See also
Name:
Thomas Dowell
Sex:
Male
Father:
Mother:
1965, Certified Copy of an Entry of Death for Thomas Dowell
1965, Grant of Probate for Estate of Thomas Dowell
Birth:
11 Feb 1884
Bethnal Green, Middlesex1
Address: 12 George Street
Baptism:
2 Mar 1884 (age 0)
St Jude's Church2
Address: Bethnal Green, Middlesex
His parents would have been present and his sisters Rebecca and Caroline but who else was there is not known.
Birth Registration (quarter):
Mar 1884 (age 0)
Bethnal Green3
Present (sibling):
23 May 1886 (age 2)
Present at Baptism of his brother Charles Hezekiah
Present (sibling):
1 Dec 1889 (age 5)
Present at Baptism of his sister Louisa Alice
Census (living with parents):
5 Apr 1891 (age 7)
1891 Census - living with parents
Present (sibling):
8 Mar 1893 (age 9)
Present at Baptism of his sister Harriet Ethel
Present (sibling):
21 Jun 1896 (age 12)
Present at Baptism of his sister Alice Eleanor
Present (sibling):
21 Jun 1896 (age 12)
Present at Baptism of his brother William John
Occupation:
frm 1898 to 1950 (age 13-66)
The 1901 and 1911 Censuses, his Marriage Certificate and the 1939 Register all show his occupation as a French Polisher and it is assumed that he was apprenticed around the age of 14. The 1921 Census give his occupation as a London General Omnibus Conductor so he must have been unable to find work as a French polisher during the depression and took work as a 'bus conductor. How long he worked as a 'bus conductor is not known but he had obviously returned to French polishing before 1939. Whether he was able to continue with his trade in the 1939-45 seems doubtful but he probably returned to it as soon as he could. His nephew, Jack (son of his sister Alice), remembers a visit to his home in the late 1940s and being impressed by the depth and lustre of the polish on the furniture, in particular the front of the upright piano! He doesn't remember much else about the visit except that he spent most of the time sitting on a sofa whilst the adults talked. It is almost certain that we were given tea.
Present (sibling):
16 Oct 1898 (age 14)
Present at Baptism of his brother Arthur Herbert
Census (living with parents):
31 Mar 1901 (age 17)
1901 Census - living with parents
He was working as a French polisher
Sister's marriage:
2 Nov 1902 (age 18)
Marriage of sister Caroline to Thomas Fippen
Witness:
24 Jul 1904 (age 20)
Thomas witnessed the Marriage of Charles Hezekiah Dowell and Jane Elizabeth Cox
Parent:
21 Jul 1905 (age 21)
Baptism of daughter Elizabeth Rebecca
Sister's marriage:
14 Apr 1907 (age 23)
Marriage of sister Louisa to Edward Charles Kelly
Witness:
25 Sep 1910 (age 26)
Thomas witnessed the Marriage of Thomas Gillett and Louisa Thornton
Daughter's marriage:
14 Sep 1929 (age 45)
Marriage of daughter Elizabeth to Albert Edward Jones
1939 Register:
29 Sep 1939 (age 55)
Walthamstow, Essex8
Address: 59 Cottenham Road
The household consisted of Thomas and his son Thomas. They shared the house with another family of two. Although both Thomases are shown as being married neither of their wives are listed. It is thought that Thomas snr's wife had moved to Nedworth in Huntingdonshire because of the war where she was lodging with a a dairy farmer and his wife.
spouse:
1960 (age 75-76)
Death of spouse Elizabeth
Death:
3 Aug 1965 (age 81)
Cause: lung cancer which had metastasized leading to liver failure
Address: Middlesex
The Grant of Probate on his estate gives the date and place of his death.
Death Registration:
4 Aug 1965
the Register Office
Address: for Hornsy district
Probate:
21 Dec 1965
London12
His estate was worth £7.330. The beneficiaries are unknown.
1903, Register Entry for Marriage of Thomas Dowell and Elizabeth Alice Anderson
1911, 1911 Census for Household of Thomas Dowell in Hackney, London
1921, 1921 Census for Household of Thomas Dowell in Shoreditch, London
Spouse:
Children:
Marriage:
18 Apr 1903 (age 19)
St Saviour's Church13
Address: Hoxton, London
Louisa was a sister of the groom; the other witness John Horsman was probably a friend of the groom and possibly his best man. The high church service was conducted by the Rev. Sidney L Sarel. Other members of the groom's and bride's families and their friends were almost certainly present. There may have been some sort of party at the bride's home . At the time of the marriage Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant
Census for household:
2 Apr 1911 (age 27)
Hackney, London6
Address: 42 Beck Road, Mare Street
The household consisted of Thomas, his wife Elizabeth and their two children Thomas (age 7) and Elizabeth (age 5). They had 2 rooms in a 6 roomed house which they shared with the family of John Ayling who was a cabinet maker. John was married with three children and they occupied the other 4 rooms.
Census for household:
19 Jun 1921 (age 37)
Haggerston, Shoreditch, London7
Address: 13A Moye Street
The household consisted of Thomas, his wife Elizabeth and their three children Thomas (age 17), Elizabeth (age 15) and Frederick (age 8).
Rev. Sidney G H Sargent, Register Entry for Baptism and Birth of Thomas Dowell, Record Type: Baptismal Register, Parish: St Jude, Bethnal Green, (Ancestry website). Custom Id: Baptisms 1884 Page 63 No. 503; Date of birth. Cit. Date: 11 February 1884. London Metropolitan Archives. Call Number: P72/JUD, Item 009.
Ibid. Cit. Date: 2 March 1884. London Metropolitan Archives. Call Number: P72/JUD, Item 009.
General Register Office, Civil Registration Index (England & Wales) for Birth of Thomas Dowell, (FreeBMD website). Custom Id: Births 1884 Q1 Bethnal Green, Vol. 1c, 279; Cit. Date: Q1 1884. General Register Office.
1901 Census for Household of Thomas Dowell in Shoreditch, (Ancestry website). Custom Id: RG13/278, Folio 11, Page 14, Schedule 88; Thomas Dowell occupation french polisher. National Archives.
Rev. Sidney L. Sarel , Register Entry for the Marriage of Thomas Dowell and Elizabeth Alice Anderson, (Ancestry image of Register in custody of LMA). Date18 April 1903Groom's NameThomas DowellGroom' s OccupationFrench Polisher. London Metropolitan Archives. Call Number: P91/SAV, Item 018.
1911 England Census for Household of Thomas Dowell in Hackney, London, (FMP website). Cit. Date: 2 April 1911. National Archives. Call Number: RG14/1135.
1921 England, Wales & Scotland census, 13A Moye Street, Haggerston, Shoreditch, London, RG15/01380, Schedule 68, head of household: Thomas Dowell, National Archives.
1939 Register: Thomas Dowell, 29 September 1939, National Archives.
J P W Ward, As I Remember It, (Not published). Chapter 3 A Boy in LondonThe only other relative I have a clear recollection of visiting was Uncle Tom who was French polisher. It must have been in the late 1940s. I was impressed by the depth and lustre of the polish on the furniture, in particular the front of the upright piano! I don't remember much else about the visit except that he spent most of the time sitting on a sofa whilst the adults talked. It is almost certain that we were given tea which seemed to be the standard meal when we visited relatives or relatives visited us. Jack Ward, The Nook, Silver Street
Bampton
Tiverton
Devon
EX16 9NR. Tel: 01398332458, Email: familyhistory@blackwithies.demon.co.uk.
Death certificate of Thomas Dowell, 3 August 1965, Jack Ward.
General Register Office, Civil Registration Index (England & Wales) for Death of Thomas Dowell, (FMP website). Custom Id: Deaths 1965 Haringey, Vol. 5b Page 643; Cit. Date: Q3 1965. General Register Office. Call Number: Deaths.
Grant of Probate: Thomas Dowell, 21 December 1965, Principal Probate Registry, Wills and Administrations 1965 Page 346.
Rev. Sidney L. Sarel , Register Entry for the Marriage of Thomas Dowell and Elizabeth Alice Anderson, (Ancestry image of Register in custody of LMA). Cit. Date: 18 April 1903. London Metropolitan Archives. Call Number: P91/SAV, Item 018.