Thomas Houston (abt. 1732 - 1796)

Born about 1732 in St. Bartholomew the Great, London, Middlesex, England

Descendants

Died 15 Nov 1796 at about age 64 in St Helen's Bishopsgate, London, Middlesex, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Trevor Pickup [send private message]

Biography

Thomas was born in about 1732 and was christened on 17 May 1732 in the City of London^[1] He was christened by John Guyse at the New Broad Street Meeting house in the City of London, and named as son of Mr Houston, a carpenter. His elder sister, Mary had been christened on 8th April 1730^[2]

Thomas married Elizabeth Foster on 14 December 1754 at St Helen's Bishopsgate, London. He was from the parish of St Helens, and she was of the parish of St Lawrence Jewry, a spinster ^[3]

The London Annuity Society was established by a group of nonconformist to provide annuities for their wives when they died. They sought a Royal Charter of Incorporation in 1765 and the National Archives has the names of those who involved. Thomas was one of the original petitioners for the Royal Charter.

Thomas was a clothworker and a member of the company of clothworkers. In 1766 he paid the duties for an apprentice and was listed as Thomas Houston, Citizen and clothworker of London. The apprentice was Richard Blisch (unclear) ^[4]

Thomas was listed as a supporter of the Society for Promoting Religious Knowledge among the poor in the 1779 report which the charity published. The report on page 23 recorded him as Mr Thomas Houston, No 31 Great St Helens and that he had been a supporter since 1776 ^[5]

In 1786 he was listed in the London directory as Houston and Arnold, packers, 31 Great St Helens ^[6]

In 1792 he took on his son Samuel as an apprentice, according to the indenture signed 2nd February 1785 ^[7]

In 1793 he appears in the Kent's directory as Houston Thomas and Son, Packers, 31 Great St Helens ^[8]

He died in 1796 and was buried in November 1796 at St Helen's Bishopsgate, London, Middlesex, England, aged 64.

He was Buried at Churchyard, Great St. Helens, London, England.

There is a memorial in the churchyard of St Helen's Bishopgate which has the following wording:-

in Memory of Mrs. ELIZTH HOUSTON Elizabeth Houston
wife of Mr THOS HOUSTON of this parish Thomas Houston
who died 4th July 1788 aged 59 years
also the [above named] Mr THOS HOUSTON
who died [15th. novr 1796] aged 64 years
likewise [. . . manc.] houston Hannah Houston
wife of mr. s[am] houston Samuel Houston
[ ] of the abovenamed
[ ] eliz houston ^[9]

See also

Find a grave entry

"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DM67-RJ3Z : 29 September 2020), Thomas Houston, ; Burial, Bishopsgate, City of London, Greater London, England, St Helen’s Bishopsgate; citing record ID 213180305, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

Research notes

Data from the Kathleen Fry (Reeve) Day memorandum of 1958.

An Internet source, Scott Snyder has his dates as born 8 September 1715, London (not 1732) and died 20 November 1768 (not 1796) St. Helen's Bishopsgate. I am not sure whether this is the same person or not.

He would have been 40 years old at the time of the birth of Elizabeth; his daughter if born in 1715.

Collin Unwin in his Unwin tree on Ancestry has more detailed data consistent with what I already had and which I have added to my entry.

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQJG-52T : 11 December 2014), Thomas Houstons, 17 May 1732, Baptism; citing p. 6, City, London, record group RG4, Public Record Office, London.
2. ↑ The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; General Register Office: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths Surrendered to the Non-Parochial Registers Commissions of 1837 and 1857; Class Number: RG 4; Piece Number: 4376 Description Piece Title: Piece 4376: Broad Street New, Meeting House, (Independent), 1727-1837 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2972/images/40612_B0151686-00005?treeid=114694317&personid=190135721760&usePUB=true&_phsrc=CmM1&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=545451
3. ↑ London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P69/HEL/A/01/MS 6834/1 Year: 1754-1780 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1623/images/31281_a101631-00004?pId=626970
4. ↑ The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Collection: Board of Stamps: Apprenticeship Books: Series IR 1; Class: IR 1; Piece: 24 Description: 1763 Dec-1766 Jul Ancestry.com. UK, Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices' Indentures, 1710-1811 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1851/images/32422_236907-00893?pId=78903
5. ↑ Society for Promoting Religious Knowledge among the Poor
6. ↑ The London Directory. (1786). United Kingdom: T. Lowndes. Accessed from Google Books https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_London_Directory/NmDFqf3ZMdYC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=thomas+houston+packer&pg=PA100&printsec=frontcover Accessed by Trevor Pickup on 5 May 2021
7. ↑ London Metropolitan Archive; Reference Number: COL/CHD/FR/02/1143-1149 Date Range: 1792 Jan - Jul Ancestry.com. London, England, Freedom of the City Admission Papers, 1681-1930 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2052/images/32512_a063920-00500?pId=150793277
8. ↑ Kent's Directory for the Year .... (1793). United Kingdom: Richard and Henry Causton. Accessed from Google Books https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Kent_s_Directory_for_the_Year/x12uBZx_0CAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=thomas+houston+packer&pg=PA91&printsec=frontcover Accessed by Trevor Pickup on 9 May 2021
9. ↑ Survey of London (B.T. Batsford, Ltd., London, 1900-) Volume 9, the Parish of St Helen, Bishopsgate, Part I.

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