Find Ancestors

Hi! I’m really stuck! Hope someone can give useful advice.

I’m looking for Alexander Thompson
born: 03/01/1878 West Derby Liverpool
parents: George Henry Thompson (1842-1901 Liverpool) and Sarah Ann nee Braithwaite (1847-1911 Liverpool)

I have an entry for 1901 census according to which he is living at 99 Paddington in Liverpool with his mother (head), sister (1881 Liverpool), and wife Lily G. born Birkenhead age 23.

Then he disappears. In 1911 his sister is living alone the mother dead.

I cannot find any marriage record. There is a death record for an Alexander Thompson born the same year (there are two) but on expecting the burial record at the Liverpool archive the person who owns the grave he’s in, is the mother of the wrong Alexander (the other one). What a blow!

I have a subscription for a genealogy research site and I looked up every possible record but nothing came up: no marriage, no death and passenger lists don’t include information that can help me identify him as he has a very common name. I crossed referenced passenger lists for Alexander and Lily with no luck. Furthermore I cannot trace the birth of this Lily G as I can’t find her maiden name (no marriage record). I tried all the possible alternatives Lillian, Lilla, etc. no luck.

I cannot find the burial place of the mother either. I looked up all the burial records for every single cemetery in Liverpool and could not find her. The father dead in 1901 and is buried in a communal grave in West Derby Cemetery. The daughter lived to a reasonably old age (1958) and is buried with her husband in Allerton cemetery.

Any suggestions on how to proceed? I’ll be coming to Liverpool for a few weeks of on site research, is there any archive I haven’t thought of that can help be find out what happened to him?

One last question: the father was often absent from home (I checked the directories) is there any way I can find out where he went to? He was a gunsmith…maybe the army?

For ref.


1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Cambria Street, West Derby, Lancashire, England

Household Members
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital condition Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
George H Thompson Head Married Male 51 1840 Gunsmith -
Image Transcription
Sarah Thompson Wife Married Female 44 1847 - -
Image Transcription
Alexander Thompson Son Single Male 13 1878 Scholar -
Image Transcription
Daisy Thompson Daughter Single Female 9 1882 Scholar -




1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
99, Paddington, West Derby, Lancashire, England

Household Members
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital condition Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Sarah A Thompson Head Widow Female 53 1848 - Liverpool, Lancashire
Image Transcription
Alexander Thompson Son Married Male 23 1878 Barber Liverpool, Lancashire
Image Transcription
Daisy L Thompson Daughter Single Female 19 1882 Cigarette Maker Liverpool, Lancashire
Image Transcription
Lily G Thompson Daughter-In-Law Married Female 23 1878 - Birkenhead, Cheshire

I had wondered about this one, though the Thompson is a Robert, not an Alexander:

Marriages Dec 1900
Baldwin Henry James W. Derby 8b 1044
Browne Mathilda W Derby 8b 1044
Thompson Robert W. Derby 8b 1044<<<<<<<<<
Wilson Lily Gertrude W. Derby 8b 1044<<<<<<<<<<<

However census 1901 definitely eliminates that by showing Lily Gertrude Wilson had married Henry J Baldwin:

Name: Lily G Baldwin
Age: 20
Estimated birth year: abt 1881
Relation to Head: Daughter-in-law
Gender: Female
Spouse: Henry J Baldwin
Birth Place: Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: Garston
Ecclesiastical parish: St Michael
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England

Household Members:
Name Age
Francis Baldwin 56
Stephen G Baldwin 17
Arthur E Baldwin 15
Henry J Baldwin 24
Lily G Baldwin 20

Just posting it to save anyone else going down the same route.

Hello Irene
Is this the death that you have ruled out

Name: Alexander Thompson
Estimated birth year: abt 1879
Registration Year: 1905
Registration Quarter: Oct-Nov-Dec
Age at Death: 26
Registration district: West Derby
Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
Inferred County: Lancashire
Volume: 8b
Page: 327

Who was the informant on his mother's death certificate?

Could he have been in the Navy.?

1911 England Census about Alexander Thompson
Name: Alexander Thompson
Age in 1911: 32
Estimated birth year: abt 1879
Birth Place: Bolton, Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: China and East Indies
County/Island: Royal Navy
Country: England
Marital Status: Married
Registration District Number: 640
ED, institution, or vessel: Vessels
Piece: 34972

Born 3rd Jan 1878 and baptised 20th Jan 1878 can't read the name of the street but the number is 42 and it starts with a G I think. Parents George and Sarah and George is a gunsmith.

Hello Irene and welcome to the Community boards.




I will let Irene know that she has replies to her query. :-)

????
(probably not as occupation is not the same as in 1901 but here it is just in case)


Name: Alexander Thompson
Age in 1911: 32
Estimated birth year: abt 1879
Relation to Head: Head
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: Toxteth Park
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Street address: 61 Brookdale Rd Liverpool
Marital Status: Married 5yrs
Occupation: Cashier Wine Trade
Registration district: Toxteth Park
Registration District Number: 454
Sub-registration district: Toxteth Park East
ED, institution, or vessel: 8
Piece: 22286
Household Members:
Name Age
Alexander Thompson 32
Louisa Thompson 36
Charles Noel Thompson 1

1 child still living


Marriages Sep 1905 (>99%)
Corlett John Edward W. Derby 8b 770
Lang Louisa W.Derby 8b 770
THOMPSON Alexander W. Derby 8b 770
THOMPSON Henrietta W. Derby 8b 770

Thanks to all! Unfortunately it all confirms the data I have...

Sylvia: yes, that's the one! when I painstakingly went through all the microfilms in search of the burial (and I didn't know the cemetery so I went though quite a few), I discovered that the name of the grave owner was the mother of the other Alexander!

Richochet: I don't have the death certificate of the mother. I think she died in 1911 and checked the burial records but did not find her.

Susan: good try but birthplace is wrong

Catherine:...interesting but not only name of wife is wrong (but then she could have changed it) but the age too...

In the meantime everybody I've found some exciting information! I discovered a parish record for a daughter born in 1901 (and sadly died the following year): Olive Luisa Thompson (Luisa is the second name of Daisy, Alexander's sister, and of later her daughter Eveline so I'm quite confident it's right). the parents are listed as Alexander Thompson and Lily. I looked for other children but found none.
I was thinking...they might have never got married...

Otherwise...why can't we find a marriage record? I also tried Cheshire as Lily was born in Birkenhead, and the whole of Lancashire but no luck.

Irene
I also had the same thought about them not being married.

A possible death for the Mother maybe just before the 1911 census.

eBMD Death Index, 1837-1915 about Sarah A Thompson
Name: Sarah A Thompson
Estimated birth year: abt 1847
Registration Year: 1911
Registration Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar
Age at Death: 64
Registration district: West Derby
Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
Inferred County: Lancashire
Volume: 8b
Page: 3

I guess the only option is to get birth certificate of their daughter Olive, find out mother's maiden name and work on that as Lily G is not as common a name as Alexander.

feeling quite frustrated!

There isn't a Lily G born in Birkenhead either to match her age - only one near is a Lilly G, in Tranmere, but she married in 1900 to someone else.

There 'was' a possible Lily G born at that time in Birkenhead but I couldn't connect her,

Births Sep 1878
Williams Lilian Gertrude Birkenhead 8a 528

Dea x

Thanks Flip and Dea!

I'm more determinated than ever to order that birth cert.! I wonder what surprises there will be!

At a point someone did suggest she might be Irish and that being a stigma at the time many gave birth place Birkenhead instead.

Could he have emigrated?

Name: Ehlexander Thompson
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1910
Event Place: Lawrence Ward 4, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 38
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Race (Original): White
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Head
Birth Year (Estimated): 1872
Birthplace: England
Immigration Year: 1909
Father's Birthplace: England
Mother's Birthplace: England
Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
Ehlexander Thompson Head M 38 England
Lilly Thompson Wife F 35 England
Vira D L Thompson Daughter F 8 England

Name has been mistranscribed so maybe there is also an errror with his age?

Good find Catherine but I think this may be the family above.


New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 about Lilly Thompson
Name: Lilly Thompson
Arrival Date: 24 Oct 1909
Birth Date: abt 1876
Birth Location: England
Birth Location Other: london
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Ethnicity/ Nationality: English
Port of Departure: Southampton
Port of Arrival: New York, New York
Ship Name: Philadelphia


Travelled with Edward Alexander, 38 an engineer and Vera Isabel 8. Lilly was 33.

Ehlexander in your census is also an engineer.

Just to tidy up my find and as I don't like leaving loose ends,, this looks to be the birth for the daughter in the immigration record:-

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 about Vera Isabel L Thompson
Name: Vera Isabel L Thompson
Registration Year: 1901
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration district: London City
Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
Inferred County: London
Volume: 1c
Page: 10

.............and parents marriage:-

Marriages Mar 1901 (>99%)
Skinner Lilly London C. 1c 31
Thompson Edward Alexander London C. 1c 31

............so born in London which rules this out completely!
.................................................


This looks to be relevant to the Olive Louisa Thompson you found:-

Olive Louisa Thompson
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
birth: 13 July 1901 Paddington
christening: 28 July 1901 St Peters C of E
residence: 1901 Liverpool, Lancashire, England
father: Alexander Thompson
mother: Lily

One consideration, they never got married but got together as "married" because if Olive Louisa is their child Lily was obviously pregnant at the time of the 1901 census. Baby was dead within 9 months, maybe they just went their seperate ways?

It would make the 1911 census posted by Catherine worth checking further - I know there's a change of occupation, but it might have been slack on the hairdressing front - and a married man with responsibilites would need a job. He would have been educated I would have thought (so capable of being a cashire), because his sister Daisy obviously was. Incidently, I found a probate record for that Alexander but it didn't give an occupation - probate granted to the son on 1911 census.

Thanks Dea, I didn't look for a Lilian, just Lily or Lilly - silly mistake. Might be worth trying to find her in 1891/1901 just to see if she disappeared then came back for 1911 census. (I checked out the Lilly G I spotted, and she is on 1901/11 with her husband.

ADDED: Cheshire bmd also gives Lilian Gertrude William's birth registered in Tranmere rather than Birkenhead, although the family were living in Birkenhead on 1901 census, so probably not her as she is with them. Added further, the children of this family were born in various locations on the Wirrall so they must have moved around the area quite a lot hence the birth confusions.