Attended Highgate School. Left July 1865. Lived at Hyde Park Gardens while he was at school. Apparently he lived at 18 York House, Kensington W. at one time. So far as I know York House in in York House Place between Church Street and Kensington Palace Gardens.
Census return for 1881 shows a Tom Brown, age 33 who was born in New South Wales, Australia, and whose occupation is given as Australian Merchant, living at 89 Holland Park (could be read as Holland Park Gardens), Kensington, London. He is shown as married to Mary Eliza Brown (maiden surname: Laidley) aged 30, with the following children:
His mother-in-law, Mary Laidley aged 54, widow, is shown as living with the family.
The 1891 census shows him and most of his family staying as visitors in the household of Walter Nation in Eastbourne. There are some other visitors with what might also be the name Brown who do not look like his children.
The 1901 census shows him living with his wife at what looks like 2 Lo (sic) Sloane Street, Chelsea. His daughter Maud Brown (middle initial given as J) appears, and his daughter, Kathleen, is shown as married with the new name Kathleen M Hoston and her son Peter F Hoston. The name is unclear but it looks most like Hoston. However I discovered in FreeBMD that there was a marriage of a Kathleen Margaret Brown in 1898 on the same page as a man named Frank Hortin (Eton 3a 1303). (There is also a Charles Tarrant and an Ellen Pearce on the same page). Perhaps then the census return should be read as Kathleen M Hortin and her son Peter F (Frank?) Hortin?
The name of the mother-in-law appears as Yardley instead of Laidley. His wife, Mary Elizabeth Laidley is also shown as having been born in New South Wales, Australia. They were married in 1872 in Australia in an area known as Glebe.
The 1911 census shows him as living at Block B 18 York House Kensington W. His wife Mary, one daughter (Maude 31, single, no occupation) and one son (Arthur 35, single, captain army reserve) are shown.
I have subsequently been informed that Mary Eliza Laidley was born in 1850, a daughter of James Turquad Laidley (1823 - 1877) and Mary Weston (1827-1903) who were married in 1848. James Turquad Laidley, in turn, was a son of James Laidley (1786 - 1835) and Elizabeth Jane Shepherd. There is an entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography regarding James Laidley (1786 - 1835). Mary Weston was a daughter of George Edward Nicholas Weston.
To summarise, here are the children of Thomas Brown and Mary Elizabeth Laidley:
It appears that they left Australia and returned to England around 1880 or 1881.
Possible and likely name variations for the mother include:
Possible and likely name variations for the father include:
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