Thomas Whiting 1853-1934

Parents: Henry Whiting and Mary Scott (1)
Born: 24th April 1853 in Burton End, Haverhill. (1,2)
Baptised: 22nd May 1853 at St Mary's Parish Church, Haverhill.(1)
Married: Louisa Plumb, 21, spinster of Haverhill, daughter of Charles Plumb, machinist, on 12th July 1873 at St Mary's Parish Church, Haverhill. Witnessed by Alfred Whiting and Miriam Clark.(3,4)
Children: Fanny Ager Whiting b.1874, Arthur Whiting b.1877, Charles Herbert Whiting b.1880, Kate Mary Whiting b.1888 and Thomas Henry Whiting b.1892
Died: 6th April 1934 of Cerebral Thrombosis at the Central Home, Leytonstone (8).

Bio: Thomas appears as a child on the 1861 census living with his family in Burton End. On the 1871 census he is the oldest child, working as a farm labourer and living in Burton End still. Two years later, he marries Louisa Plumb, originally of Birdbrook, but living in Haverhill. They must have lived in Camps Road for a while as their first child Fanny Ager is born here in 1874. Their second child, Arthur appears to have been born in Needham Street, Gazeley, Suffolk, in 1877 and baptised on 10th June 1877 at All Saints, Gazeley (11). The next son, Charles, was born in Barton, Cambridgeshire in 1880. He was baptised on 30th May 1880(10) at St Peter's, Coton, and Thomas and Louisa are on the entry as being of Whitwell, a farm in Coton. Thomas' brother George had been working there in 1871 when his son George William was baptised.

Then they moved to live next to Thomas' older brother Ephraim in Teversham, Cambridgeshire. They appear here on the 1881 census. Thomas is working as an agricultural labourer. For the 1891 census, we see them still in Teversham. Thomas is working as a labourer, and they have another child, Kate. Fanny has left home. A year later, they have another son Thomas, who was born in Teversham.

Sometime after this they move to the capital, the reasons for this are not clear, but we find them in Hackney on the 1901 census at Rendlesham Road. Thomas and Louisa appear to be living in the household of Robert A Burton, a carter and contractor and Thomas is working as a horsekeeper. they have two children living with them, Kate and Tom.

Around this time sons Arthur and Charles were to marry the Brazier sisters, Emily Caroline and Alice Maud, who were the daughters of Joshua Brazier. Joshua was originally from Helions Bumpstead. Arthur married in 1900 at All Hallows, Tottenham, and Charles in 1907.

On the 1911 census Thomas and Louisa have relocated to Ham farm, Sipson, Middlesex, where Thomas is an unemployed stockman and his son Tom is an unemployed carman. Today this is right on the northern perimeter of Heathrow airport.

Thomas' daughter Kate married John Eccles Knowles, a milkman, on 30th September 1911. Her father is referred to as Thomas Henry Whiting, stockman by trade, and they are living in Harlington.(5)

When Thomas' youngest son Thomas Henry married Daisy Cooper on Christmas day 1913 at Harmondsworth Parish Church he is referred to as a market gardener, and the residence is still Harlington.(6)

The 1913 Electoral Registers for the Uxbridge Ward show a Thomas Whiting at Pinkwell Farm, Harlington and in 1915 at 5 Brockley Cottages, Cranford Lane, Harlington.(7)

The 1921 Census shows both Thomas and Louisa living at 5 Brockley Cottages, Cranford Lane, along with their son-in-law John Knowles, their daughter Kate Knowles and their children. John Knowles is shown as a labourer, but his place of work as Royal Engineers Depot - this implies he may still be on war service after the recent war.(13)

On the 1927 Register both Thomas and Louisa are still recorded at 5 Brockley Cottages, Cranford Lane, Parish of Harlington in the Spelthorne district of Surrey.

On the 1928 Register we find that Thomas' daughter Kate and her husband John Eccles Knowles are now living at no.5. I can't locate Thomas and Louisa during or after this year.

So Thomas and Louisa were both still alive in 1927. There is no reason to believe that they ever returned to the Haverhill area.

There are no records of their death in the Surrey area, which is surprising, but a possibility was that they'd relocated to live with relatives elsewhere.

Two deaths in 1934 in the West Ham district seemed to suggest themselves as 'possibles'.(8,9) In fact, this was the only likely match up for a Thomas and Louisa Whiting of the correct ages that I could find. Could a link to this area be found that would tie in with this?

Thomas' son Arthur married Emily Brazier in Tottenham, which is not far from West Ham.

The death certificate of Thomas Whiting (8) revealed he had been living at 9 Cowley Road, Wanstead, prior to his death. His daughter-in-law, E.Whiting, also of this address, was the informant. This was a good fit for Emily. Also, Arthur and Emily had a son, Charles Arthur, who married Catherine Taylor on 3rd April 1926 (12). At this time he was living in Wanstead, so there was a definite family connection with the area. It seems very likely that a match has been found.

Thomas had died of Cerebral Thrombosis at the Central Home, Leytonstone. This was a place used to house the chronically sick, and had formerly been the West Ham workhouse. His occupation was given as retired carter, which fits in with his agricultural labouring background.

Death Certificate at top of page courtesy of the GRO. © Crown Copyright.

Sources:

(1) Suffolk Records Office, Bury St Edmunds, Parish Registers of St Mary's Church, Haverhill. Fiche 578/4/p12 of 37
(2) Birth Register. 4th Quarter 1852, Risbridge District, Volume 4a Page 334
(3) Suffolk Records Office, Bury St Edmunds, Parish Registers of St Mary's Church, Haverhill. Fiche 578/4/p28 of 37
(4) Marriage Register. 3rd Quarter 1873, Risbridge District, Volume 4a Page 659
(5) London Metropolitan Archives, Saint Peter And Saint Paul, Harlington, Register of marriages, DRO/164,019.
(6) London Metropolitan Archives, Saint Mary, Harmondsworth, Register of marriages, DRO/123, Item 013.
(7) Ancestry.com, London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965
(8) Death Register. 2nd Quarter 1934, West Ham District, Volume 4a Page 165
(9) Death Register. 1st Quarter 1934, West Ham District, Volume 4a Page 217
(10) CFHS, Parish registers for Coton.
(11) Suffolk Baptism Index, entry 726, Findmypast.com
(12) Surrey, England, Marriages, 1754-1937, EWH/2/6, Ancestry.com
(13) 1921 Census, 5 Brockley Cottages, Cranford Lane, Harlington. RD: 126, Sub RD: 2, ED: 5. Findmypast.co.uk