Could he be an ancestor sibling (1794-1859)??

[benny1982]

Hi

My 3xgreat grandfather William Thomas Coombs 1828-1885 had an elder brother Matthew George Coombs, 1812-1867. Their father was George Coombs and their mum was Sarah Bradford who died in 1851 aged 60. Sarah reverted back to her maiden name and I have found a married brother for her.

I may have found a brother for George Coombs but would appreciate some second opinions please?

Matthew G Coombs lived in the Marylebone and Clerkenwell areas of London from about 1832 to 1845. He wed in 1835, and again in 1845. Both of those times, he married at St Mary, Paddington. His first wife died in April 1845 of TB at White Lion Street in Clerkenwell, and I believe that he was seeing his future wife Elizabeth Auber while his previous one was dying. Elizabeth and her sister Emma were living near Matthew in Clerkenwell. Only a few weeks later, Matt and Eliz moved temporarily to Paddington, 2 miles from Clerkenwell.

I have this evidence as they wed on the 14 July 1845 at St Mary, Paddington, and their banns were read on the 1st, 8th and 15th June that year. Matthew was of North Wharf Road and Elizabeth was of Dudley Street. They must have moved to Paddington in about May 1845, just about a month after his previous wife died. Once they wed, they moved to Hoxton in East London.

Matthew had married his 1st wife 10 years before in the Paddington Church, so the church connection was through the groom in this case.

In the 1851 census, I have found a Thomas Coombs aged 56 living at No 24 North Wharf Road, a labourer, born in Westminster, Middlesex so born c1794/1795 with wife Mary aged 49 born in Holborn. Having studied 1840s London directories and maps, No 24 N Wharf Rd was on the corner of Dudley Street, where Matthew Coombs fiancee was living when they temporarily moved to Paddington.

The 1841 census for Paddington is missing and Thomas cannot be found on 1841.

Thos Coombs was born c1794 as he died in 1859 aged 65 and wife Mary registered the death. By then he was a messenger. My coachman 4xgreat grandad George Coombs was born c1790. I do not yet know when he died.

Could I be onto something here at all? Have any of you had similar experiences and proved or disproved a connection? Or is it just a small coincidence?

Ben

[Marie C..]

I would think it highly likely that Thomas and George Coombs were brothers. Families often lived round the corner from each other. Go with your gut feeling.(and then prove it).
As for the second wife of Matthew? Sometimes we are too quick to judge without knowing the facts. She might have been helping to care for the first wife(possibly her friend) in her last illness and a bond formed between the couple. It happens.
Marie
T

[benny1982]

Hi

Yes, Thomas and Mary are one of the few families with that surname living in the Paddington area. I cannot yet find his baptism on the IGI at all. His birthplace is given as Westminster and some churches arent on the IGI yet.

Matthew Coombs second wife's sister Emma Auber lived just round the corner from him in 1843, so they had known each other for a while then I would imagine.

Yes, if Matthew wed in an area of London he didnt usually live in and I find a man with the same surname who is the right age to be his uncle living in the street that Matthew temporarily lived in, then I must be onto something.

I need to find the marriage of Thomas Coombs to Mary.

Ben

[Sandyhall]

Hi
reading your post...

Were there any children from the first marriage because if there were he could/would possibly have married pretty quick to find a new mother to look after them, and not necessarily been having an affair whilst his first wife was lay dieing.

Don't forget a lot of second marriages where marriages of convenience not marriages of love,(like we have to day) that came later.

Sandy

[Marie C..]

I could not find any records for St. Mary's on LDS site; nothing on Hugh Wallis either. Found some for St. James' Paddington(inc. a Matthew George Coombs to Elizabeth Johnson marriage 06 July 1835 and an Emma Coombes to Will. James Bennett 18Dec 1832)probably relations of yours.
The St. Mary's Paddington Register(from 1788 to 1845) is at the London Metropolitan archives.. so if anyone's going there maybe they might have a look for you.
Sometimes dying from TB takes a while.
My Great ,great grandma was very ill for two years before her death in 1862 (T.B) Her husband married his second wife before the earth had settled judging by the ages of further children in 1871 census! (He needed a new mother for my great Grandma who was only 5.) Widows often married again pretty quickly if there were children to be cared for.
Marie

[benny1982]

Hi

Matthew only had the one son who was aged 4. Two more were born but had died in infancy way before 1845. I dont assume he was having an affair, but they were friends and maybe they bonded and got hitched as soon as they were free to.

Another similar story is in Nov 1863, my 3xgreat grandfather Thomas Roberts lost his wife Esther aged 42 to a long illness with TB in Brighton. The death cert said Died 14 November 1863 "Phthisis, years certified". Thomas was a servant and only had one child, who was aged 12. He then suddenly moved to London with his new partner Mary Ann Walder and they wed in July 1864 in London. Mary Ann Walder had given birth to an illegitimate child in December 1863 so she was concieved in about April 1863. Once she wed, Thomas Roberts claimed fatherhood and the child was baptised as "Mary Ann Kate, daur of Thomas & Mary Ann Roberts". I assume they were having a secret affair while his previous wife was dying.

Ben
Ben

[Marie C..]

There you go then! It happens. Times were hard Cholera and typhoid, TB and diptheria
all took their toll. Many had rubbish lives.Wives died and widowers needed child care and comfort. We can only have sympathy for them.
Marie

[benny1982]

Hi

I am sure he was the father. I assume that Mary may have been Thomas wife's carer or something, and they met through work, socialising and he may have been on the lookout for a new wife while Esther was dying. He was 50 and Mary was only 24. I think their move 50 miles to London may have been due to the affair.

I can then match this with your story about your gg grandma Marie C. How long was it before your gggrandad remarried to his next wife?

Ben

[Marie C..]

He didn't marry her until 1868 but second wife's first baby was born 1863! next was 1867, and next was 1869. They came at regular intervals after that and had about ten. I grieved for my Gt Gran thinking she must have had a terrible life but nearly two years ago I made contact with my father's cousin ,whom I had never known,(it was a wonderful meeting) and he told me he had often stayed with Gt. Gran and she had had a very happy life with all her step -siblings..... yet she named her first child for her long-dead mother so that was nice.

[benny1982]

Yes, I think occasionally some men went out and found a new wife while their previous one was dying, if they had a girl on the side, or someone they knew. Men needed comfort and love.

Anyway, I am confident that Thomas Coombs is a brother of George. Right age, right area, and why else would Matthew marry in the Paddigton Church and temporarily move there to do so if he didnt have any connections there?

Ben