Hi, Everyone,
This is the first time I have ever posted on this particular board, but I'm curious about the origins and family of a John THOM who appears in the 1901 and 1911 Census as a lodger in my gt-grandmother's house at Charterhouse Square London, aged 51, born in Durris, Kincardineshire, a mechanical engineer cold storage.
By 1911 he was living in my gt-grandmother's house as a visitor, but he in fact became a lifelong companion after my gt-grandfather moved out of the family home - I will make no further comment about that situation at this juncture!
I have in my possession a rather lovely cairngorm brooch that he apparently gave to my gt-grandmother Alice GURNER, who in turn passed it on to my father in about 1946, when he was himself in a highland regiment. He never wore it, however, but it remained tucked away safely in a drawer. My mother gave it to me the other day, and on a recent visit to Scotland a silversmith in Glasgow admired its workmanship. The setting is solid silver, but the yellow/orange stone may simply be citrine, though I would need a spectrometer to determine the exact nature of the stone.
Would be lovely to discover where it came from, it's obviously at least 100 years old. But more importantly, I would love to discover the origins of the mysterious "Mr THOM", as he was known in our family...
Regards, Keith