Finding the RIGHT William Tom?

[bugbear]

I have a wonderfully complete sequence of records for William Tom;

Born and baptised in 1812, St Ervan,  son of Gregory Tom, Living on his father's farm in 1841, farming 130 acres in 1851, 100 acres in 1861, 200 acres in 1871. All the censuses show him in East Newlyn.

Baptism from OPC, census records:
1841: HO107/150/9 p13
1851: HO107/1905/519 p 15
1861:RG 9/1544/36 p 6
1871: RG10/2257/ 44 p17

He married Mary Ann Nancarrow in 1846.

And I don't care about him. He's the WRONG William Tom.

The William Tom I do care about married Elizabeth Ball (named Elizabeth Bice at the time), in 1867, Islington.

Here's some more about him.

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=810932.msg6709620#msg6709620

I have records for him in only a very narrow window - from the 1867 wedding, 1870 bankruptcy, 1871 census (RG10/600/110 p51), 1876 death and probate.

The 1871 census gives his birth only as Cornwall, circa 1812.

It is plausible that he is from Little Petherick, the same as Elizabeth Ball. The OPC records have another William Tom, born to John Tom (a farmer) and Nancy Ball in Little Petherick, with the baptism 24-11-1811.

Did Elizabeth Ball marry her childhood sweetheart?

(she married as Eliz. Bice, but I have a solid prior marriage of Elizabeth Ball to James Bice, and as the widowed "Elizabeth Tom", she moves in with other Ball siblings).

William Tom is a widower when he marries Elizabeth, but I can find no prior wedding.

I would love to join the dots on this trail, but lacking all the census for William Tom in 1841-1861, and his first wedding, I can't.

Can anyone help me?

  BugBear

[avm228]

I see that his father was John Tom, merchant, according to the 1867 marriage record.

[avm228]

He wasn’t well-off at the time of his death (effects under £20) but have you obtained his will in case it mentions any children from his previous marriage?

[bugbear]

I see that his father was John Tom, merchant, according to the 1867 marriage record.

Yes, which fits quite well with the father from the Little Petherick baptism, although by 1851 that John Tom was a farm labourer (no longer a farmer), and by 1857 he was dead.

 BugBear

[bugbear]

I've tripped across something which might support the notion that William-from-Petherick and William the accoucheur are one and the same.

Back in Little Petherick, John Tom had 7 sons, and two daughers.

In the interests of completeness, I've been looking for the marriages of these children.

Both the daughters married in Little Petherick (Mary in 1827, Anne in 1839). At both marriages the two witness were John Tom (father of the bride), and Henry Ball, father of Elizabath Ball.

For the moment, I'm choosing to interpret this as some kind of bond/friendship between the Ball and Tom families, which clearly has implications for the 1867 marriage.

 BugBear

[avm228]

Yes, I agree that looks promising.

Asking this again:

He wasn’t well-off at the time of his death (effects under £20) but have you obtained his will in case it mentions any children from his previous marriage?

[bugbear]

Yes, I agree that looks promising.

Asking this again:

He wasn’t well-off at the time of his death (effects under £20) but have you obtained his will in case it mentions any children from his previous marriage?

I'm trying to avoid extra expenditure at the moment. Between my BNA and Ancestry Sub, and my local FH sub, it's already quite an annual bill.

 BugBear