Monday, April 22, 2019

X00256: What happened to Thomas Williams after 1884?

Thomas Williams (b. 1827) was the son of Thomas Williams (cir. 1792-1868) and Sybil Foxwell (1798-1874). He was born 15 March 1827 in Minchinhampton, Gloucester, England. He came over with the family to Canada in 1842. The Williams family first settled in Orillia, Simcoe County but eventually moved to Guelph, Wellington County.

Thomas the younger appears to have remained in Orillia and established himself as a brewer there, following in his father's footsteps.

I've managed to find a few records mentioning him as a brewer prior to 1884 (census records for 1861, 1871 & 1881 and Simcoe County directories for 1878 and 1884-1886). But after that, the trail goes cold.

The Simcoe County volume of the "Whiskey and Wickedness" book series mentions Thomas WIlliams and his brewing operations, but all before 1881.

The last record I've found him in was an 1884-1886 directory of Simcoe County where he was listed as working as a brewer. I have not found him in a later census or a death record. None of the records I've found show him as having married. So if he did get married, he did so after 1881.

There is one possibility - According to Find-a-Grave, there is a gravestone for a Thomas Williams in Orillia who died in 1885, but no other details. It could be that he died in 1885 but the death was never registered (I could not find a death registration for a Thomas Williams who died in Simcoe County in 1885).

Next steps: Contact the Orillia Public Library and see if they can help

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