John Thompson
and Mary Ann Graham
Parents
Thomas Waugh Thompson and Mary Rule
Robert Graham and
Elizabeth Dixon
John Thompson (b 1833 Newcastle-on-Tyne, m Jane Ann Ovens
1857 Hexham, d 1896)
m
Mary Ann Graham 1861 All Saints, Newcastle-on-Tyne,)
Jane Ann Ovens (b 1834 Hexham, d 1861 Newcastle-on-Tyne)
Thomas Waugh Thompson (b 1858
Newcastle-on-Tyne, d 1859)
Mary Ann Graham (b 1845 St Andrews, Newcastle-on-Tyne, d aft 1901
see census below
John Thompson (b
1865 Newcastle-on-Tyne, m Mary Louisa Turner
1887 Newcastle-on-Tyne, d 1893 Newcastle-on-Tyne)
Norman
Thompson (b 1888 Newcastle-on-Tyne, m Winifred Emma Farr 1918
Northcote Vic, d 1932 Thornbury Vic)
Mary Ann Thompson (b 1867 Newcastle-on-Tyne, d
aft 1910)
Ann Harper Thompson (b 1869 Newcastle-on-Tyne, m John
Sydney Cresswell 1896 Cullercoats Northumberland,)
m Thomas Thompson 1815 Newcastle on Tyne)
Isabella Jane Thompson (b 1871
Newcastle-on-Tyne, m Henry Willsher St Johns, Newecastle upon Tyne
1896 , d 1905)
Elizabeth Thompson (b 1880 Newcastle-on-Tyne, d
aft 1890)
John Thompson Senior's story
John was born 2nd Dec 1833, recorded as being
in Newcastle on Tyne, and christened at Gateshead Durham on the
29th Dec. He is living with his widowed mother (Mary) in 1851 in
Newcastle on Tyne. John was working as an Apprentice Cabinet Maker
at age 16. Based on the age of the youngest child and the 1841
census, John's father probably died between 1839 and 1840.. In
1851 John's mother is widowed, and she and two elder sisters
are working as Washerwomen and John is an apprentice Cabinet
Maker. In 1861 his two older sisters have left home. John at age
26 is now Cabinet Maker and widower, so he has presumably left
home and returned when his wife died. John's mother is a
Laundress, James is now a Clerk Hat Merchant, and Isabella is a
Servant. In 1865 John married Mary Ann Graham at Newcastle on
Tyne. In 1871 the family are living in Westgate, Newcastle on
Tyne, and have three young children. John is described as a
Temperance Missionary and a Local Preacher Methodist. In
1881 and 1891 John's occupation is Cabinet Maker and Mary's is
blank The family is still living in Newcastle on Tyne
In view of the strong Wooler connection of
John's parents, it is interesting to find his first wife Jane Ann
Ovens living in Wooler in the 1851 census with her widowed mother
as a laundress. Though she was born in Hexham and married in
Hexham
Gillian Wild's Sluething has helped with
this page. Quoting
In his marriage record to Mary Ann Graham, John's father was
recorded as Thomas Waugh Thompson. The GRO birth record for
Thomas Waugh Thompson who died aged 1 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
gives his mother's maiden name as Ovens. FreeBMD has a record
for the marriage of a John Thompson and Jane Ann Ovens in Q4
1857 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
I was able to also
discover John Thompson cabinetmaker in the 1861 census just
before his marriage to Mary Ann living with his mother. That
census showed he was a widower. Using the family of
Thompsons in the 1851 census it was possible to identify a
birth just after civil registration and by looking up the
birth discover that his mother's maiden name was Rule. This
does explain why a Thompson was staying with a Rule family
as you note on your website. This then leads back to a
different couple's marriage and identifies Thomas Waugh
Thompson as his father
There is a comprehensive writeup of this family by Gillian on
file
1841 Census. (Details Thomas' Page}
The family below is in the 1841 Census,
though John is missing (he is in Wooler). . See Thomas
1851 Census
Middle St, Jesmond, St Andrews Newcastle on
Tyne
Born
Mary
Thompson
Head W
51
Washerwoman
Northumberland Wooler (abt 1799)
Mary
Thompson
Dau U
20
Washerwoman
Northumberland Wooler (abt 1830)
CatherineThompson Dau
U 18
Washerwoman
Newcastle on Tyne (abt 1832)
John Thompson
Son
U 16 App
Cabinet Maker Newcastle on Tyne (abt 1834)
JamesThompson
Son U
13 Errand
boy
Newcastle
on Tyne (abt 1837)
IsabellaThompson
Dau U
11
Scholar
Newcastle
on Tyne (abt 1839)
Wooler is about 27 miles WNW of Newcastle on Tyne
Jesmond is an inner suburb of Newcastle on Tyne
1851 Census
60 Percy St, St Andrews, Newcastle on
Tyne
Robert Graham Head 32
Printer/compositor - all born in the county
Elizabeth Graham Wife 32
Mary graham Daughter 5
Thomas Graham Son 4
Robert Graham Son 2
Elizabeth Graham Daughter 7 momths
1861 Census
29 North St, Jesmond, Newcastle on
Tyne
Born
Mary Thompson
Head
Widow 62
Laundress
Northumberland Wooler (abt 1799)
JohnThompson
Son
Widower
26
Cabinet Maker Newcastle on Tyne (abt 1834)
JamesThompson
Son
U
23
Clerk Hat merchant Newcastle on Tyne
(abt 1837)
Isabella Thompson
Dau
U
22
Servant
Newcastle
on Tyne (abt 1838)
This does look like John (snr) Age + Cabinet Maker + Isabella repitition, see 1881
1861 Census
Spring Garden Terrace, Westgate, Newcastle on
Tyne
Robert Graham Head 42
Printer/compositor
Elizabeth Graham Wife 42
Mary Graham Daughter 18 Domestic Servant
Thomas Graham Son 14 Scholar
Robert Graham Son 12 Scholar
Elizabeth Graham Daughter
10 Scholar
George Graham Son 8 Scholar
William Graham Son 5 Scholar
Margaret Willis 29 Domestic Servant
"Spring Garden Terrace was a tenement block that incorporated a
public house and engine works and overlooked Leases Park, pretty
much opposite what is now the stadium in which Newcastle United
play."
Gillian
1871 Census
90-92 Stanhope St,, Westgate,
Parish of St Phillips,
Newcastle
Born
John Thompson
Head
M
36 Temperance
Missionary
Newcastle (abt 1834)
Local Preacher Methodist
Mary A Thompson
Wife
M
27
Newcastle (abt 1843)
John Thompson
son
6
Newcastle
(abt 1864)
Mary A Thompson
Dau
4
Newcastle (abt 1866)
Ann H Thompson
Dau
2
Newcastle
(abt 1868)
Westgate is an inner suburb of Newcastle on Tyne,
about one and a half miles from the centre of the city
1881 Census
20 Moor St,, Westgate, parish of St Phillips,
Newcastle
Born
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)
See discussion John Junior. This is the
census record that connects the two John Thompson families.
1891 Census
13 Langley St,, Westgate, Arthurs Hill,
parish of St Phillips,
Newcastle Born
John Thompson
Head
M
55 Cabinet
Maker Newcastle
(abt 1835)
Mary A Thompson
Wife
M 46
Newcastle
(abt 1844)
Annie H Thompson
Dau
21
Scholar
Newcastle
(abt 1868)
Isabella J? Thompson Dau
19
Scholar
Newcastle
(abt 1871)
ElizabethThompson
Dau
11
Newcastle (abt 1879)
1901 Census
24 Chapman St, Walker Northumberland
Henry
Willsher
28 Barman Aldershot, Hampshire
Isabella
Willsher
30
Northumberland, Newcastle
Mary
Thompson
55 widow Northumberland,
Newcastle
Annie
Creswell
32 daughter in law
Dressmaker, own account at home Northumberland,
Newcastle
Blanche
Thompson
5 neice
Northumberland, Newcastle
John
Creswell
4 nephew Northumberland,
Newcastl
Research Notes
The pieces above mesh together well, though
you have to be careful when dealing with very common names such
as John, Mary and Thompson
Family Search Reference LY5D-8YR.
Acknowledgements
The new work on this page follows on from
contact with Gillian Wild via Ancestry. She gave us Mary Ann's
maiden name (Graham) and Henry Willsher.
She also gave us access to her Ancestry tree (Graham and
Govenlock Tree), with further updates
And pointed us to an excellent tree in Famiy search for the
thompsons
Many thanks
If
you have additions or corrections to this page, please contact us
Bones in the Belfry home page
Page last updated - 2025