John Thompson and Mary Turner
Parents John (Snr)Tmompson and
Mary Ann Graham
Joshua Turner and Elizabeth
Stephenson
John Thompson (b 1866 Newcastle-on-Tyne, m Mary Louisa
Turner 1887 Newcastle-on-Tyne, d 1893 Newcastle-on-Tyne)
Mary (Maria) 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 Ann Thompson. 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 father gave his
occupation as Temperance Missionary and Local Preacher
Methodist. 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.
The family have various books and certificates
from John's school days: Thanks to Glenis Crocker who supplied the
following photographs:
1876
Freehand Drawing Prize
1877 Model
Drawing Prize 1878 Freehand
Drawing Prize 1882 Comittee Prize
1 1882 Comittee Prize
2
1884 Art Prize 1 Cover
Nameplate
1884 Art Prize 2 Cover
Nameplate
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 W Turner 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.
Another look at that shipping manifest. There
is another Thompson (T H Thompson male aged 35) travelling in
the cabin section. No known relation. Mary and family were is
steerage. Thompson is a common name but there were only 31
passengers total on the ship. Also interesting is that the
Thompson family are immediately followed on the passenger list
by Mrs Jane Heffer (30) and John Heffer (16). John Thompson's
aunt married a Hepper. The Heffers follow immediately after the
Thompsons on the list and on other listings we have seen groups
travelling together appeared sequentially on the passnger list.
All passengers embarked in London and the Thompsons Turner and
Heffers above make up seven of the eleven passengers
disembarking in Melbourne
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
"I do feel that John Thompson’s widow was
brave emigrating to Australia - although the fact her parents
were there obviously was the key factor in her decision making.
A woman who was left a widow at a young age with young children
had few options to avoid the workhouse. With no formal education
women struggled to provide financially for a family. Occupations
that have occurred in my research were laundress/washerwoman,
charwoman, dressmaker. Alternatively a widow could take in
lodgers and many chose to seek out a second husband very
quickly."
Gillian
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
Glenis Crocker has prizes awarded to John Thompson by the School
of Science and Art, Newcastle on Tyne (Corporation St)
1876 - Science and Art Department - Prize for Freehand Drawing of
the First Grade (certificate)
1877 - Science and Art Department - Prize for Model Drawing of the
First Grade (certificate)
1881-2 - School of Science and Art - Commitee Prize (book
Illumination by Windsor and Newton)
1884 - School of Art - Third Grade Prize (book Architecture -
Gothic and Renaisance, by T Roger Smith)
1884 - 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
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
When Mary died, the two boys were eleven and
thirteen. Who looked after them?
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.
Also Gillian Wild who gave us Mary Ann Graham
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