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Hi all, Im looking for any help you guys can give me here regarding Thomas's ancestors. Thomas was born in Paddington,London & was baptised in Paddington Holy Trinity on 19/01/1873. His father was John Hobbs b. about 1840, I believe. Family members lead me to believe his mother was Eliza Williams. Thomas was a cycle maker in adult life & I believe his cycles became quite famous, ( Hobbs Cycles). Having said that I'm finding it hard to get anywhere with my research on his parents, grandparents etc. Any Help that you guys out there could give would be most greatly appreciated.

Look for him in 1881..it's FREE

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp

Name: Thomas Hobbs
Record Type: Baptism
Estimated Birth Date: abt 1873
Baptism Date: 19 Jan 1873
Father's Name: John Hobbs
Mother's Name: Eliza Hobbs
Parish or Poor Law Union: Paddington Holy Trinity
Borough: Westminster
Register Type: Parish Registers


Name: Thos. Hobbs
Age: 8
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1873
Relation: Son
Father's Name: John Hobbs
Mother's Name: Eliza Hobbs
Gender: Male
Where born: Paddington, Middlesex, England
Civil parish: Chelsea
County/Island: London
Country: England
Street Address: 123 O Street

Occupation: Scholar
Registration district: Chelsea
Sub-registration district: Chelsea, North-East
ED, institution, or vessel: 13d
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 88
Folio: 137
Page Number: 17
Household Members:
Name Age
John Hobbs 41
Eliza Hobbs 31
John Hobbs 12
Eliza Hobbs 10
Thos. Hobbs 8
Harriett Hobbs 6
Henry Hobbs 4
Mary Hobbs 2

Have tried that but find no Thomas William Hobbs born in Paddington.

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 about John Hobbs
Name: John Hobbs
Age: 28
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1840
Spouse Name: Eliza Williams
Spouse Age: 20
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 20 Jan 1868
Parish: Bayswater
Borough: Westminster
Father Name: Thomas Hobbs
Spouse Father Name: Thomas Williams
Register Type: Parish Register

Don't expect FULL names on every census

Ah, thank you reggie.

Where did you get the idea that he had a second name?

Not a shred of evidence to support that.................

I've posted the baptism.......the 1881 census, and the marriage of his parents.............

Is this him?

London, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1906
about Thomas Hobbs Name: Thomas Hobbs
Record Type: Baptism
Estimated Birth Date: abt 1873
Baptism Date: 19 Jan 1873
Father's Name: John Hobbs
Mother's Name: Eliza Hobbs
Parish or Poor Law Union: Paddington Holy Trinity
Borough: Westminster
Register Type: Parish Registers

Address 49 Woodchester St, Father is a contractor's foreman. No birthdate given.

This is a site dedicated to Hobbs Cycles. Just remember that not every bit of info your family tells you is much more than legend. You might be related or you might not. The info says that the bicycles were built by Joe and Albert Hobbs and the oldest recorded is 1933. So whilst it's possible that you might find your Thomas is linked to Joe and Albert, it doesn't look like he was the famous one in the family. I hope you find your connection. J

http://freespace.virgin.net/hobbs_of.barbican/vcc.html

This from their 'History' page.

Hobbs of Barbican not only made some of the classiest frames and components (even if some of the latter could be a little delicate) during their distinguished history but, along with Rattray's "Flying Scot" , could lay claim to having the best name as well !

The company is believed to have been started by Albert Hobbs in the Barbican in the centre of London in 1930 but the earliest bike so far unearthed dates back to 1933. Hobbs was among a raft of firms that took advantage of the bike boom in the late 1920s and early 1930s but quickly distinguished themselves by the quality of their machines and the elegant and beautifully filed lugs they often used.

The "Barbican" in the Hobbs name comes from the Latin Barbecana meaning an outwork. Gradually the meaning changed, along with the pronunciation, to identify a fortified outpost or gateway.

In London, this Barbican was situated on the northern edge of what was Roman Londinium, a town of approximately 325 acres. The original Barbican of this period was probably sited somewhere between the northern side of the Church of St Giles Cripplegate and the YMCA hostel on Fann Street.

St Giles is associated with the Cripplegate entrance to the City of London but the word, Cripplegate, is a corruption of the Saxon word Crepel which means a covered way, in this case leading from the City Wall out to the Barbican. (The church of St Giles Cripplegate is thought to have had its origins at the end of the 11th century but was burned down around the middle of the 16th Century. The present building is one of the few churches to have survived the Great Fire of London in 1666.)

The original Hobbs of Barbican workshop was situated at 34 Barbican, EC2. In those pre-war days, this was a street and not part of the modern Barbican Centre. No. 34 was on the north side of Barbican and just west of the junction with Golden Lane. It is now the western part of Beech Street, EC2.

A firm called J. Hobbs and Son, dealers in trunk and bag fittings, were based at that address in the 1930s. Hobbs of Barbican were first mentioned in the trade directory of 1936 alongside J. Hobbs and Son. The bike makers continued to be listed up to and including 1941.

During the 1939-45 war the City of London and the Barbican area suffered appalling damage and loss of life. This area was home to many small businesses and was devastated during the Blitz. It is believed to be around this time that Albert Hobbs moved his operation to the Sterling Works at Dagenham with production up and running soon after the end of hostilities.

The former Barbican site was redeveloped and is now a mix of housing and commercial units. The Barbican Centre was part of the post-war restoration and covers the site of many small streets and the warehouses and workshops that formerly stood there

My grand mother always said he preffered to use his second name rather than his first. Hence he was known in the family as William, but to everyone else he was Thomas.

Thanks for that J. I do know that Thomas had a son named Albert, but am not aware of a Joe.

Have you got any certs ?

Just that there are a couple of possible births/baptisms around 1873 +/- 2 years
so you might be researching the wrong person

I have a birth cert for his son Thomas William Hobbs, b. 1896. He was my grandfather.

Did Thomas b1896 marry Amelia Robinson ?

Yes, Her first husband , Stephen Robinson was killed during the Great War.

Puzzled

AS that marriage cert in 1918 gives his father as deceased but you say died about 1934

Now that has me puzzled also. Im sure my Gran, Amelia said that he died in the 30's & this is a long time ago i'm thinking back here, many years, so i could be wrong about his death date.

Looking at the baptisms for his children he is only listed as Thomas with wife Annie Amelia

??
Marriages Mar 1891 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darvell Annie Chelsea 1a 584b
Faithful Annie Amelia Chelsea 1a 584b
Hobbs Thomas Chelsea 1a 584b
Parker Robert John Chelsea 1a 584b


So perhaps he added a middle name later in his life



Name: Thomas Hobbs
Age: Full Age
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1891
Spouse Name: Annie Amelia Faithful
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 30 Mar 1891
Parish: Kensal Green St Jude
Borough: Westminster
Father Name: John Hobbs
Register Type: Parish Register


Blowed if I can make out the occupation

Curious! Almost as if he's trying to reinvent himself for some reason.