Peter Thompson - was he in the Battle of Waterloo

[LorraineJ]

I am descended from Robert and Amelia's son William (who is also a picture dealer) and I have William's birth certificate. I have a marriage certificate that shows that Robert's father was Peter Thompson. Also the address is consistent throughout the censuses and according to the Bloomsbury report, the address they were living is certainly not a slum district. The entry I found in IGI indicates Roberts parents as Peter Thompson and an Isabella and the same for his sister Isabella Famey Thompson in 1808.

I then keyed in Peter Thompson with a partner Isabella and it came up with 'Curry' and their marriage. I think that this element could very possibly be wrong. Robert's father is definitely a Peter Thompson, but on the 1841 census its Thomson and Isabella we have learned comes from Scotland. Scotland is a big place, I would not have the slightest idea where to start looking, can anyone find a marriage between a Peter Thompson (though in Scotland they could have spelt it without a P) and the elusive Isabella who we gestimate would have been born around 1770.

Seems to me that one reason for the confusion is the P being put in and taken out at will. I am more inclined to believe that Isabella Snr died and bequeathed a sum of money to Robert and that was how he was able to change the fortunes of his family.

[kylejustin]

have you found the death for this isabella? most likely robert was the informant, and would be able to prove something.
have your family made a habit of leaving wills? if isabella left one, it could be handy.

[Oakum Picker]

I think what I would do is have a look at the baptisms of Robert & Isabella to see what Peter's occupation is. If he is a soldier then I'd look at the musters of the 71st to see if his movements coincided with the marriage & baptisms.

I have a career soldier (also made sergeant) who served in the Peninsula War, came home, met a girl 20yrs younger from Romford, Essex, married her in Norwich, Norfolk, and had his first child in Huddersfield, Yorks.

[Richard]

Do you know where the "Famey" comes from in his sister Isabellas name? Seems quite unusual and may offer a clue. The Peter Thomson and Isabella Curry in Cumberland St Bees seem to only have one child baptised there in 1789, Eleanor Thompson, so a move to London not out of the question, but does beg the question what was happening in that missing ten years or so 1790-1800, where were they, and where are children? Seems unlikely there are none for that period, of course assuming it is the correct couple.

[LorraineJ]

Do you know where the "Famey" comes from in his sister Isabellas name? Seems quite unusual and may offer a clue. The Peter Thomson and Isabella Curry in Cumberland St Bees seem to only have one child baptised there in 1789, Eleanor Thompson, so a move to London not out of the question, but does beg the question what was happening in that missing ten years or so 1790-1800, where were they, and where are children? Seems unlikely there are none for that period, of course assuming it is the correct couple.

Richard, you have answered my question, its not the right Isabella, as Robert and Isabella Famey were both baptised in Chelsea, London. If it is a coincidence, we'd be looking at a Peter Thomson (definitely Robert's father) married to an Isabella, and then having two children, Robert and Isabella. Am I correct in thinking that because a child is baptised in a diocese, it does not necessarily mean it will be the same as the one on the civil records, as they have different catchment criteria (if you see what I mean).

I don't have the faintest idea where Famey comes from, I can't check as there aren't any census records covering that period, only what I found on IGI. I know that with a different branch of my family we had a Jabez and through research it turned out he should have been called Jarvis, I had wondered if he was Spanish, but he turned out to have been born and bred in Lincs.

[Just Barbara]

A guess would be that Famey is a family surname, in the 1920s my grannie, included Hamilton ( her maiden name ) in her sons names, but Forster in her daughters, no one knew where the Forster name came from untill a cousin did some research and it turned out to be her g.grannies maiden name...

[Richard]

I'm thinking it is a mistranscription from the original record of 'Farney'. There are no Fameys on Scotlandspeople but 32 baptisms for Farney, 23 marriages, 6 burials, and more for Fairnie an alternate spelling of same name. A search for Isabellas with that surname born in Scotland on IGI produced a couple of possibles:

ISABEL FARNEY - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Christening: 13 JAN 1765 Kintore, Aberdeen, Scotland

ISABELL FAIRNIE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Christening: 09 SEP 1770 Kilconquhar, Fife, Scotland

[Oakum Picker]

The baptisms for St Luke's Chelsea are at the LMA.

[Olde Crone Holden]

I wonder if "Famey" is phonetic for "Phemie" or Euphemia, a very popular Scottish name.

Baker to picture dealer is a bit of a jump, but gilder to picture dealer isn't much of a jump at all - one member of the family gilds the frames, another goes out and flogs the pictures.

OC

[LorraineJ]

Have been trying to get back on the put the following post:

I have found a death of an Isabel Jane Thomson 1841 in Shoreditch and wondered if this could be my Isabel, what do you think?

I have found a death of a Peter Thomson 1839 in Bloomsbury and wonder if this could be her husband.

There are a number of entries for a grocer over the years in Edinburgh and one in which he is a spirit dealer as well (another theme running through the family in later generations)

I have also found two entries that took my eye that may or may not be relevant. Its under Pallots Baptisms and there is one each for Geo and Jas Thomson, showing Mother Isabella ands Father Robert in Middlesex but I can't get to read them, but I thought it odd.

Question that comes to mind is why on earth a Scottish couple would up sticks and come to London? Though I guess I am assuming Peter was Scottish too.

[Richard]

Why not Lorraine? My Grandfathers grandparents did just that!

Re Isabellas death, Shoreditch is East End. Possible but (assuming she died before 1851?) there are a few other possibles which seem more the right area for yours

Deaths Dec 1844
THOMPSON Isabella St Pancras 1 299

Deaths Dec 1845
THOMPSON Isabella St George Hanover Square 1 10

Deaths Sep 1849
Thompson Isabella Jane S Pancras 1 401

[LorraineJ]

Why not Lorraine? My Grandfathers grandparents did just that!

Re Isabellas death, Shoreditch is East End. Possible but (assuming she died before 1851?) there are a few other possibles which seem more the right area for yours

Deaths Dec 1844
THOMPSON Isabella St Pancras 1 299

Deaths Dec 1845
THOMPSON Isabella St George Hanover Square 1 10

Deaths Sep 1849
Thompson Isabella Jane S Pancras 1 401

Thank you Richard. Being as Amelia's death (Robert's first wife) was recorded in St Pancras, I think its more likely to be either the first or the last.

[Carbrooke]

I can answer some of your queries as I am descended from Peter Thomson too. Peter Thomson, father of Robert and Isabella Famey, did not fight at Waterloo as he died in 1809, aged 37. Peter had two brothers, Robert and Melvil who went to Madras, presumably with the militia, so that's maybe where your family's story of involvement with the military of the time originated.
Peter married Isabella Glassen who was born in Scotland - possibly in Dumfries. Isabella Thomson was buried in St Pancras churchyard, nearby to the grave of her daughter Amelia (nee Atherton) who died in childbirth in 1850. Peter almost certainly was born in Dunbar, in Scotland.

[Chrissie Smiff]

Hello Carbrooke and welcome to FTF I am sure LorraineJ would love to see your reply but she hasn't been on for quite some time. May I suggest that you send her a Private Message by clicking on her name. You will see the box come up and she should receive an e-mail telling her that you have sent a message.

[Carbrooke]

Thanks for the suggestion. I have sent a private message.