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Hi. I have just found out my grandmothers name and my great grandparents name. I am looking for Thomas Peters who married Mary Ann nee Day. They were born around 1880? They had a daughter named Mary Ann Day.born 1902. I don't know any other details of other siblings etc. My grandmother Mary lived in London. I really would appreciate any help to find out about them.
Thanks
Pauline Solly

Could this be their marriage?

Marriages Mar 1895 (>99%)
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Day Mary Lambeth 1d 563
Peters Thomas Lambeth 1d 563

Possibility for 1901:

1901 England Census
about Thomas W Peters
Name: Thomas W Peters
Age: 29
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1872
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Mary A
Gender: Male
Where born: Newington

Civil Parish: Southwark St George The Martyr
Ecclesiastical parish: St George the Martyr Southwark
County/Island: London
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View Image

Registration district: St Saviour Southwark
Sub-registration district: Kent Road
ED, institution, or vessel: 3
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 144
Household Members: Name Age
Mary A Peters 23
Thomas W Peters 29


Thomas is listed as a brush dealer, born Newington, Mary A was born in Wandsworth. They are living at 4 Fox's Buildings.

Surname First name(s) Mother District Vol Page

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Births Jun 1913 (98%)
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Peters Elizabeth B Day Lambeth 1d 623


would this be a daughter?

Thank you Louise, It seems that they are the ones. Iam looking forward to finding out more, other children besides my grandmother
Pauline

Yes Lindylou this appears to be them. I cannot believe how much information you have given me. My sincere thanks for this.
Regards
Pauline

Thank you Glenys. This could be a daughter. i have an Uncle I have just recently found still living in London. I will ring him now and ask him about my grandmothers siblings.
Regards
Pauline

Hi Lindy Lou,
I don't think this is the one I am looking for. I have seen my grandmothers birth certificate now and Thomas Peters was a General dealer. I have now looked and it seems he was born in 1869. Further than that I do not know.
Regards
Pauline

Hi Pauline,

I found this family on the 1901 census. Thomas's occupation is general dealer, and the address they are living at is 4 District street. Everyone is down as being born in Lambeth.

Louise

Name: Thomas Peters
Age: 32
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1869
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Mary
Gender: Male
Where born: Lambeth, London, England

Civil Parish: Lambeth
Ecclesiastical parish: Emmanuel
County/Island: London
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View Image

Registration district: Lambeth
Sub-registration district: Lambeth Church Second
ED, institution, or vessel: 5
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 10
Household Members: Name Age
Mary Peters 30
Nellie Peters 3
Robert Peters 13 months
Thomas Peters 32

Hi, Can anyone help me find the parents of Thomas Peters born London about 1868 and Mary Day his wife was born about 1873. I have their marriage certificate and Thomas Peters was the father of Thomas Peters. It says he was deceased at the time of their marriage as was John Day deceased. John Day was a chimney sweep and Thomas Peters was a bricklayer.Both these gg grandparents would have been born about the 1840's. I believe Thomas was married to Eliza ? They all lived around the Lambeth area London
I hope you can help
Regards
Pauline

That is correct. I made a mistake the way I wrote that Sorry. I am really looking for Thomas Peters about 1843, father of Thomas Peters. He was deceased before the marriage of his son to Mary Day in 1895. He was a bricklayer.

Have you looked in the censuses, Pauline?

There is one family that fits the bill rather well, except for the occupation.


1871:

Name: Thomas Peters
Age: 6
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1865
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Thomas - basket maker
Mother's Name: Elizabeth
Where born: Cullampton, Devon, England
Civil Parish: St Mary Newington


1891:

Name: Thomas Peters
Age: 26
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1865
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Thomas
Mother's Name: Elizbth
Where born: Cullompton, Devon, England
Civil Parish: Lambeth
- both father and son are basket makers (father is foreman)


That's the best that a search for Tho* Peter* born 1866-1870 in that vicinity seems to come up with.


Yours says in 1901 that he was born in Lambeth

Name: Thomas Peters
Age: 32
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1869
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Mary
Where born: Lambeth, London, England
Civil Parish: Lambeth

but that isn't always reliable.


According to FreeBMD, there was no Thomas Peter* born in Lambeth 1866-1872.

A transition from basket maker in 1891 to general dealer / hawker in 1901? Not unimaginable!

Kill that one!

Devon Thomas is alive and well and living his own life in 1901:

Name: Thomas Peters
Age: 35
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1866
Relation: Lodger
Where born: Plymtree, Devon, England
Civil Parish: Lambeth


Well, that's one ruled out, anyhow, lol.

So where the heck was your Thomas?

Possible that his mother had remarried and he is in the censuses under his stepfather's surname, a not uncommon phenomenon.

Thank you so much. He is proving as dificult as my G Grandparents on mum's side. Evans & Davies.
Pauline

There's a fairly good chance that father Thomas Peters was an invention.

The name being the same as his, and the father being deceased, are common markers of invented fathers, where the mother was not married and the person did not want to state a father with a different surname (if he knew his father's name).

Not always the case, obviously, or even the case a majority of the time, but when there is no previous evidence of the person or his father, it's well worth considering. His mother may have married after his birth, and he could appear in censuses under the stepfather's name ... if I can repeat myself, lol.

Although ... there is this death:

Deaths Mar 1873
Peters Thomas age 42 Lambeth 1d 319


Can't spot him in the 1871 census still.

Well hmm.

Looked in 1881 for Thomas son of Elizabeth in Lambeth.


Name: Thomas P. May
Age: 12
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1869
Relation: Son
Mother's Name: Elizabeth
Gender: Male
Where born: Lambeth, Surrey, England
Civil Parish: Lambeth

Elizabeth May 57
Emily May 28
Kate May 19
Maud May 21 (niece)
Thomas P. May 12
Joseph Moulton 25


He is the only one with a middle initial. In blended households, the children were often recorded under their stepfathers' surname with a middle initial to indicate their birth surname.

I don't see a marriage of an Elizabeth Peters to a May, but I'd say this one is worth looking into.


... Well hmmmmm.

The household in 1871:

Elizabeth May 44
Emily M May 19
Kate May 9
Thomas May 43 - engine fitter at works
Thomas May 13
(the 13 is messy, but a 3-yr-old would not have been a scholar ... except drat, he is listed after the 9-yr-old, so may more likely be 3 ...)

And Elizabeth is the same one. Born in Dorset.

Another one to rule out!

1881

Name: Thomas Peters
Age: 9
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1872
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Thomas
Mother's Name: Mary
Gender: Male
Where born: Middlesex, England

Civil Parish: Southwark St George Martyr
County/Island: London

Thomas Peters 61 - blacksmith
Mary Peters 35 - wife
Louisa Peters 31 - daughter-in-law
Thomas Peters 9 - son
Mary Phillips 60


It is difficult to say whose son he is. The intention could be that he is Louisa's son.

But Thomas's wife Mary is certainly young enough that he could be their son.

No luck finding them in previous censuses so far.

No, wait, this is it.


1871:

Name: Frederick Peto
Age: 26
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1845
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Louisa
Where born: Godalming, Surrey, England
Civil Parish: Godalming
Town: Farncombe
County/Island: Surrey
Country: England

Occupation: BRICKLAYER

Registration district: Guildford

Alice Peto 3
Eliza Peto 1
Frederick Peto 26
Louisa Peto 22


You may now fall over in a faint.

He was reared by his grandfather and may never have known his father's name. Or his father may have been Frederick Thomas called Thomas ...


EDIT - WAIT - NOT YET. It doesn't quite pan out ...

Aaaargh. No, that was not a mistranscription.

In 1851, they are Peto.


Alfred Peto 6 Mo
Caroline Peto 13
Edward Peto 2
Eli Peto 5
Eliza Peto 36
Eliza Peto 3
Frederick Peto 7
Henry Peto 19
James Peto 15
Janne Peto 40
John Peto 9


However, I'm not giving up on this one yet. A Pet* who is a bricklayer with a wife Louisa who matches Louisa Peters in 1881?


I just finished tracking back a Thomas Kettle I couldn't find in the 1871 who should have been there ... and found the family (and the parents' marriage) as COSTELLO(E).

So Peto to Peters? Maybe, maybe.

OH my God You are a gem I would never have found any of this. This is fantastic. Thank you so much. It will take a bit of time for it all to sink in won't it.
Thanks again
Pauline