Thomas REED

[Greaves]

Hi

I am trying to discover something about the early life of Thomas REED. He first appears on the radar in  October 1888 when he marries Emma Eliza MARDELL GILBERT in the Independent Chapel in Edmonton. He was aged 32, a bachelor and a brick-maker, living at Union Row in Tottenham. His father is named as Alexander Reed (dcd), a ship's captain.

He appears in the 1891, 1901 and 1911 censuses living with Emma. His birthplace is consistently given as Middlesex or London, one rather unclear entry seeming to suggest Houndsditch. As for age, it would appear according to census records that he was born sometime between 1853 and 1856.

I have had little luck finding anything before his 1888 marriage, so would appreciate help with his birth/baptism and his location in 1861, 1871 and 1881. There is a possible sighting for 1881 (RG11 1380 138 54), but its hard to be. certain.

I have tried to look for his father, thinking an Alexander, who was a ship's captain and probably a non-conformist, should be relatively easy. But no luck so far.

[philipsearching]

There is a possibility for Alexander in 1881:

1881 England census folio 96, piece 448, page 24 Star Hotel, Dock Street, Gravesend
REED Alexander, lodger, mar, 60, seaman, born Gravesend Kent
(no family with him)

Philip

[jennifer c]

Alexander Reed Bap. 8/7/1823 St George’s Gravesend parents Daniel and Hester Reed
There looks to be some merchant navy records for this man.

Jennifer

[philipsearching]

There are surprisingly few births registered for Thomas REED (without spelling variation) from 1853 to 1857: 90 in England/Wales and only a dozen in and around London or Middlesex.  It might be worth testing these to identify or eliminate them by potential marriages for Alexander.

Thomas - Sep qtr 1854 Marylebone no mmn (no marriage)
Thomas - Dec qtr 1854 St Pancras mmn CONRAD (no matching marriage found)
Thomas - Jun qtr 1855 St Pancras mmn WOOLLEY (no matching marriage found)
Thomas - Sep qtr 1855 Marylebone mmn WHATMORE (no matching marriage found)
Thomas Frederick - Dec qtr 1855 Lambeth mmn SMITH (no matching marriage found)
Thomas - Mar qtr 1856 St Luke mmn EARDLEY (no matching marriage found)
Thomas William - Mar qtr 1856 Rotherhithe mmn DAVIS
Thomas George - Sep qtr 1856 St Mary Newington no mmn (no marriage)
Thomas - Jun qtr 1857 Stepney mmn MORGAN (no matching marriage found)
Thomas Lampen - Dec qtr 1857 Bethnal Green mmn DAVY (no matching marriage found)
Thomas Richard - Sep qtr 1854 Greenwich mmn LESLIE (no matching marriage found)
Thomas Douglas - Dec qtr 1857 Poplar mmn HARMAN (no matching marriage found)

Possible marriage:
Sep qtr 1840 West Ham on same page REED Alexander Thomas, DAVIS Dorothy Ann

This may or may not provide the answer - if not then you could try the same process for spelling variants of REED (READ, READE, REID etc).

If someone could find Thomas with a mother Dorothy Ann on the 1871 census, that would be very interesting!

Philip

[jennifer c]

1851 census 11 New Marton Street Whitechapel ?

Alexander Reed 27 Wolender? Born Gravesend
 Mary 23 charwoman Westminster
Mary 2 Whitechapel
Ann Potter wid 50 visitor charwoman Enfield middx
Frances Boulton 20 visitor dress maker Aldgate

Jennifer

[Greaves]

This is very difficult as there is not a lot to link my Thomas REED to the Alexander REED found by contributors. I have looked for (a) the birth of the Mary mentioned in the 1851 census and the only two that fit have MMNs of Thompson or Kirk rather than DAVIS, and (b) for the family in 1861 or 1871 with no luck. There are possible deaths for Alexander: Q1 1884 Whitechapel 1c 217 and Q3 1884 St Saviour 1d 117.

I'm afraid that there is still work to be done.

[Greaves]

After revisiting this old thread, I found a marriage for Alexander Canning REED to Mary MELLOWS on 20 Apr 1846 at Bishopgate. Alexander would appear to be a mariner, the son of Charles REED, an Army Captain. [Q2 1846 E London 2 222]

Both Alexander's middle name and Mary's surname seem to be spelt differently on different sites. So far all I can find is the birth of one child named Alexander [Q1 1847 Edmonton].

The name Alexander keeps cropping up. Thomas and Emma named their fourth and fifth children Alexander.

I'm hoping that finding out more about Alexander and Mary will shed more light on the early life of Thomas.

[osprey]

the name on the register looks to me like Alexander Cumming Reed  and there is a death reg for

Alexander Cumming Read 38 sept qtr 1864 St George in the east vol 1c pg 351

[osprey]

Ticket 327686 issued 11 March 1846 for Alexander Cumming Reed born 27 Nov 1824 Worthing, Sussex, when unemployed lives in London.