit, and that his birth location was just another of them.   

[Annette7]

A couple of questions:

1. Is there an occupation given for his 'supposed' father W. T. Thornton when he married Clara in 1892?

2. When his wife Clara remarried in 1902 was this as a widow?

Annette

[jstuber]

1.  Occupations were not listed on marriage records at that time.

2.  Good question.  All I have is the first page of their marriage record, which doesn't list that.  That's an avenue worth pursuing.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XJ5C-2TP

Charles ran a jewelry shop in the small mining town they lived in, until he was arrested for not paying his suppliers.  He jumped bail and fled, my presumption is to the neighboring county.  He and Clara had three children, the first documented (before his disappearance) and the later two were not.  My presumption on that is that he didn't want to have it known he was back in the  county.  Here's Clara in the 1900 census with those children.  She's listed as married.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M9KM-LBJ

In January of 1901 she filed for divorce, as noted in the local newspaper.  Then in June of that year is when a Charles Thornton was killed in a coal mine.  That too was noted briefly in the newspaper, but nothing about family or next of kin.

[rosie99]

I think his whole life was filled with deceit, and that his birth location was just another of them.   

Saying he was born Thornton Abbey having the surname Thornton sounds as though he is trying to give an impression of parental wealth or similar.   
The only property of this name that I can think of in the UK is in Lincolnshire.

Thank you for the links they were most helpful

[jstuber]

Here's the 1900 census with the person I suspect is the same Charles Thornton.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M921-LD6

These were not highly populated counties and they sit adjacent to each other.  Each had about 20,000 people.

If that's him, he was not only a criminal but a bigamist as well.

I can find no trace of him in later years.

[Annette7]

Thornton Abby/ey is not a place but, as mentioned, there is a property with this name in the village of Thornton Curtis, Lincolnshire.   There were no people named Parson/s or Thornton living or born there however.   There is also no Charles Thornton with a mother Louisa on census or baptisms for the relevant period who was born in Devon.

So, since Charles could spin a yarn, it seems, then I will spin one too which you can keep on the back burner!

What, if anything, could be true on his marriage certificate I wondered?   His father is given as W T Thornton - so were there any W T Thornton's in England at the relevant time.   Assuming the obvious I looked for William Thomas Thornton of some means (since citing Thornton Abby as a birthplace sounded somewhat grandiose).

On 15/4/1841 at St. Pancras, London a William Thomas Thornton, of full age, 'Gent' married an Elizabeth Evelyn Darvers (think it should be Danvers).   

If you 'google' him you'll find quite a lot about him - he was born 1813 in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, was an author, civil servant, etc.

W T and wife had 3 children - first 2 born St. Pancras and youngest in Marylebone.   They lived in Marylebone for a while and later moved to Kensington where both he and his wife died.

Now for my 'yarn' - a Charles Parsons (Parson itself being not such a common name and none born in London at relevant time) was b.18/8/1855 and bp.29/9/1855 St. Pancras, son of Louisa Parsons.   He was born in the Workhouse.   In the words of all good mysteries 'what happened next'?

I can find no trace of this child after his baptism and no idea who Louisa Parsons was (although there were a number of servants with this name in London in 1851.   Louisa may have married and Charles appears under her married name on 1861/1871 census but who can say.

Certainly, the prosperous William Thomas Thornton had various servants - was Louisa Parsons one of them 1854/55?   Without wishing to malign said gentleman was it possible he had a 'dalliance' with one of the servants i.e. Louisa Parsons who was 'cast off' by the family once her pregnancy evident and who had to resort to the Workhouse once destitute?  Did she tell her son exactly who his father was?   For some reason I believe his mothers name is real (and Parsons rather than Parson) and since he doesn't appear to have been born a Thornton then illegitimacy seemed the way to go.   

All if's, but's and maybe's I know but the scenario itself could be a possibility.   Once he reached the US Charles 're-invented' himself, that's for sure!

Annette

[jstuber]

If Rootschat ever creates an award for the best story crafted from historical facts, you're certainly in the running.   

Thanks!

[jstuber]

I looked up William Thomas in the census and he did always have servants:  3 females in 1851, 1 male and 2 females in 1861 and 1 male and 3 females in 1871, always different names.

When I googled his name I found this particularly detailed essay.   Nothing about my Charles, of course, but fascinating reading.

http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=bus_article

[rosie99]

I wonder if there was a bastardy order for Charles Parsons