Sidney Lorne Thomson (1884 - 1943)

Born 12 Jul 1884 in Preston, Ontario, Canada

Ancestors

Died 30 May 1943 at age 58 in Victoria, British Columbia

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Biography

Sidney Lorne Thomson is born on July 12, 1884 in Preston, Ontario [1][2]. His parents are Albert Wales Thomson (1855-1923) and Maud Gingrich (possibly “Gingerich”) (1862-1932). Preston is (today) part of the city of Cambridge, about 100 kilometres west of Toronto. Sidney goes through life using his middle name, Lorne.

In the 1891 census records, Lorne is seven-years old living with his parents and one sibling in Preston [3]. In the 1901 census records, the family is now living in Galt, Ontario, which is about six kilometres south of Preston [4]. His father, Albert, is a hotel-keeper in this record. In the 1911 census, the family is now living in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba [5]. Portage La Prairie is 85 kilometres west of Winnipeg. Lorne is 23-years old in this record and, although the writing is difficult to interpret, he might we working in a hotel. This is the last record of Lorne that has been found, until his death in 1943. On May 30, 1943, Lorne dies in Victoria, British Columbia [6]. The death record shows him to be 59 years old – he is more like 55. And, the death record shows that he was married to someone named of Mary. In this record, his name is shown as “Lorne Sidney.”

Sources

[1] The 1968 Paterson family tree by Marjorie Paterson shows Lorne Thomson as the 1st child of Albert Thomson and Maud Gingrick.

[2] "Canada, Ontario Births and Baptisms, 1779-1899", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLXJ-SR8 : 13 February 2020), Sidney Lorn Thomson, 1884. Sydney Lorn (sic) Thomson is born on 12 July 1884 in Preston, Waterloo County, Ontario.

[3] 1891 census, Ontario, 123 Waterloo South, Preston, pg 52, family #271: Albert Thompson (34) ; Maud (30); Lorne (7); Harry (5); Rose Gingerich (26) [it then lists 2 domestics & a number of lodgers]. For Albert Thomson, it shows his mother born in Ontario & his father in England. It shows his religion as Presbyterian and his occupation as a hotel keeper. For his wife, Maud, it shows her mother born in Ontario and her father in Germany. For Rose Gingerich [?presumably a sister to Maud] it also shows a mother born in Ontario and a father in Germany. [for Maud & Rose, it is actually the other way around: their father was born in Ontario, their mother in Germany.]

[4] 1901 census, Ontario, 122 Waterloo South, Town of Galt, pg 12, family #124: Albert Thomson (45), born 12 Feb 1856, hotel keeper; Maude (38), born 10 Nov 1862; Sidney L. (16), born 16 June 1884; Harry A. (14), born 26 Sept 1886; Mary A. Baker (46), sister, born 7 June 1854; Albert H. (16), nephew, born in the United States 28 Jan 1885. The race shown for Albert, his children & his sister & nephew is “Scotch.” The race for Maud is German. In addition to the family the record shows 2 domestics and a number of lodgers. The religion shown for Albert, his children, his sister & his nephew is Presbyterian. Maude is Church of England. The nephew has some occupation (not legible); he worked 7 months of the past year and earned $70. Mary A. Baker is shown as “M” – ie, married. So presumably her husband, George Arthur Baker, is living somewhere else [in USA?].

[5] 1911 Census, Manitoba, 20 Portage La Prairie, district 48, pg 7. (The writing is so faint that this record would not have been found without the help of automatedgenealogy.com): Albert W. Thompson [the search engine at Library and Archives Canada pulls this name up as “Sampson”] (56), born Feb 1855, occupation is not really legible but with a bit of imagination it could be “hotel keeper.”; Maud (48), born May 1863, wife of Alberts, her “origin” is shown as German; Lorne (23), born June 1888; Harry (21), born Sept 1890; the census record then lists a large number of “domestics” in this household [to bottom of page]. Again, the occupations of the 2 sons are not really legible although in one case the word “hotel” can be seen. The religion of the family is Presbyterian. [The birth years for Maud, Lorne & Harry are off by several years suggesting that the census taker got his information from someone interviewed perhaps at the front desk of the hotel.]

[6] familysearch: British Columbia Death Registrations 1872-1986: Lorne Sidney Thomson died on 30 May 1943 in Victoria. His birth date is shown as June 1883 (then it has birth year estimated 1884) He was 59 years old, he was married, his spouse’s name is Mary. His father is Albert W. Thomson whose occupation is a painter. His mother is Maud Gingerich