Thomas Fradley Wives

[ZoeA]

Hi,  I am looking for any information on Thomas Fradley - His mother was Eliza Ann Williams I believe, and his father was Benjamin Fradley.  My Grandmother Elizabeth (Betty) Fradley was the daughter of Thomas Fradley as mentioned, and Drucilla Matilda Garrett.   I have seen on old posts that Thomas Fradley had been married twice and I wondered if his First Wife was Jane Agnes Grainger (or Granny Grainger as my Grandma would call her)  My Grandmother Elizabeth Fradley married John Thomas Astbury (Both have now passed) I am doing the family tree and am getting really confused with the Thomas Fradley side.    Elizabeth had a brother Ben and sisters Edith, Rhoda and Drusilla, all I believe are now passed also.  Any help is greatly appreciated!   

[crisane]

Ok let's get a bit of background here

Marriages Dec 1/4 1905 
Thomas Fradley   
Drucilla Garrett   
Registration district Congleton  vol 8a page 540

So we are looking for a possible first marriage of a Thomas Fradley to a Jane Alice Grainger prior to 1905

Here's one, but whether he is the same Thomas Fradley that married Drucilla we will have to find out. The easy but costly way is to buy Drucilla's marriage cert which would say if Thomas was a widow.

On same page FreeBMD
Marriages Jun 1/4 1890     
Thomas Fradley   
Jane Agnes  Grainger   
Northwich  8a/416a

[crisane]

The Thomas Fradley who married Drucilla Garrett was born 1885 in Bunbury Cheshire so he can't be the Thomas Fradley who married Jane Agnes Grainger in 1890 because he would have been 5 years old!
Their daughters Edith born c 1908 and Elizabeth 1910.

I see from the census that Thomas b1885 was a boatman on the canals.

[crisane]

Ah a Grainger does fit in to your tree but as a stepfather to some Fradley children. it will sort itself out as we go back in the censuses.

1901 RG13 piece 3345 folio 102 page 30

Canal Boat "Edward"

William Grainger 33 Narrow boat master born Middlewich Cheshire
Eliza Ann Grainger 36 wife Bunbury
Thomas Fradley 17 stepson Bunbury
Joshua Fradley 14 stepson Bunbury
Henry Fradley 9 stepson Rode heath
Martha Fradley 11 step/dau Northwich
Eliza Ann Fradley 7 step/dua Rode heath
William Grainger 2 son Middlewich
Maud Grainger 4 months daughter Middlewich

[crisane]

1891 RG12 Piece 2847 Folio 68 Page 17
Oak Street Odd Rode Cheshire

Benjamin Fradley 29 canal boatman born Stoke on Trent Staffordshire
Eliza Ann Fradley 27 Bunbury
Thomas Fradley 7 Bunbury
Joshua Fradley 5 Bunbury
Samuel Fradley 3 Odd Rode
Martha Ann Fradley 1 Burland Cheshire


Marriages Jun 1/4 1883   
Benjamin Fradley   
Eliza Ann  Williams   
Congleton  vol 8a page 398

Eliza's second marriage to William Grainger

Marriages Jun 1/4 1898   
Eliza Ann Fadley 
Eliza Ann Fradley   
William Grainger     
Congleton  vol 8a page 537

[crisane]

This is the Thomas who married Jane Agnes Grainger in 1890 but no relationship established with your William Grainger as yet.
1901 Piece 2604 Folio 55 Page 47
Boat Samaria? Shelton Stoke upon Trent
Thomas Fradley 32 Barge boatman
Jane A Fradley 28 Beeston Cheshire
William Fradley 4 Middlewhich
Arthur Fradley 2 Middlewich
Benjamin Fradley 11 months Middlewich

Birth - name spelling a little out but Chester includes Beeston district

Births Jun 1/4 1872   
Jane Agnes Grange     
Chester  8a/389

[crisane]

This is William the second husband of Eliza Ann (mother of Thomas Fradley) He has been married before but no indication whether Ellen 5 is his daughter or the daughter of one of his siblings.
1891 RG12 Piece 2842 Folio 76 Page 22
Booth Lane Newton Cheshire
George Granger 58 Builder's lab Middlewich
Elizabeth Granger 54
James Granger   29 gen lab
William Granger 25 Widow Unemployed through illness
Frederick Granger son 21 Boatman
Josiah Granger   son 12 scholar
Emily Granger   dau 9
Ellen Granger   5 granddaughter
All born Middlewich

Still haven't connected him to Janes Agnes Grainger

[ZoeA]

Hi Crisane!  wow great information thank you!   
I am in the midst of doing my family tree - But the name Thomas Fradley is really getting confusing.  Both Thomas Fradley, married to Drucilla, and Thomas Fradley Married to Jane Agnes Grainger do both exist in my family, the part I am really unsure about is that both of these Thomas Fradleys have Benjamin as the Father - when I look through the Census on Marriages - however as you have rightly pointed out the Dates do not match.   Here is the path I was following...
William Fradley born 1775 married Margaret
They had a Son - Benjamin Fradley born 1795 - married Elizabeth Hassal
Ben and Elizabeth have a son - Benjamin Fradley born 1838 - then the trail kind of runs dry - I thought this Benjamin might be the father of Thomas Fradley - but I can't find any Son or wife connection to Eliza Ann Williams.  If I could find a Benjamin who had two sons - Benjamin and Thomas then it would be much easier.
My Dad thought that Thomas Fradley and Jane Ages Grainger were his Great Grandparents - but I think this is wrong, as my Dads Mums Dad was Thomas Fradley and his father according to the Census was Benjamin -  so you can see how it is getting lost...
Thank you for your time, really appreciated.

[ZoeA]

The Boatman part is Very interesting too - I have Thomas Fradley married to Jane Agnes Grainger - both of them listed as Boat man and Boat woman -  So it is also interesting to read from you that Thomas Fradley married to Drucilla was also a Boatman - the Canal boats were in the family, my Nanas brother Ben also worked on the canals.   
I did also find that Benjamin Fradley (born from William Fradley) did have a brother called Solomon Fradley - he eventually had a Son - Thomas Fradley born 1823 - so I was in the frame of mind that the Thomas Fradley who married Jane Agnes Grainger was in fact a Great Uncle...not Great Grandfather.

I did find a post from 2009 on this forum which my relatives were posting on but I don't know who they were...they had all the information - hoping they may check on here now and then...I think the post is closed so I can't contact them now.   It was in that post I discovered Thomas Fradley apparently was married twice.