Arthur Reuel Tolkien (1857 - 1896)

Born 18 Feb 1857 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Mabel (Suffield) Tolkien — married 16 Apr 1891 in St. George's Cathedral, Cape Town, Cape Colony, South Africa

Descendants

Died 15 Feb 1896 at age 38 in Bloemfontein, Manguang, Free State, South Africa

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Ethan Lima [send private message]

Arthur Tolkien was born in England.

Arthur Tolkien migrated from England to Orange Free State S.A..

Biography

Appeared in the 1861 England and Wales Census in Handsworth, Staffordshire, England. The surname was transcribed as Tolkin. The household included: John B. age 53, occupation music dealer; Mary J. age 25; Emily age 22; Louisa age 20; Arthur R. age 4; Mabel age 2; Ann Gough age 21, occupation domestic servant; Phebe Towel age 23, occupation domestic servant.

Appeared in the 1871 England and Wales Census in Kings Norton, Worcestershire, England. The household included: John age 64, occupation piano dealer; Mary J. age 37; Arthur R. age 14; Mable age 12; Grace B. age 9; Florence M. age 8; Wilfred H. age 1; Sara A. Daniels age 20, occupation servant; Priscilla Ward age 13, occupation servant; Clara E. Ward age 15, occupation servant.

In the 1881 census, he is married to Mary and is described as a Pianoforte Dealer and Tuner, living in Alcester Road, Kings Norton. The surname was transcribed as Tolkin. The household included John B. age 74, occupation pianoforte dealer and tuner; Mary J. age 47; Arthur B. age 25, occupation clerk in bank; Florence M. age 18, occupation private teacher; Wilfred age 11; Laurence age 8; Sarah Daniels age 29, occupation domestic servant; Lucy Forrester age 29, visitor; Grace age 19, occupation private teacher.

Arthur did not follow his father into the traditional Tolkien trade in pianos, which many of his London cousins also followed; instead he became a bank clerk and ended up moving to Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State (now part of South Africa), where he became manager of the Bloemfontein branch of the Bank of Africa.

Buried 16 Feb 1896 in the President Brand Cemetery, Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, South Africa.

Sources

• Wikipedia Tolkien Family

• "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2NHX-8PH : 1 October 2014), Arthur Reuel Tolkien, 1857; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.

• "England and Wales Census, 1861," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M78X-K9W : 23 September 2020), Arthur R Tolkin in household of John B Tolkin, Handsworth, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom; from "1861 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 9, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.

• "England and Wales Census, 1871", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5RV-1ML : 25 June 2022), Arthur R Tolkien in entry for John Tolkien, 1871.

• "England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27F-B5K1 : 12 December 2017), Arthur B Tolkin in household of John B Tolkin, Kings Norton, Worcestershire, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 5, Piece/Folio 2946/6, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,774,835.

• "South Africa, Civil Marriage Records, 1840-1973", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6ZHB-4PZL : 21 September 2022), Arthur Renel Tolkien, 1891.

• "South Africa, Orange Free State, Probate Records from the Master of the Supreme Court, 1832-1989," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:7VF9-BKMM : 8 February 2022), John Benjamin Tolkien, ; citing Probate, South Africa, Master's Office of the Orange Free State Archives, Bloemfontein; 004071551.

• "South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers, 1801-2004", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:68DB-GDRB : 21 August 2021), Arthur Rewel Tolkien, 1896.

• "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVZ-9XV7 : 9 June 2021), Arthur Reuel Tolkien, ; Burial, Bloemfontein, Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, Free State, South Africa, President Brand Cemetery; citing record ID 10846110, Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10846110/arthur_reuel-tolkien.