It took me a long time, but I did finally find Edward Thomas' cause of death. I like to tidy things up so here is what I found so I can close out this message thread and also provide closure for anyone in the Thomas/Lott family line who comes across this message in the future. I took a leap of faith that Edward was living in Poplar when he died, so I ordered the death certificate of Edward Thomas from Poplar. I was lucky!
Death: from Death Certificate: Found on the River Thames, drowned, no physical marks. Buried in St. Georges Church, Gravesend, By Coroners Warrant
From everything I have read, this is a very common cause of death in and around the river Thames. The coroner didn't seem to know how or why he drowned. I wonder if he was drunk. If he fell off of a ship, it probably would have been reported and part of the Coroner's report.
I did have trouble finding him in the 1851 census. Though I am pretty confident I found him in Poplar, with status of "Visiting". Occupation: "Calker" (assume "caulker" which relates to caulking ships to make them watertight). Makes sense considering he grew up in Poplar. The folks he was "visiting" were Jane Liddiard, age 49, "wife of seaman" and Rupert Chas Liddiard, age 18, "boilermaker". William Penn's parents were living in Poplar at this time (and he is not shown as being in their home on the night of the census), so it is highly likely he was visiting Rupert the night of the census. His father was a pilot at the time. Though this is another weird mystery considering he was apprenticed as a Dyer. At any rate, I can close this Edward chapter.
On a side note of interest: I opened this message with the mystery of who the seaman in our family was who died at sea with that event having been dreamed about by his mother the night before the death. I thought it was Edward Thomas, but as we now know, he drowned on the river Thames. However, through further research, I found our ancestor who died at sea which makes me very happy that the family story, passed down for over 150 years, is true.
here is what I found out:
24Nov1856: UK, Apprentices Indentured in Merchant Navy, 1824-1910 lists William Penn Thomas (half brother to our Edward of Poplar) as being on the vessel "Director". He was indentured to James Thomson & Co., London. He was "bound" for 4 years. He was 15 years old.
26Dec1859: UK, Apprentices Indentured in Merchant Navy, 1824-1910 location: Eastbourne, Sussex, England: shows red line through William Penn Thomas' name with the following notation also in red pencil:
"Drowned off Beachy Head" with the date "26Dec1859". These indenture papers show that 3 years, one month and 6 days after being apprenticed into the Merchant Navy, William Penn Thomas "Drowned at sea". His mother, Mabel Lucy Thomas is the mother who dreamed of this event the night before, which was Christmas night.
This family endured so much hardship. I am writing my ancestral book about the Lotts and Thomas' and have been delighted that I have been able to uncover so much information. Much thanks to the folks on this forum who take the time to care, research, respond, and rejoice in the solved mysteries.
~Lisa
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Topic: LMA Coroner's Warrant report lookup Edward Thomas Oct 1856, Poplar, London (Read 3110 times)