The English in Africa

[Tosh Reed]

Hello all,

I'm new to the site. I've been teaching myself genealogy (mostly online research) for about a year and have my family relatively accurate as far back as about 1800 in the town of Whitehaven, Cumberland England.

My question if anyone can help me is regarding my 2nd Great Uncle a Thomas Reed, who was a manager of a government engineering depot listed as operating in "Freetown" Nigeria.

Looking up any records in Nigeria leaves me clueless at this point, and I had a hard time even pinning down his shipping/travelling records. I know he returned home to Whitehaven in 1934 for his fathers funeral but I can't find out what became of him after that.

Any help you could offer would be much appreciated

Tosh Reed

[3sillydogs]

Hi

Are you certain it was in Nigeria, because Freetown is the capital city of Sierra Leone on the West Coast of Africa 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown

[barryd]

Would these postings on Google help you? A fairly common name.

https://www.google.com/#q=thomas+reed+freetown+sierra+leone

[avm228]

Welcome to Rootschat

Please you give us a bit of context for Thomas?  When/were born (Whitehaven?), did he marry, does he appear in English censuses?  What is the nature & date of the document you have showing him as working in Africa?

[avm228]

Was he connected with 24 Belle Vue Terrace, Consett, Co. Durham?

This was the UK address of a Thomas Reed, 37, who arrived at Liverpool from Sierra Leone in March 1930.  Occupation I think is Shed Foreman. In 1936 he again arrived from Sierra Leone, headed for the same address, occupation Loco Foreman.

Probably the same person had earlier arrived from Sierra Leone in April 1928 aged 36, heading for a different Consett address, occupation Fitter.

[jbml]

This was the UK address of a Thomas Reed, 37, who arrived at Liverpool from Sierra Leone in March 1930.  Occupation I think is Shed Foreman. In 1936 he again arrived headed for the same address, occupation Loco Foreman.

Probably the same person had earlier arrived from Sierra Leone in April 1928 aged 36, heading for a different Consett address, occupation Fitter.

"Shed Foreman" = supervisor of locomotive shed, a fairly senior position in railway operational management in the days of steam.

Usually came up "through the ranks", having previously been a fitter (i.e. locomotive mechanic ... literally, one who fits replacement parts as necessary).

This identification of these three records as relating to the same individual looks right to me.

[barryd]

If the above  is your Thomas Reed this is what he worked on /supervised.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone_Government_Railway

[Tosh Reed]

Hello all!

Wow first off, Thank you so much for the replies, I am new to the site but I am so stoked with how many responses I got. Geneology is a relatively recent hobby for me but in the year since I started I really fell in love with the research.

The only info I have on Thomas is from English Census data but mostly from childhood. I know he was born in the town of Whitehaven, Cumberland in England in June 1892 to Thomas and Mary Reed. The last Census Data I can safely pin down for him was the 1901 census listing him as 9 years old still living with his parents in Whitehaven.

His father, whom died in 1934, had a massive full page obituary in the town paper that I have a copy of and it listed Thomas as "manager of a Government engineering depot in Freetown Nigeria, West Africa, who is at present on a visit to Whitehaven".

Since that is just a newspaper article they may have mixed up Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

I have no record of any marriage or death date/year.

Sadly with my geneology, The last name Reed is fairly common, plus there was several generations where they recycled 2 or 3 names so the amount of Thomas/Thompson/William/John Reeds in Whitehaven is astounding to me considering how small the town was hehe.

Thanks again all! I'll look more into your tips!

-Tosh