Thomas Waugh Thompson and Mary Rule

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Parents  Robert Thompson and Mary Muckle    Robert Rule and Mary Davy

 Thomas Waugh Thompson (b 1801 Wooler, m Mary Rule 1825, d 1839).
Mary Rule (b 1799 Wooler Northumberland, d 1878)
    George Thompson (b 1826 Gateshead Durham. m Hannah Pearson 1846 Newcastle on Tyne, d 1891)
    Robert Thompson (b 1827 Gateshead, m Mary Young in Wooler, d 1879)
    Thomas Thompson (b 1828 Newcastle on Tyne, m Hannah Reed 1869 Newcastle NSW,d 1904 Newcastle NSW)   
    Mary Thompson (b 1830 Wooler, m William Clinton 1857 Andrews Newcastle upon Tyne, d 1903)   
    Catherine Thompson (b 1832 St Andrews Newcastle on Tyne Northumberland, m George Storey 1858 St Andrews Newcastle upon Tyne, d 1893)   
    John(Snr) Thompson (b 1833 Newcastle-on-Tyne), m Mary Ann Graham 1865  Newcastle-on-Tyne, d 1896)   
         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)
    James Thompson (b 1838 St Andrews Newcastle on Tyne, m Elizabeth Williamson 1866 Newcastle upon Tyne)   
    Isabella Jane Thompson (b 1840 St Andrews Newcastle on Tyne, m Thomas Maughan 1873 Durham, d 1916)

Wooler

Wooler is a small market town 47 miles NNW from Newcastle on Tyne. Current population is about 2,000.
The Thompsons seem to have come from there. Northumberland County Council have produced an interesting report on the history and archeology of the town
Link to report  46 pages.
The report explains the ready employment as Slaters. Robert Rule (Slater) employed 9 men including 2 Thompsons as slaters in the 1861 census
Wooler had a problem with fire. In 1693 54 houses were destroyed. Fire struck again in 1722. In 1862 thirteen houses were destroyed.
Within a few years of this last fire a new High St emerged with the old thatched houses replaced

Gateshead is more or less part of Newcastle on Tyne, south of the river
As is the county of Durham

Mary Thompson's story

Mary Rule was born in 1799 in Wooler, which is a small town about 27 miles WNW of Newcastle on Tyne. She married Thomas and moved to Newcastle on Tyne . George is the eldest of her proven children, but there could be other children who had left home by 1851. In 1826 George was born at Gateshead, Durham, a couple of miles south of Newcastle on Tyne, but in 1830 daughter Mary was born in her mother's home town of Wooler. Subsequent children were born in Newcastle on Tyne.  Thomas probably died in 1839 or 1840. Mary worked as a washerwoman/laundress to support herself and her family untill at least the age of 71. She seems to have stayed at  Jesmond, St Andrews, Newcastle on Tyne for the rest of her life, though at different addresses. Her family come and go over the years (see below). In 1861, son John has returned after being widowed.
Similarly in 1871, George has returned after being widowed. George brought three of Mary's grandchildren (aged 15-22) with him.

1841 Census

Prudoe Pl,  St Andrews Newcastle on Tyne, all born in the county, except Isabella(?)
Mary Thompson       44           (abt 1796)        Ind 
George Thompson    15           (abt 1825)     Errand boy 
Robert Thompson     14           (abt 1826)     Errand boy 
Mary Thompson        11           (abt 1829)
Catherine Thompson    9           (abt 1831)
James Thompson         3           (abt 1837)
Isabella Thompson       1           (abt 1839)
Comments: Mary appears to be widowed already. Isabella is a nice link 1841-71

Wooler, High St
Staying with grandparents and family
Robert Rule                  68    slater                                           See Robert Rule and Mary Davy for further discussion of this family
Mary Rule                     68
John  Rule                     40     slater
Barbara Rule                 27
are the two missing Thompson boys
Thomas Thompson        12
John Thompson              6          

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)
Catherine Thompson    Dau      U     18    Washerwoman           Newcastle on Tyne  (abt 1832)
John Thompson         Son       U     16    App Cabinet Maker    Newcastle on Tyne  (abt 1834)
James Thompson         Son       U     13    Errand boy                 Newcastle on Tyne  (abt 1837)
Isabella Thompson       Dau      U     11    Scholar                       Newcastle on Tyne  (abt 1839)
And nearby
Middle Street, South Side, St Andrew,  Newcastle-on-Tyne   
George Thompson 25 Solicitor Generals Clerk b Gateshead Durham
Hannah Thompson 25         b Newcastle-on-Tyne    
Mary J Thompson     2      b Gateshead Durham    (Mary A? see below)

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)

1871 Census

34 Brundling? Place, Jesmond, St Andrews Newcastle on Tyne                            Born
Mary Thompson       Head       W            71       Laundress               Northumberland Wooler (abt 1799)
George Thompson       Son       Widower    44    Agent, solicitor's assistant    Gateshead Durham  (abt 1826)
IsabellaThompson        Dau          U            30      Laundress                        Newcastle on Tyne  (abt 1840)
Mary Ann Thompson    Grand  Dau     U      22      Dress Maker                  Gateshead Durham  (abt 1848)
George E Thompson    Grand  Son     U      19      Painter's Apprentice        Newcastle on Tyne  (abt 1851)
Thomas Thompson       Grand  Son     U      15     solicitor's Clerk                Newcastle on Tyne  (abt 1855)

Research Notes

LDS  what we are loooking for now is:
Birth of Thomas Thompson, probably in Northumberland or Durham, probably 1780-1800
Birth of Mary ? in Wooler about 1799
Marriage of Thomas Thompson to Mary, 1818-25
Death of Thomas Thompson probably in 1839-40 in Newcastle unable to find anything

Possible extra children

The only children we have definitely are above, verified by census information. Searching the IGI via FamilySearch gives more who could be members of the family, but had left home by the 1841 census. (Their parents are Thomas and Mary Thompson, but no proof they are the same ones)
     Ann Thompson (b 1822, Christened 1826 Newcastle on Tyne)  -  Mother is Mary Ann
     Jane Bryton Thompson (b 1818 Newcastle on Tyne)

A  Marriage for Thomas

   I had an email from Michael Mecham in Feb 2008. Michael is a descendant of Thomas Thompson (b 1828), ie of our John Thompson's elder brother. Michael found John's older brothers Robert and Thomas in Wooler in the 1851 and 1861 Census data. This ties in beautifully as Wooler is Mary Rule's birthplace, and we had found the other brother George, but not Robert and Thomas.
    Michael's comment  on his Thomas is of interest:
Thomas Thompson b.1828 married Hannah Reed, as you have listed. She came to Australia under her real name of Dinah Howells, from Blaina, Monmouthshire. Their wedding cert. in 1869 has Dinah Howells, another name she used. That's a side issue. Of interest is that Thomas gave his parents as Thomas Thompson and Mary Smith and stated his father was a Mariner. This could explain the 1841 census with Mary on Independent Means - maybe she had a small pension payment from his death at sea.
An aside for our side of the family. Michael is descended from Thomas (b1828)'s son Frederick. John Thomas junior called one of his son's Frederick
Further email from Michael Aug 2008
    Thomas jnr was working as a slater, and living with relatives  the Rules (1851) and Smarts (1861)....I found these families again in 1871 in Wooler and Thomas certainly was no longer living with them. From his first known  daughter (Elizabeth Read, before their marriage) born 1864, it appears he came out to Australia around 1862.
     I've been unable to confirm his arrival in Aust. Nearest so far is:  
    Thomas Thompson arrived Sydney 6 Dec 1862,     aged 27; born abt 1835
    Whaling voyage, Vessel Prince of Denamrk, origin Northumberland. (Ancestry.com; unassisted arrivals)
    Other data points to this Thomas being born 1828. In several instances, he is very flexible with his age, so the above remains a possibility, given his father was a Mariner.

Notes from Gillian Wild

     In his marriage record to Mary Ann Graham, John's father was recorded as Thomas Waugh Thompson.

Family Search Reference

MD71-JJ1

Research Notes

The Family Search Tree has a marriage in 1825 which makes sense, but no evidence. Could find nothing in Ancestry.
Did have a Jane Bryton Thompson born 1818 in this tree at one stage but that looks wrong

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Michael Mecham for his help
The new work on this page follows on from contact with Gillian Wild via Ancestry.
She gave us access to her Ancestry tree (Graham and Govenlock Tree), with further updates
She also pointed us to an excellent Thompson tree in Family Search
Many thanks
If you have additions or corrections to this page, please contact us     Bones in the Belfry home page     Page last updated - 23 Feb 2008   23 Aug 2008     26Jun 2020