Thomas Billups
Birth Name | Thomas Billups |
Gender | male |
Age at Death | 71 years, 1 month, 19 days |
Narrative
Thomas is the oldest known son of John and Jane (Davison) Billups.
In 1851, Thomas was working for the railroad and was lodging in Witham on the Hill, Lincolnshire. His father John died in 1847 and his mother Jane was working in a home in March, Cambridgeshire. The other children were together in Wimblington. (See John's family information.) Thomas' wife may be the Mary Ann Morris, age 10, with William and Georgianna Morris in Melton Ross, Lincolnshire. (censuses.)
Thomas and his wife and son Richard James were living in Sutton St. Mary, (Holbeach) Lincolnshire in 1861. Thomas was a police officer. In 1871, they were in Attercliffe cum Darnall, (Sheffield), Yorkshire, and also had a daughter, Maria J. born about 1861. Thomas' occupation was unclear, possibly a slat maker or steel melter. (censuses.)
On August 10, 1876 Thomas applied for naturalization, in Mifflin County, PA. On his application, Thomas said he left Liverpool May 1, 1872, arrived in New York on May 15, 1872, and came to Pennsylvania at once. The application notes that Thomas was illiterate. A copy of this application, dated Jun 11, 1892 is included with Thomas' naturalization papers. Thomas was naturalized on Jun 15, 1892, in the US District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania. At that time, he was living in the 17th Ward of Pittsburg. (Images at ancestry.com, immigration records, US District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania.)
In a letter home dated 4 May 1878 from Mifflin Co., his brother Henry (Harry) says
"My brother has Gon About
Nine Hurnded Miles west
from us he is Gon to farming
his Dorter has Got Married"
(See Henry's information for source information regarding the letters.)
Thomas and his son Richard J. are in William's 1880 Evansville [Indiana] City Directory at ancestry.com. They are both living at 224 Lincoln St. Thomas is a pedlar and Richard is a farmer.
In 1880, Thomas' wife, Mary (Morris) Billups and her son Richard were living at 224 Lincoln St., in Evansville, Vandenburgh Co., Indiana. Richard is listed as a "huckster." In the same town was an Alfred Billups, who was also born in Cambridgeshire, in 1832, and who was Thomas' first cousin.
Thomas returned to Pennsylvania by 1879 or 1880 and was living and working in Pittsburgh. His listing in the 1880 Pittsburgh City Directory says he is a laborer living on Thirty-Eighth St above Penn ave. (He was not found in the 1879 city directory.)
His residence or shop is on 38th St above Penn Ave in 1881 as well. His residence in 1884 was 3515 Butler and his photography business, Thomas Billups & Company, was between 32nd and 33rd. In 1888 and 1889 his son James had a notions business at 3228 Penn Ave. In 1889 both Thomas and James are listed as photographers. Thomas was at 5900 Penn Ave, and James was at 3226 Penn Ave.
All these addresses in Pittsburgh were near his sister Naomi Jackson. Naomi's husband was the manager of a hotel at 4936 Harrison St. (Source: city directories at ancestry.com)
A few other listings for Thomas in the Pittsburgh City Directory, source: http://www.donslist.net/PGHLookups/Pgh1895M.htm:
1882
Billups Thomas, lab, Butler n 35th
1895, 1897, 1899
Billups, Thos, photographer, Home and Butler, h. 4936 Harrison
1898
Billups, Thos, photographer, 4936 Harrison
A letter dated 1897 from Samuel Callwood to Henry James Ronaghan, both nephews of Thomas by his sister Susanna, says that Samuel showed Henry's letter to 'Uncle Tom.' (Source: email from a descendant of Susanna.)
In 1900 Thomas and his son James were living on the same street in Jeannette Borough, Westmoreland County. Thomas was listed as a widower, but his wife Mary J Billup is living in Pittsburgh with her son in law, Francis Vincent. She was listed as widowed also. (censuses.)
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1851 Census Witham on the Hill, Lincolnshire
Civil parish: Witham on the Hill
Ecclesiatical parish: Bourne
County: Lincolnshire
Source information: HO107/2095
Registration district: Bourn
Sub-registration district: Corby
ED, institution, or vessel: 7
Folio: 531, Page: 3. Household: 4
Gillard's Lodge [spelling?]
Thomas Billups, 25, rail laborer, unmarried
Where born: Doddington, Cambridgeshire, England
Lots of lodgers
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His future wife?
1851 Census Melton Ross, Lincolnshire
Marris, William, head, born abt 1803, in Hulby, Lincolnshire
[note incorrect spelling of Morris]
Morris, Georganina, wife, born abt 1803, in Laceby, Lincolnshire
Morris, Mary Ann, daughter, born abt 1841, Melton Ross, Lincolnshire
Watson, Georgianna Morris, visitor, born abt 1836, Laceby, Lincolnshire
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1861 Census Sutton St Mary, Lincolnshire, England
Civil parish: Sutton St Mary
Ecclesiatical parish: St Matthew
County: Lincolnshire
Source information: RG9/2327
Registration district: Holbeach
Sub-registration district: Long Sutton
ED, institution, or vessel: 5d
Folio: 58, Page: 9. Household: 34.
22 Sutton Bridge
Billups, Thomas, 30, police officer, BP: Wimblington
------, Mary J., 22, BP: Boston, Lincolnshire
-, Richard J.R., 1, BP: Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire
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1880 United States Census, Evansville, Vanderburgh, Indiana
Series T9, Roll 0317, Page 266B
at 224 Lincoln St. [two blocks from William St.]
Mary BILLUPS Self M Female W 40 ENG Keeping House ENG ENG
Richard BILLUPS Son S Male W 20 ENG Huckster ENG ENG
This is Thomas' family. Thomas reentered US in 1881 through Ellis Island. Henry's letters said Thomas had gone farming, 900 mi. west. Note "Married" not "widowed" for Mary's marital status.
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1900 Census, PA, Westmoreland Co., Jeannette Boro
Series T623, Roll 1498, Page 177B, E.D. 104, sheet 4 or 19B
renting on Third Street,
[same street as son James R. see his file.]
Billups, Thomas, Nov 1829, 70, Wd, ENG ENG ENG, occupation ?
Came here: 1871, been here: 29 years, naturalized
Events
Event | Date | Place | Description | Sources |
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Birth | November 13, 1829 | Cambridgeshire, England | 1 | |
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Christening | November 26, 1832 | Isle Of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England | 2 | |
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Census (Head) | April 2, 1871 | Attercliffe, Yorkshire, England | 357 High Street | 3a |
Event Note
1871 Census Attercliffe com Darnall, Yorkshire, England 357 High Street
Thomas Billups, head, married, 41, steel mill, born Wimblington, Cambridgeshire |
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Emigration | May 1, 1872 | Liverpool, Lancashire, England | 1 | |
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Immigration | May 15, 1872 | New York, New York County, New York, United States | 1 | |
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Naturalization | June 15, 1892 | Pennsylvania, United States | 4 | |
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Death | 1901 | 5 6 | ||
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Burial | Jeannette Memorial Park, Penn Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States | 6a | ||
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Parents
Relation to main person | Name | Birth date | Death date | Relation within this family (if not by birth) |
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Father | John Billups | 1804 | March 1, 1847 | |
Mother | Jane Davison | July 25, 1809 | November 8, 1868 | |
Thomas Billups | November 13, 1829 | 1901 | ||
Sister | Susanna Davison Billups | October 22, 1832 | September 7, 1900 | |
Sister | Jane Billups | about 1835 | March 11, 1906 | |
Brother | Henry Davison Billups | about March 1837 | January 12, 1838 | |
Sister | Mary Ann Billups | about 1838 | May 25, 1884 | |
Sister | Naomi Billups | February 24, 1842 | October 11, 1907 | |
Brother | Henry Billups | November 3, 1843 | November 10, 1843 | |
Brother | Henry “Harry” Billups | September 29, 1845 | between September 29, 1891 and September 29, 1892 | |
Brother | John Billups | about July 1, 1847 | November 17, 1847 |
Families
Family of Thomas Billups and Mary Jane Morris |
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Married | Wife | Mary Jane Morris ( b. July 1839 d. August 2, 1907 ) | ||||||||||||||
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Children |
Name | Birth Date | Death Date |
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James Richard Billups | November 1859 | 1931 |
Maria Jane Billups | between January 1862 and March 1862 | February 23, 1885 |
Pedigree
Source References
- Dan McClenahen: Naturalization Papers of Mifflin 1803 - 1906.
- International Genealogical Index
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1871 Census of England
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- Page: Attercliffe com Darnall, Yorkshire, England, RG10; Piece: 4698; Folio: 122; Page: 41; GSU roll: 847239
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- Ancestry.com
- 1900 Census, PA, Westmoreland Co., Jeannette BoroSeries T623, Roll 1498, Page 177B, E.D. 104,
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findagrave.com
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Source text:
Plot 1, Section 1
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Source text:
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General Record Office (GRO), United Kingdom
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- Page: Jane Golding, age 71. vol 9c page 363
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English Billups group's spreadsheet: transcriptions of vital records
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General:
English Billups group's spreadsheet, transcriptions of vital records, referencing GRO Ref 4Q Holbeach 7a 731
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General:
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