Person:Thomas Lewis (137)

Thomas Lewis was born on 15th August 1885 at 148 Chapel Street in Luton, Bedfordshire, son of a straw hat sewer named Susannah Priscilla Moss and Thomas Lewis, a rag and bone man. Thomas was the eldest of their eleven children. The 1891 census finds him living with his parents, siblings and maternal grandparents at 146 Chapel Street. In 1901 they were back at 148 Chapel Street. By this time Thomas was working as a straw hat blocker.

In 1903, aged seventeen, Thomas married Elizabeth Moss. She was a straw hat finisher and trimmer, also from Luton. They went on to have eight children in Luton between 1905 and 1915, although the four youngest children all died young, including twins in 1910. The 1911 census finds them living at 15 Cobden Street. Thomas was working as a straw hat blocker, whilst was Elizabeth was described as a straw hat trimmer, working at home. Their four surviving children were all living with them on census night

Thomas's father died in 1916.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Thomas and Elizabeth were living at 11 Bailey Street in Luton. Thomas was described as an unemployed hat steamer at the time, but was serving as an air raid warden.

Elizabeth and Thomas were married for 38 years. Thomas died on 25th September 1941, aged 56. Immediately before his death they were living at 45 Henry Street. Thomas's mother outlived him by nine years. Elizabeth survived him by seventeen years. She died in 1958, aged 75.

1. ↑ Birth certificate, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   REGISTRATION DISTRICT REGISTRATION DISTRICT LUTON
   1885 BIRTH in the Sub-District of Luton in the Counties of Beds and Herts
   No.	When and where born	Name, if any	Sex	Name and surname of father	Name, surname and maiden name of mother	Occupation of father	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
   389	Fifteenth August 1885 148 Chapel Street Luton USSD	Tommy Lewis	Boy	-	Susannah Priscilla Moss Straw Hat Sewer	-	X The Mark of Susannah Priscilla Moss Mother 148 Chapel Street, Luton	Twenty-third September 1885	William Gardner, Deputy Registrar

2. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 1274; Folio 59; Page 38, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 146 Chapel Street, Luton, Bedfordshire
   Five or more rooms occupied
   William Moss, head, married, male, 53 [1837/8], Agricultural Laborer, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Bertha Moss, wife, married, female, 55 [1835/6], employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Susanah Moss, daughter, single, female, 25 [1865/6], Hat Sewer, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Alice M. Moss, daughter, single, female, 21 [1869/70], Hat Sewer, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Ellen S. Moss, daughter, single, female, 20 [1870/1], Hat Sewer, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Walter B. Moss, son, male, 18 [1872/3], General Laborer, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Prince L. Moss, son, male, 16 [1874/5], Agricultural Laborer, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   William A. Moss, son, male, 14 [1876/7], Errand Boy, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Bethia Moss, daughter, female, 12 [1878/9], Scholar, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Thomas Lewis, stepson, married, male, 34 [1856/7], Rag & Bone Collector, employed, b. Aspley Guise, Bedfordshire
   Thomas Lewis, grandson, male, 5 [1885/6], Scholar, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Arthur Lewis, grandson, male, 4 [1886/7], Scholar, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Ethel Bert Lewis, grandson [sic], female, 3 [1887/8], b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Harry Lewis, grandson, male, 1 [1889/90], b. Luton, Bedfordshire

3. ↑ England. England. 1901 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG13; Piece 1514; Folio 82; Page 28, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 148 Chapel Street, Luton, Bedfordshire
   Thomas Lewis, head, married, male, 50 [1850/1], Marine Store Dealer, own account, working at home, b. Aspley Guise, Bedfordshire
   Suey Lewis, wife, married, female, 35 [1865/6], b. Aley Green, Bedfordshire
   Thomas Lewis, son, single, male, 15 [1885/6], Straw Hat Blocker, worker, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Arthur Lewis, son, single, male, 14 [1886/7], b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Ethel Lewis, daughter, single, female, 13 [1887/8], b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Lenny Lewis, son, single, male, 11 [1889/90], b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Percy Lewis, son, single, male, 8 [1892/3], b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Willie Lewis, son, single, male, 4 [1896/7], b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Suie Lewis, daughter, single, female, 1 [1899/1900], b. Luton, Bedfordshire

4. ↑ England. 1911 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom: The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.))
   Class RG14; Piece 9003; Schedule 47, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 15 Cobden Street, Luton, Bedfordshire
   4 rooms occupied
   Thomas Lewis, head, male, 28 [1882/3], married 8 years, 6 children born to marriage, 4 still living, Blocker Straw hats - Straw Trade, worker, b. Luton
   Elizabeth Lewis, wife, female, 28 [1882/3], married, Trimmer Straw Hats - Straw Trade, worker at home, b. Luton
   Thomas Lewis, son, male, 5 [1905/6], b. Luton
   Stanley Lewis, son, male, 4 [1906/7], b. Luton
   Alfred Lewis, son, male, 3 [1907/8], b. Luton
   Percy Lewis, son, male, 2 [1908/9], b. Luton

5. ↑ General Register Office. 1939 Register
   Luton Municipal Borough, 29 Sep 1939.

   Address: 11 Bailey Street, Luton, Bedfordshire
   Lewis, Thomas / M / 15 Aug 1885 [originally written 82, corrected in later hand] / married / Unemployed Hat Steamer / Raid Warden Luton
   Lewis, Elizabeth / F / 17 Feb 1882 / married / Unpaid domestic duties

6. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. Thomas LEWIS, September Quarter 1941, Luton Registration District, Volume 3b, page 833, aged 57 [1883/4]

7. ↑ England. National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1858 onwards. (Ancestry.com).

   1941
   LEWIS Thomas of 45 Henry-street Luton Bedfordshire died 25 September 1941 Administration Llandudno 4 November to Elizabeth Lewis widow. Effects £171.

8.   Luton Reporter, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 8, 22 Aug 1885.

   BIRTHS.
   Aug. 15, at 148 Farley Hill, Luton, the wife of Thomas Lewis, of a son.