Thompson

[Adamand]

Hello Patsy and Mary. Yes I have thought about the possibility of it being a seaman, illegitimate birth etc etc. There must be many a thousand researchers who have an incorrect family member and of course that throws their family, or what they think is the family line all to pot. Things have been moving fast on the Joseph Thompson line. He married Mary BALK on Nov/8/1840 both of age,at St Hilda parish church South Shields. He was a potter and his father Joseph THOMPSON was a blacksmith. Mary's father was a Richard BALK and he was a bricklayer.  This is from a photo copy of the marriage entry in the church register.  It gives the witnesses as J RAMSEY and  ? JAMESON.
Adamand

[MaryA]

1841 Walkergate, Beverley, St Mary, Yorkshire
All born in County
Richard Balk 60 Bricklayer
Hannah 60
Hannah 20
HO107/1229/11 58/4

[MaryA]

Check the IGI at www.familysearch.org the christenings there for children of Richard and Hannah Balk, all at Saint Mary And Saint Nicholas, Beverley, Yorkshire, are
William 20 December 1803
Ann 18 March 1806
Hannah 25 February 1818
Mary 17 July 1811
Sarah 25 May 1802
Elizabeth 14 December 1813
Richard 21 March 1810  - probably died as another ...
Richard 20 May 1816

Richard Balk married Hannah Masterman 28 November 1801  Saint Mary And Saint Nicholas, Beverley, Yorkshire

[MaryA]

And remembering that ages were rounded down to the nearest 5 in 1841 this is a possible for your Richard Balk

Richard BAULK Christened 16 December 1777  Leven, Yorkshire
Parents William Baulk and Elizabeth

Other children
Elizabeth 4 March 1785
Ann 26 July 1776
William 6 September 1773

William Baulk married Elizabeth Rhodes 2 December 1772 Leven, Yorkshire

All IGI entries that I have given are "extracted entries from the Parish Registers" so might be a little more accurate than any "user submitteds".

There is also a surname with similar entries for BAKE but I thought this one more likely.

[Adamand]

I have sent for the birth certificate of Joseph R THOMPSON because that way I can
verify that the Joseph THOMPSON on the marriage entry is the correct THOMPSON.
I can then procede with some certainty on the BALK line (sounds like a pun)

Adamand