Thomas Laurence

BIRTH & BAPTISM 20th October 1816, Trinity Gask: Peter Laurence and Janet Bayne in South Kinkell had a son baptised called Thomas, born 17th. See documents South Kinkell is a hamlet near St Bean's and Auchterarder in Trinity Gask parish.

First name(s) Thomas Last name Laurence Gender Male Birth year 1816 Birth place - Baptism year 1816 Baptism date 20 Oct 1816 Baptism place TRINITY GASK,PERTH,SCOTLAND Father's first name(s) Peter Father's last name Laurence Mother's first name(s) Janet Mother's last name Bayne Place Trinity Gask County Perthshire

Name: Thomas Laurence Gender: Male Birth Date: 17 Oct 1816 Baptism Date: 20 Oct 1816 Baptism Place: Trinity Gask,Perth,Scotland Father: Peter Laurence Mother: Janet Bayne FHL Film Number: 1040141

First name(s) Thomas Last name Laurence Birth year 1816 Birth date 17 Oct 1816 Baptism year 1816 Baptism date 20 Oct 1816 Residence South Kinkell Place Trinity Gask County Perthshire Country Scotland Mother's first name(s) Janet Mother's last name Bayne Father's first name(s) Peter Father's last name Laurence

[Thomas died between May 1848 and 1855 when his mother added a codicil to her will, but evidence for what he was doing and where is still missing.]

CENSUS 1841 census, Newtyle, Forfarshire (now Angus): Thomas is at Newtyle with Jane, Peter and David. Thomas is recorded as a baker in 1841. He is living in Commercial Street, Newtyle, with his brothers, David and Peter, both merchants, Jane, and Robert Reis, also a baker and Mary Lamont, probably a 'female servant'.
Since James was born 1836, Thomas was able to continue in his business despite what was a pretty shameful event in those days, with a religious and upright mother. He is named in her 1848 will, so still living-somewhere, but not in the 1855 codicil.
There are constant letters to Thomas Mills at Briagalong warning him about contact with his cousin James in Australia and finally NZ, so if Thomas was known to be in Australia or NZ I am sure it would have been mentioned.

Brian Worseldine sends me information that says Thomas migrated to New York April 21 1848, where he lived at 529 Greenwich (Street, Avenue?) Manhattan.
Thomas married, unknown person/time/place and had son James before 1849. James migrated to NZ where he married Lucy (unknown), and had two daughters, Jessie Bayne Lawrence b April 1878, and Elinor May Lawrence b. March 17 1880, at Poverty Bay, Gisborne, NZ. Some of this cannot be true - see notes below re Janet's will and codicil.
Thomas cannot be migrating to New York in April, and dying there, and also winding up a business in Newtyle in May, so I think that puts paid to the New York theory of Thomas's disappearance. He did not marry because James is clearly identified as Thomas's "natural son" at his baptism and in Janet's will, so there is some guessing going on. If Peter bought out his brother from their partnership, Thomas should have had some capital behind him and been able to set himself up somewhere else. Unless he is mentioned somewhere in the correspondence between the Laurences and the Millses after Jane and Thomas John died, there is no evidence anywhere of what happened to Thomas except that he is removed from his mother's will. Janet was also none too pleased when her saughter was pregnant to Thomas John Mills before their marriage and ensured Thomas could not benefit at her death.

A letter from James Laurence (NZ) to Thomas Mills (cousin) in Vic confirms birth of Jessie Bayne Lawrence in NZ, and provides the date, so we can be sure he is family. If Thomas did emigrate to US, the most likely record I can find is Thomas M. Lawrence, born 1815 in Scotland, died 30th August 1848 in Manhattan, New York, buried at ME Bedford, NY; residence at 529 Greenwich (Street or Avenue?) Brian agrees. I think even this is unlikely because his mother made her will in December that year which includes a substantial bequest to Thomas. She would have known by December if Thomas had died, because New York is very close to Scotland and had excellent communications, unlike Australia which relied on clipper ships for speed, which never-the-less took several weeks around Cape Horn, Chile.

Thomas Lawrence has died after Dec 1848 when Janet made her will, and before 1855 when she made a codicil to her will. In her will she also says Thomas left no legitimate issue, but has a 'natural son' ie an illegitimate son, called James, who migrates to NZ and is the cousin of Thomas Mills, son of Jane. Janet's original will was made on 2 December 1848, when Thomas and Jane were still living, so Thomas died between 1848 and 1855 when Jane died and caused Janet to make a codicil. The codicil also states that Thomas died without legitimate issue, so no children and, likely, no marriage. Thomas was a baker and employable anywhere. He likely had capital from the sale of his share of the business at Newtyle. Possibilities include that he - 1. went to a large town or city in Scotland to open his own business, and died there in one of the many epidemics associated with extremely poor urban sanitation. eg Glasgow had numerous deadly epidemics. 2. joined the army or navy as a baker and died in an over-seas posting. 3. went to an English town or city where he had his own business and died there.

If Janet, his mother, can be very confident that Thomas did not have legitimate children, we can be reasonably sure she stayed in touch with him during the 7 missing years. That suggests to me that he might not have left Scotland, or at best, gone to England. Such a young death suggests accident or disease. Tuberculosis was probably present in the Laurance family, and explains the early deaths of Thomas' brothers, and it is reasonable to suppose that the same might have happened to Thomas. Otherwise we need to imagine a genetic disorder that selectively killed young Laurance males in their prime, which is pretty improbable since there is evidence for TB. eg Thomas Laurence, 37yrs, b.abt.1818, was buried at Hackney cemetery, Middlesex, 12 Jan 1850, after dying at Guy's Hospital, London.

In the 1851 census for Newtyle in Forfarshire where Thomas and his brothers were in business for about 10 years, there is a Janet Anderson (born Dundee 1825) married to a hand loom weaver named William Anderson. In the household is a daughter of Janet, named Jean Ann Laurence, born 1845 at Newtyle, to Janet in a prior relationship. I wonder how likely it is that this person is the mother of Thomas's son James as well. The child's birth reg or baptism is not to be found. Interesting.

I have at last found evidence of the Lawrence brothers' business at Newtyle: Dundee Perth and Cupar Advertiser 12 May 1848 DISSOLUTION OF PARTNERSHIP THE PARTNERSHIP CARRIED ON in Newtyle in the name of David Lawrence, Baker, Grocer, and Ironmonger, has this day been dissolved by MUTUAL CONSENT. All those having claims against the late Firm will have them settled on application to Peter Lawrence; and all those INDEBTED to the late firm will make payment without delay. THOMAS LAWRENCE PETER LAWRENCE Witnesses William M'Pherson & William Anderson Newtyle May 5 1848.

IN reference to the above the Subscriber begs to inform his Friends and the Public that he is to CARRY ON the above BUSINESS in his own name, in all its branches; where he hopes that by strict attention to business, selling at the lowest remunerating profit for ready money, to merit the continuance of those favours enjoyed by the late firm. PETER LAWRENCE

[NB David had died in 1841 so Peter and Thomas were the remaining partners]

The only possible death for Thomas Laurence between 1848 and 1855, in Scotland, is January 5 1849 in Glasgow, which was experiencing a dreadful cholera epidemic in which hundreds died. I will attach the record in case we find evidence that this is indeed our Thomas. Glasgow is the nearest big city to Auchterarder, Thomas is a baker, and might well have wanted to move away where he was not known, after fathering an illegitimate child, and there would always be work for a baker in a large city. Equally, he might have decided to migrate to the US where so many other Scots were going, or over the border to England. He should have had some capital from the business sold to Peter. Without firm evidence, we cannot be sure whether one of these is Thomas, or if he went to Rhodesia, or Canada. The family do not refer to him. There is no reference in his mother's will to 'her beloved son Thomas', and she refers only to James, 'natural son' of Thomas, and he is not mentioned in letters as an absent presence. Odd!

There are also dozens of Laurance/Laurence/Lawrences in the army, East India Company army, and the Royal Navy during the 18th and 19th centuries. At least some of the surplus sons on Laurence farms must have sought their fortunes in the Scottish regiments or the navy. Unlikely they would be officers without a wealthy sponsor, but not impossible during the Napoleonic and Indian wars. Later, Peter Lawrence Forgan fought with the Black Watch. Scots were also extremely active in mercantile pursuits across India, the East Indies, Canada, China and Hong Kong. Thomas could have joined one of the great trading houses and worked in any one of its overseas locations. I believe it is more likely he died or Janet would have at least mentioned him in her will and codicil.