Reeves, Thomas

Summary

Father: Edward REEVES
Mother: Fanny SNUDDEN

Birth: 1876
Birth Source: IoW FHS Index to Births

Death: 1914
Death Source: GRO Index & IoW FHS Index to Deaths

Spouse1: Annie Emily Louisa PHILLIPS (formerly Moore)

Narrative

Thomas REEVES is the second of five known children (all sons) born to Edward REEVES and his wife Fanny (nee SNUDDEN). The IoW FHS notes his birth was in 1876 and was recorded in the Godshill Registration sub District. The GRO Index to the Registration of Births has an entry for Thomas during the 1q1879 in the Isle of Wight Registration District. Both entries record his mother's maiden name as Snudden.

At the time of the 1881 census, Thomas Reeves appears in his parent's household at 14 Market Street, Ventnor, Isle of Wight. He is 4 years old, was born at Ventnor and his occupation is given as Scholar. He has one older brother and two younger brothers at this time.

On the 1891 census, Thomas is again found with his parents, now living at 15 Surrey Street, Ryde on the Isle of Wight. He is now 14 years of age, his birth place is again given as Ventnor and he is employed as an Errand Boy.

By the time of the 1901 census Thomas remains in his widowed father's home at 15 Surrey Street, Ryde. His age and place of birth remain consistent, he is single and he is now working as a driver (probably bus driver, the first word is indistinct). The household also includes his younger brothers George and Charles.

On the 1911 census Thomas appears as head of household at 1 Gatton Cottages, Regent Street, Shanklin, Isle of Wight. His age is now recorded as 38 (rather than 34 which might be expected), but he still claims he was born in Ventnor. He is working as a Coachman for a Livery Stables. He claims he is married and seems to have gained a family ranging in ages from 6 to 21. The 1911 census shows ... ...

                     Rel   Age  Cond   Cols 6-9   Occupation     Where Born
Thomas Reeves        Head   38  Marr               Coachman      Ventnor, I of W
Annie Reeves         Wife   40  Marr   24,7,7,-                  Ryde, I of W
May Reeves           Dau    14                                   Ryde, I of W
James Reeves         Son    10                                   Ryde, I of W
Thomas Reeves        Son     8                                   Portsmouth, Hampshire
Fanny Reeves         Dau     6                                   Portsmouth, Hampshire
William Reeves       Son    21  Single                           Ryde, I of W

In columns 6 through 9, Annie claims she has been married for 24 years, that she has had 7 children, all of whom are still living and none have died. See Research Note 2 below. It is suspected that Thomas deliberately inflated his age by 4 years to make the idea that he and Annie had been married for 24 years seem plausible and that he would have been 17 years old when William was born. However, we know Thomas was unmarried a decade earlier and it is highly probable this was an attempt to try and mask the fact that they are actually an unmarried couple.

Annie MOORE (nee PHILIPS) along with her husband and five children, including May, (Douglas Colin) James and (George) William, who appear with the surname Reeves in 1911, have been identified on the 1901 census. See Research Note 1 below.

It is likely that Thomas Reeves and Annie Moore set up home together in Portsmouth a year or two after the 1901 census.
The highly probable children of Thomas Reeves and Annie (known as Reeves, nee Phillips and formerly Moore) are

1. Thomas Reeves MOORE, born Feb 1903, b.reg. 2q1903
2. Violet Fanny Reeves MOORE, born Mar 1905, b.reg. 2q1905

Both births are registered in the Portsmouth Registration District and both with mother's maiden name of PHILLIPS and both with a final given name of Reeves. Whilst both son Thomas and daughter Violet Fanny were formally registered with their mother's married surname, both used the surname Reeves when they in turn came to marry in 1930 and 1938 respectively.

It is likely Thomas's death is that noted in the GRO Index during the first quarter of 1914 in the Isle of Wight Registration District, age 38. The IoW FHS notes his death was in the same year and was recorded in the Brading Registration sub District.

Research Notes

(1) Annie Phillips did indeed marry during 2q1887 in the Isle of Wight Registration District but to Albert Edward MOORE, not Thomas Reeves (who would have been about 10 years old at the time).
The known children of Albert Edward MOORE and Annie (nee PHILLIPS) are

1. Albert Edward Frank MOORE, b.reg. 4q1887
2. George William MOORE, b.reg. 3q1890
3. Annie Maud Blanche MOORE, b.reg. 1q1896
4. May Gertrude Lilian MOORE, b.reg. 2q1898
5. Douglas Colin James MOORE, b.reg. 1q1901

All five births are registered in the Isle of Wight Registration District and all with mother's maiden name of PHILLIPS. At the time of the 1901 census, Albert and Annie Moore plus their five children are living at 3 Prospect Villas, Ryde; a short distance away from Thomas's father's home on Surrey Street, Ryde.

(2) It would seem that on the 1911 census Annie was factually correct; she had been married for 24 years, but not to Thomas Reeves and she had had 7 children whilst married, but not all of them whilst living with her legal husband Albert Moore.

Sources

Birth:       1877, March quarter, Isle of Wight Registration District
                  Isle of Wight Family History Society - Births Index       1876, Godshill Registration sub District
Baptism:  
Marriage: none found
Death:      GRO Index     1914, March quarter, Isle of Wight Registration District
                  Isle of Wight Family History Society - Death Index       1914, Brading Registration sub District

1881 Census: RG11, Piece 1185, Folio 41 face, Page 75, Schedule 399
1891 Census: RG12, Piece 0891, Folio 15 face, Page 23, Schedule 167
1901 Census: RG13, Piece 1024, Folio 48 reverse, Page 8, Schedule 63
1911 Census: RG14, Piece 5744, Reg.Dist. 93 (Isle of Wight), Sub Dist 4 (Brading), Enum.Dist. 11, Schedule 246

1901 Census: RG13, Piece 1025, Folio 27 reverse, Page 46, Schedule 306 - Moore household