John Thompson (b 1866 Newcastle-on-Tyne, m Mary Louisa Turner
1887 Newcastle-on-Tyne, d 1893 Newcastle-on-Tyne)
Mary Louisa Turner (b abt 1866 Newcastle-on-Tyne, d 1901 N Fitzroy Vic) Norman
Thompson (b 1888
Newcastle-on-Tyne, m Winifred
Emma Farr 1918 Northcote Vic, d
1932 Thornbury Vic)
Frederick Thompson (b 1890
Newcastle-on-Tyne, m Louisa Bertha Miles, d
1964 Carlton Vic)
John Thompson's Story
John was born in Newcastle on Tyne in 1865 or early 1866. His parents
were John and Mary A Thompson. (The A is probably Ann since her
granddaughter was Mary Ann in the 1871 Census, but no
other evidence). John was the eldest of five known children. The other
four
children were girls. His father was a cabinet maker. John would have
had a strong temperance and Methodist upbringing, as in the 1871 census
his parents gave their occupation as Temperance
Missionary (John) and Local
Preacher Methodist (Mary). In the 1881 Census, his father has reverted
to Cabinet maker. John (Jnr) at age 15 was a draughtsman and the
older three girls were scholars. While John was working, he was also
studying. He won prizes at the Newcastle School of Sciene and Art over
a period from age 11 to age 18. (the prizes are listed below). When he
married in 1887, his
profession is again draughtsman. His wife Mary Louisa Turner had lived
in Newcastle on
Tyne all her life as well. In 1891 the couple are living not far from
John's parents with their two young children. John is now working
as a Lithographic Artist. Sadly, in March 1893 John died (of "Empyaema
Asthemia"). Four months later Mary Louisa and the boys came to
Melbourne
to join her parents who had
come to Victoria two years earlier.
Mary Turner's story
Mary was born at Jarrow Durham about 1866. Jarrow is on
the south bank of the Tyne, not far from the centre of Newcastle on
Tyne, and she generally gave her place of birth as simply Newcastle on
Tyne. In 1881 she is living wih her parents, older sister and two young
brothers at Westgate, Newcastle on Tyne. At he marriage her father
described his profession as blacksmith, but just about everywhere else
he describes himself as a whitesmith*. Mary married John Thompson
(see above) in 1887. When John died six years later she joned her
parents in Melbourne. Her young brother John came wih her on the
voyage (it has to be him, though he claims to be 22 when he is only
18).
She spent the rest of her life in Melbourne, and died in
51 Alexander Parade, North Fizroy in 1901, aged 35.
Brother Edward lived in Melbourne. Whether sister Ann came to Australia
is not known. *A whitesmith is a person who works with white or
light-colored metal (such as tin) and does finish work, such as filing
and/or polishing, on iron to remove black oxides. Whitesmith can also
refer to the person who polishes or finishes the metal rather than
forging it. - Wikipedia
John and Mary Thompson
Starting Information
We had the following certicifates: Marriage 30 May 1887 Wesley
Chapel Newcastle
upon Tyne, Northumberland
John Thompson 21 years, Bachelor, Draughtsman,
56 Stone St,
Newcastle. Father John Thompson Cabinet
Maker
Mary Louisa Turner 21 years, Spinster, Redheugh Cottage, Shot Factory
Lane, Newcastle, Father Joshua Turner Blacksmith Birth certificate : Norman
Thompson 28 May 1888, 156
Jefferson St, Newcastle on
Tyne, Subdistrict
Westgate
Father John Thompson. Mother Mary Louisa (nee Turner) Death certificate : John Thompson
7 Mar 1893, 156 Jefferson St, Newcastle on
Tyne, Subdistrict
Westgate, aged 27
Gwen Smalley has prizes awarded to John Thompson by the School of
Science and Art, Newcastle on Tyne (Corporation St)
1976 - Science and Art Department - Prize for Freehand Drawing of the
First Grade (certificate)
1977 - Science and Art Department - Prize for Model Drawing of the
First Grade (certificate)
1981-2 - School of Science and Art - Commitee Prize (book Illumination
by Windsor and Newton)
1984 - School of Art - Third Grade Prize (book Architecture - Gothic
and Renaisance, by T Roger Smith)
1984 - School of Art - Third Grade Prize (book Classic Architecture, by
Roger Smith and John Slater)
Mary Louisa and the boys came to Melbourne in 1893 after John's death,
to join her parents Joshua Turner and Elizabeth (Stephenson), who had
come to Victoria 2 years earlier. In Melbourne Joshua Turner made much
of the iron lace found on houses and verandahs in Fitzroy and Northcote
(suburbs of Melbourne).
SS Australasian left London 12/7/1893, arr 26/8/1893
Cabin J Thompson 35 (listing looks
like J
F)
<--- unrelated as far as we know
Steerage J W Turner Clerk 22 (Mary’s young brother)
Mrs Thompson 27
Norman Thompson 5
Frederick Thompson 3
Destination Melbourne
Research
The Thompsons are an interesting challenge. Mary's
family can be found
easily because she came to
Australia with her brother, giving us a family to match. For Mary's
family, see her
parents page. In
John's
case, his name is very common, and his father was John, mother not
known.
Added to this is a tendency for people to just refer to Newcastle on
Tyne as a place of birth, without being more specific.
The process was to find them in census records, and
on birth death and marriage indexes..
For John Thompson, his year of birth was 1865,
unless his birthday was
prior to 7 Mar, in which case it was 1866. When his age was given on 31
March in a census year (18x1), it should
end in 5, eg 25 in 1891 (below)
1881 Census
The following family has to be them : Cabinet
Maker + Draughtsman
+ John aged 15
20 Moor St,, Westgate, parish of St Phillips, Newcastle
John Thompson
Head
M 46 Cabinet
Maker Newcastle (abt
1834)
Mary A Thompson
Wife
M
37
Newcastle (abt 1843) John Thompson
son
15
Draughtsman
Newcastle (abt 1865)
Mary A Thompson
Dau
13
Scholar
Newcastle (abt 1867)
Annie H? Thompson
Dau
12
Scholar
Newcastle (abt 1868)
Isabella J? Thompson
Dau
9
Scholar
Newcastle (abt 1871)
Elizabeth Thompson
Dau
1
Newcastle (abt 1879)
Mr Odgear notes this address is very close to Stone St, the address
where John Thompson was living when he married in 1887
For more Census data on John Senior, go to
his page
1891 Census
Parish of Elswick, Arthur's Hill, Newcastle on Tyne, 156
Jefferson St
Born John
Thompson
Head M 25 Lithographic
Artist Newcastle on Tyne (abt 1865) Mary Louisa Thompson
Wife M
25
Durham. Jarrow (abt 1865) Norman
Thompson
Son
2
Newcastle on Tyne (abt 1888)
Frederick
Thompson
Son
1
Newcastle on Tyne (abt 1889)
Jarrow is about five miles from the centre of Newcastle on Tyne,
downstream, on the other side of the river
There is a 1863 book on Wills and executors that came through the
Thompsons, inscribed J W Turner, Wakefield Terrace, Gateshead. . Not
sure who JW Turner was, but possibilities
(1) The JW Turner who came with Mary Thompson in the Australian in
1893. Assumed to be her younger brother?
(2) Joe William Turner (b abt 1832), brother of the younger
Joshua
(3) Glenis has a baptism record for Joshua Wood Turner, son of
William
(Cabinet Maker) and Hannah 4 May 1831 Huddersfield.
They also baptised John Wood Turner on the same day
Comments by Gwen on the JW Turner who came with Mary Thompson He later had a
music shop in High St Northcote (near Darebin Rd).
Research Notes
Genes Reunited checked for John and Mary
When Mary died, the two boys were eleven and thirteen. Who looked after
them?
Google no joy Names are too common to pick
up much
reliably, Also some records say Newcastle Upon Ttyne, others just Newcastle On Ttyne
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Mr D Odgear, who generously researched John and Mary for us,
including copying the above 1881 census return and obtaining
certificates, way back
in 1989
Thanks to Glenis Crocker for all the stuff in her research notes.
LDS Checked
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Page last updated - 9 Jul 2007
