Brick Wall - Thomas Pollard Griffey

[JenClark]

Hello All,

Doing a bit of research on my Griffey family at the moment, and I've got one fellow that I am seriously stuck on...thought someone might have a light bulb moment, or have some ideas for me.

Thomas Pollard Griffey was born on 1 Feb 1845 at East the Water, Bideford, Devon
His parents were William Perryman Griffey & Joanna Pollard. I have his actual birth certificate and have loads of info on his parents, so no troubles there. His father started out as a shoemaker/cordwainer but ended up becoming a ship's captain on the steamers in the Bristol Channel.

I have come across his baptism record on 22 Apr 1845 at St. George-Brandon Hill Church, Bristol - his family eventually relocating from Bideford, Devon to Bristol in the late 1840's.

I have him in the census as below:

1851 census - Ayres Buildings, Bedminster Bristol (St Paul)

William Perreyman Griffey head M 29yrs Seaman b. Bideford, Devon
Joanna Griffey wife M 30yrs b. Kea, Cornwall
Thomas Pollard Griffey son 6yrs b. Bideford, Devon
Elizabeth Clark Griffey dau 4yrs b. Bideford, Devon
William Perreyman Griffey son 2yrs b. Bideford, Devon

1861 census - Barnstaple Street, Bideford Devon

Richard Dennis Head M 29yrs Joiner employing one boy b. Monkleigh, Devon
Cordelia Dennis Wife M 29yrs b. Bideford, Devon
William Dennis Son U 9mths b. Bideford, Devon
Cordelia Skewes Aunt W 61yrs Nurse b. Key, Cornwall
Thomas P Griffey App 16yrs Apprentice Joiner b. Bideford, Devon

His parents are in Bristol in 1861 with his siblings, but Thomas Pollard Griffey is living in Bideford with his Aunt Cordelia Skewes (nee Pollard), and cousin Cordelia Dennis (nee Pollard).

It is after this that I completely lose track of him.........

I cannot for the life of me find him in the 1871 census, his Aunt has passed away by then, and he is not with his cousin Cordelia Dennis who by that stage had relocated to Cheshire. He is also not with his parents who are recorded as below:

1871 census - Arcadia Villa, Bedminster Bristol (Cumberland Road)

William P Griffey head M 49yrs master mariner b. Bideford Devon
Joanna Griffey wife M 50yrs wife of above b. Cornwall
Elizabeth E Griffey daughter U 24yrs b. Bideford Devon
William P Griffey son U 22yrs sailmaker b. Bideford Devon
Mary R Griffey daughter U 19yrs b. Bristol

I thought I had found him for a while when I found the below census entry in 1891 in Wales:

1891 census - Back Street, Newport, Monmouthshire

Thomas Griffey Head M 40yrs Mariner b. Bideford, Devon
Henretta Griffey Wife M 30yrs b. Newport, Monmouth
Mary Evans Serv U 21yrs Domestic Servant b. Newport, Monmouth

But I ordered the marriage certificate for this Thomas Griffey and Henrietta Power, and it turns out that he is the son of Edward Griffey, agricultural labourer of Bideford......so not my fellow after all. I also found this Thomas and his father Edward on earlier census returns to confirm.

It is possible, even probable that he became a mariner like his father and brother, but despite finding many records for them (William Perryman Griffey senior & junior) I have not found any shipping/maritime records mentioning a Thomas Pollard Griffey. It is possible that he is not captured in any census returns if he was at sea......but......

I cannot find a death record in the UK, or a marriage, or any record of him emigrating or turning up in Australia, the US/Canada etc. I have tried every variation on first, last and middle names that I can think of, but he seems to have dropped of the face of the earth.

I have loads of information on his 3 siblings and while two married and had children, one did end up in Bristol Lunatic Asylum at Stapleton as a result of epilepsy, I cannot find any record of Thomas ending up their either....he seems to have just disappeared 

Anyone got any suggestions about where I might try next? Any tips would be appreciated.

Or sharper eyes and keener brains than mine 

Jenny

[philipsearching]

It's a long shot, but have you tried searching for the surname Pollard?  Thomas might have had a family argument and dropped his father's surname after 1861.

[bowman]

You might like to look at this 'Ancestry Public Tree'

http://trees.ancestry.co.uk/tree/3134753/family?cfpid=6997296416

the owner is the only person with a tree showing TPG that has a 'death' date shown, you could contact him/her via there profile.

[JenClark]

Hey bowman & philipsearching,

thanks for the replies 

I have seen that Ancestry tree before, the death date that is shown for Thomas Pollard Griffey is actually the death date of his brother William Perryman Griffey junior....2 Dec 1901. He died at 33 Prince Street, Bristol and I have been in touch with relatives of his. Unfortunately there are no deaths recorded for other Griffey's in 1901, other than Thomasine Griffey in Kent, who is actually his father's cousin.

I have tried searching for Pollard Griffey, and Pollard-Griffey but I haven't tried searching for Thomas Pollard's too much......I will have a look about and see if anything pops up that sounds right

[Jomot]

This may or may not be a connection but on 8 Oct 1915 The Dover Express reports the death of Thomas Francis Griffey aged 49, a leading seaman on the tss Queen.  This would make his dob around 1866.

The 1901 census RG13/844/80 shows Thomas Francis Griffey b 1867 in Gibralter.

The 1881 census has him in Dover with his parents Thomas & Lucy plus siblings (including Catherine born Cape of Good Hope), but this is where it all comes unstuck because Charles Thomas Snr is listed as aged 41, a musician from Ireland 

[JenClark]

Hey Jomot, thanks for your reply 

Yeah there are loads of Griffey/Griffy's from Ireland...none of which are related to mine as far as I can tell so far. I had also come across Thomas Francis Griffey in my digging. There are loads of mariners in the Griffey extended family generally....hence my thought that he may have gone to sea.

Just had a thought, I wonder if he was press ganged?? There would be no record of that right? And he may have given a false name?? Now I am clutching at straws!! I did have another relative that was press ganged but it was much earlier, like 1810's, 1820's......and he could not return to his family for a number of years...they thought he was dead 

[Flattybasher9]

There is a Michael (22) and a Thomas Griffey (24) arrived in New York in 1866 on the "City of Manchester". Thomas's birth is noted as "abt 1842".

Regards

Malky

[JenClark]

Hey Malky, yep saw that one too....got excited for a while. I can't see him in the US census returns though, and I have no rellies in my tree named Michael, it would seem like two brothers to me...what do you think?