The English Family of Thomas Waters
My great grandfather 1829 - 1912
I wrote recently about the letters written by my 2x great grandfather, Thomas WATERS, to his family in Bedfordshire, England. It’s time now to look at Thomas’ parents and siblings who were receiving those letters. I have included a link to the letters at the bottom.
Thomas Waters 1829 - 1913 (writer of the letters to Bedfordshire)
Thomas Waters’ Parents and Siblings
Thomas WATERS’ parents were Thomas WATERS and Anne IZZARD. Thomas was born cir 1793 at Eyeworth, Bedfordshire, England. Anne IZZARD was born cir 1806 at Guilden, Morden, a village in Cambridgeshire, England Thomas was working on a farm at Eyeworth before his marriage. By the time Ann was 9 years old, both her parents had passed away.
Thomas and Ann were married on 04 September 1824 at Dunton, Bedfordshire. They were my 3x great grandparents. Between 1824 and 1843, Anne gave birth to nine children, five boys and four girls. One child died at age 16, but the others all lived into adulthood.
Most of my 2nd great grandfather’s siblings (below) were mentioned in the letters he wrote home to Bedfordshire. There was a desperation for information from home, in his letters.
Newton Bury Farm, was the family farm, situated outside the village of Dunton. The 1841 Census is the first mention that Thomas Snr. had taken over this farm. He farmed there until his death in 1863
Deaths
Thomas’ wife, Ann IZZARD died on 06 October 1851 at Dunton, Bedfordshire, at age 46. Her cause of death was cystitis and muco enteritis Thomas WATERS died twelve years later on 01 December 1863, at age 63. His cause of death was apoplexy. Both Thomas and Ann died at Newton Bury farm.
Death Certificate for Ann Waters, maiden name Izzard
Death certificate for Thomas Waters Snr
Letters to Bedfordshire
Following are links to transcripts of the letters that Thomas Waters wrote home to his family at Dunton, Bedfordshire, England. I’m sure there would have been many more letters, but these are all that have survived.
Letter to Bedfordshire #1 May 1862
Letter to Bedfordshire #2 August 1862
Letter to Bedfordshire #3 17 May 1863
Letter to Bedfordshire #4 23 May 1863
Letter to Bedfordshire #5 23 May 1864
Letter to Bedfordshire #6 23 March 1865
Letter to Bedfordshire #7 23 December 1865
Letter to Bedfordshire #8 9 October 1871
Sources:
Letters from Thomas WATERS sent to family in Bedfordshire 1862-1874
CENSUS 1841: Class: HO107; Piece: 2; Book: 14; Civil Parish: Dunton; County: Bedfordshire; Enumeration District: 15b; Folio: 3; Page: 2; Line: 9; GSU roll: 241190 Ancestry.com. 1841 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010.
Death Certificate, Thomas Waters, died 01 December 1863, District of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England
Death Certificate, Ann Waters, died 16 October 1851, district of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England.
S.A . Marriage Certificate, Mt. Barker, 4/1857
S.A. Birth Certificate #149
SA Birth Certificate, #133
Vic Death Certificate #749
Vic Birth Certificate #11060
Victorian Pioneers Index #2810
Vic Birth Certificate, #15538
Vic Birth Index #24099
Vic Birth Index #1507
Vic Birth Index #23907
Vic Birth Index #9799
Vic Birth Index #4859
Birth Certificate #4835
Birth Certificate #4979
Death Certificate #11581
Death Certificate #7105
The above certificates are all held in the family records.
This is a wonderfully detailed and informative piece on Thomas Waters and his family. Those firsthand accounts are invaluable for genealogical research. The inclusion of the specific death information and locations adds a great deal of context to the story, too! Well done!