8. the line of Thomas Michael Brown
continued into the 1900s
Thomas Michael Brown (1873-1947)
& Annie Chaplin Brown (1880-1966)
Our Irish grandfather
Everyone always talks about Thomas Michael Brown being Irish, but he never set foot in Ireland. Supposedly both his parents were born and raised in Ireland. His father's origins are murky, but certainly happened in Ireland. We now learn that, although both her parents were born and raised in Ireland, Annie Keegan spent her entire life in England. Still, Thomas must have considered himself Irish; he wrote on his 1932 US Citizenship petition that his citizenship was England, but for race, he put "Irish." Perhaps their Catholic religion made his family stand out as Irish in a Protestant country.
Thomas Michael was born September 13, 1873 in Woolwich, London, England -- the third child (and third son) of Annie Keegan and John Brown's six children. He was a short man; at age 59 he was 5'4", weighing 130 lbs. with blue eyes and brown hair. From the age of 13 or 14, he apprenticed at the trade of carpenter and was a carpenter journeyman (a craftsman who had fully learned his trade and earned money) by age 17 when his mother died. According to his father's letter of 1896, "he has turned out very clever at his trade which makes it easy for him to get work." Another letter mentions that he is doing very well and earning good money in Lewisham, a town just south of London. Because his father and two brothers were usually at sea, he became mostly responsible for his two younger sisters and provided some or most of their financial support.
Early 1900s in Woolwich, England
We don't know how he met his wife, but apparently he did not get on well with her father, Victor E Chaplin, who by our family stories was a tyrant. (Perhaps because Tom's family was Catholic? or Irish?) On July 31st, 1900, Tom (26) and Annie Chaplin (19) ran off to get married in West Ham, just across the Thames. (Don't know the church, because I didn't buy the record.) He was raised as a devout Catholic, but soured on that faith in 1891 when the priest wouldn't bury his mother in holy ground unless they paid alot of money. (Much later, while in St Catherines, he built the Anglican mission there.)
In the 1901 England Census, Thomas Brown 27 & Annie Chaplin Brown 20 were living at 12 Lower Wood St, Woolwich, London County along with six-year-old Florrie Chaplin, the second youngest of Annie Chaplin's eight siblings. (Over time, the county boundaries and names were changed, but the neighborhood names, like Woolwich and Plumstead, stayed correct. Whether the county record said Kent/Middlesex/Surrey/London, today they're all in south and southeast London.)
In August of 1903, the family lived at 21 Burrage Rd in Plumstead when Annie and Tom were baptized at St. Paul Anglican church in Plumstead. In March of 1905, the family lived at 90 Reidhaven Road in Plumstead when Katie was baptized at the same church. I could not find baptismal records for John or George, the last two Browns born in England.
Anne Funk said her father did not want to leave England. Around 1909/1910, they were doing well: They had a ___(house?) and had a piano. He seemed to be close with his brothers and sisters, although they did not live nearby. We believe Jack lived in Plymouth, Bill was usually at sea, Emma was in France, and Annie was in Belgium then or soon after then. His father-in-law, Victor E Chaplin, was the one who insisted his whole family move to Canada and paid the Brown family's passage in 1910. At that time, Canadians were British citizens, so a decision to move there was easily reversible. In hindsight, they may have been happier and more prosperous if they'd stayed in England. Even though Thomas Brown was a carpenter and Victor Chaplin was a contractor (bricks), he never worked for his father-in-law.
Ursula described Sister Ann's and her 1971 London trip. Annie could remember the house, and she went to Woolwich to find it. Sadly, everything in Woolwich had been bombed out during WW II. They believed all the records were destroyed, but I've found quite a few, probably thanks to the Mormons. No surpise that Woolwich would have been target number one, with all the munitions and military build-up there at the Woolwich Arsenal. On my 2011 trip, we had lunch at the Arsenal, which has been converted into a chic and excellent restaurant.
1911 in Toronto
In the Toronto, Canada 1911 census, the Thomas Brown family was living at 396 Jones Ave, Ward 1, Toronto East. (Father Victor Chaplin, the Hollingsworths and the Catlings were then all living at 107 Walnut, Ward 5, Toronto South.) The census form listed the Browns' religion as Presbyterian. Thomas worked in house building as a carpenter. He was an employee, working 44 hours a week for 37 cents an hour = about $856 annually.
The household:
Thomas Brown 37 born England Sep, 1873
Annie Brown 29 born England Nov, 1881
Annie Brown 9 born England Feb, 1902
Thomas Brown 7 born England Aug, 1903
Katie May Brown 6 born England May, 1905
John Brown 4 born England Feb, 1907
George Brown 2 born England Mar, 1909
Edith (Emma)Brown 5 days old born Ontario
At some time, Thomas M found work in St Catherines, while his family stayed behind in Toronto. Anne Funk told how he arrived back home one Christmas, carrying a trunk of presents, which he proceeded to give, one by one, to each of the other children. Then the trunk was empty, and Annie was so disappointed! Her father said: "Annie, the trunk is your present. Here's the key, so you can lock up your things." (She was the oldest, so her siblings always took what few possessions she had.)
Some time before June 26, 1919 when Vera was born, his wife and children joined him in St Catherines. We don't know whether Victor was born in Toronto or St Catherines. Note: They are probably in the Canadian Census of 1921, but that won't be released to the public until 2013.
Over the border to the USA
Help needed here--missing many details. Before the others, Brother Tom came over to the US in the early 1920's to work as the millwright at the International Paper Mill in North Tonawanda. Father Thomas Michael worked in St Catherines for the International Paper Mill. After the company moved to N. Tonawanda, he entered the US on Sept 18, 1923, at the Niagara Falls bridge. (Pat McGinis speculates that he just wanted to live in a different country from Victor Chaplin.) His wife wouldn't come over the border right away, but she moved the kids to Port Dalhousie (Ursula says for a year) before entering the US. Mother Annie Brown entered the US on April 20, 1928 along with Emma, Victor, Vera and Ursula. Although John came with them, his immigration was not recorded making him an illegal alien until the 1960s. At some point, sisters Annie and Katie came over with their future husbands. In Oct 1934, George was still residing in Canada.
1930 in Tonawanda, NY
In 1930 US Census, Thomas Michael Brown's family was renting an apartment at 287 Adam St in Tonawanda. 23 people lived at that house number. (287 Adam is very near Kohler St, the side further from the River, between Franklin & Kohler.) Ursula said they lived over the A&P. Katie & Jim Barrett had an apartment. Grandma had an apartment. Vera and Ursula slept in the clothes press. They rented a room to a girl named Madelyn who worked at a chocolate sponge factory; when Grandma learned she was seeing a married man, she kicked Madelyn out even though they needed the money.
The Household:
Thomas M Brown 55
Annie Brown 50
Ann B Brown 28
Emma M Brown 18
Victor W Brown 15
Vera M Brown 10
Ursula V Brown 6
In Buffalo on Nov. 18, 1932, Thomas M. became a naturalized American citizen at age 59. At that time, the family lived at 177 Frederika St., N Tonawanda. Rod & someone else said they lived on Phaser St (sp?) at some point. His final address was 127 East Felton Street, NT. Dickens was his favorite author.
Thomas M. was in a Union at the paper mill, but in those days, unions were less pushy. When the depression started, they had a meeting and asked the men to choose whether to lay off half the men or go to working 3 days a week. Every single man voted to go to working fewer days.
During the Depression, he worked for the WPA digging ditches for $15 a week. Ursula tells how he sent her to the store to get kerosene for the stove, but he called it the British/Canadian name of "coal oil". Not understanding, the storekeeper gave her gasoline. Thomas M put the gasoline on the heater and was so badly burned that he couldn't work. (Another version is that Thomas M got pneumonia so he couldn't work.) In any case, he couldn't work, so they begged the WPA to have Victor take his place; Victor was only 14.
Per Vera, one Halloween two of her brothers tipped the family outhouse over with their father inside and the door facing down. Poor Thomas M. had to crawl out the seat hole, then through the rest. Very possibly this happened just before the Christmas when Victor got coal in his stocking!
The 1940s
In retirement, Thomas M. spent his mornings sharpening people's saws, knives and scissors in his garage. Then, in the late morning, he would walk down to the Blue Danube on Oliver Street. He would return home in the late afternoon, often at the same time Patrick Brown walked home from school. The Blue Danube (later called Tommy Thomas's) was the closest bar to East Felton Street, and they all knew and loved him there. They would often buy him beers and get him to sing old Irish ditties including "I Owe Ten Dollars to O'Grady." Patrick Brown remembers him there on May 8,1945 celebrating the Germans' surrender with Uncle Vic, Patrick, Patrick's brother and others.
On December 28, 1947, Thomas Michael Brown died at 74 years old. Someone said the COD was TB. Alcohol definitely played a role in his health problems. Aunt Annie couldn't take care of him at home; He died in a home in Buffalo.
His Tonawanda News obituary said he "died after a short illness. Born in England, he had resided in North Tonawanda for the past 25 years. He was an employee of the International Paper Company here for 23 years."
He is buried in Elmlawn with his wife and (I believe) all his children, except thankfully, Ursula.
Tom & Annie Brown's family in 1909, just before leaving England. Children: George, Tom, Katie, Annie, John.
On April 1, 1910, Thomas & Annie Brown with their five children arrived in St John, New Brunswick on the
Empress of Britain above. Then they took the train to Toronto.
The Canadian Pacific Railway then offered complete trans-Atlantic packages: the train trip to Liverpool, the voyage across the Atlantic, and train fare to your Canadian destination. The ocean portion for 2nd-class passengers was $45 to $60. It's a good bet that Victor Chaplin bought the packages, as he was paying the passage for his nine children, some with families.
The four Brown brothers, taken circa 1927.
Tom, John, George and Victor Brown.
Brother Tom was the first to come from Canada to work in the USA. In the mid 1920's, he opened this stand near River Road in N Tonawanda. Shown in the photo are A. Victor Chaplin, Brother Tom Brown, his father Thomas M., Ursula, Annie Chaplin Brown and John Brown.
The five Brown sisters, on Fredericka Street circa 1931. Vera, Emma, Ursula, Katie and Anne Brown.
Thomas M. & Annie Chaplin Brown, circa 1940.
Tom & Annie Brown's oldest six grandchildren at Jim's grammar school graduation in 1941: Patricia Funk McGinis, Phyllis Brown Rooney, Jimmy Barrett, Tom Brown, John Barrett, Patrick Brown.
Both Victor and George served in Europe during World War II. While there, they spent time with their father's sisters, Emma Brown and Annie Kelly. Victor was sent home early because of his bleeding ulcer. (Stomach problems were the common Brown malady.) With Sister Anne Funk and Eddy Funk.
At the Blue Danube pub, Thomas M Brown was often heard singing "I Owe Ten Dollars to O'Grady." After his death, his sons always sang it towards the end of Christmas parties.
