THOMAS and CHAMBERS Genealogy and Photos
Terry's Maternal Surnames (Direct Line)
THOMAS plus CHAMBERS, OAKHILL, WARD, POLE, TYLER, SHARPE, BEEBIE
YEOMENS / YOEMAN (adoptive surname) - birth names not known
THOMAS plus CHAMBERS, OAKHILL, WARD, POLE, TYLER, SHARPE, BEEBIE
YEOMENS / YOEMAN (adoptive surname) - birth names not known
FAMILY TREES, CHARTS, and STORIES
THOMAS & CHAMBERS Family Tree - Descendants of William CHAMBERS b1819,
whose daughter Charlotte CHAMBERS married Arthur Rhys THOMAS - 4 generation tree starting in England & Wales.
Download the THOMAS Pedigree Chart for Lillian Joyce Thomas (Terry's mother) in PDF format.
Also check out our blog for THOMAS-related stories including:
In Search of THOMAS and YEOMANS Orphans
https://boormanfamily.weebly.com/blog/in-search-of-thomas-and-yeomans-orphans
THOMAS - A Few More Events Added
https://boormanfamily.weebly.com/blog/thomas-a-few-more-events-added
THOMAS - Heirloom of Ivor John THOMAS (1871-1946)
https://boormanfamily.weebly.com/blog/heirloom-of-ivor-john-thomas-1871-1946-24-52-ancestors
CHAMBERS - Windows to the Past - Herloom Samplers and Recipes
https://boormanfamily.weebly.com/blog/windows-to-the-past-heirloom-samplers-and-recipes
THOMAS & CHAMBERS Family Tree - Descendants of William CHAMBERS b1819,
whose daughter Charlotte CHAMBERS married Arthur Rhys THOMAS - 4 generation tree starting in England & Wales.
Download the THOMAS Pedigree Chart for Lillian Joyce Thomas (Terry's mother) in PDF format.
Also check out our blog for THOMAS-related stories including:
In Search of THOMAS and YEOMANS Orphans
https://boormanfamily.weebly.com/blog/in-search-of-thomas-and-yeomans-orphans
THOMAS - A Few More Events Added
https://boormanfamily.weebly.com/blog/thomas-a-few-more-events-added
THOMAS - Heirloom of Ivor John THOMAS (1871-1946)
https://boormanfamily.weebly.com/blog/heirloom-of-ivor-john-thomas-1871-1946-24-52-ancestors
CHAMBERS - Windows to the Past - Herloom Samplers and Recipes
https://boormanfamily.weebly.com/blog/windows-to-the-past-heirloom-samplers-and-recipes
More photos and a fan chart have been added at the bottom of the page.
THOMAS FAMILY HERITAGE
Ivor & Lily Thomas, probably with their firstborn Bill
Although Terry's mother's THOMAS line has not been traced back very far, their stories are quite unusual and interesting. Terry's mother was Lillian Joyce THOMAS, known as Joyce, the youngest daughter of two orphans from Wales and England who met and married in Shanghai, China and ended up on the west coast of Canada.
Joyce's father, Ivor John THOMAS, was born in Cardiff Wales in 1871. His parents were Arthur Rhys THOMAS (c1839-c1876) and Charlotte CHAMBERS (1845 Kent - 1876 Leicester). According to family stories, both died about 1876 of "galloping consumption" in Leicester England, but we have been unable to confirm Arthur's death. We have now found evidence to suggest that Arthur Rhys was probably still alive until at least 1902. The Chambers family stories suggest that Arthur was no longer living with his family at the time of Charlotte's death because they had separated and Charlotte had moved back home to Leicester from Wales. Efforts to find Arthur at this time failed. Another factor was that Arthur was a commercial traveler and was away from home a lot.
We do know that Charlotte was buried in Leicester in 1876 in the Welford Road Cemetery, leaving her young sons Ivor John and Robert William THOMAS without parents. Their older daughter Rachel had died in 1871 a month before her second birthday, and just a month before her brother Ivor was born. All this was certainly a tragic series of misfortunes and heartache for this family.
In the 1881 England census, the THOMAS brothers were living with their maternal grandparents (William CHAMBERS and Phoebe OAKHILL), although they were both recorded or indexed incorrectly as Joe J. Thomas and William Thomas. We know that Robert's middle name was William. Due to poor handwriting on the census, Joe J could be read as Iva J, a variation on Ivor John.
Their grandparents died in the mid 1880s. Family stories say that the boys were cared for by their Aunt Sarah. She was probably their mother's sister Sarah Chambers who had married a James Joyce. But this arrangement didn't last long. Probably for financial reasons, the family was no longer able to care for the boys. They may have entered an orphanage for a time, but ultimately they were separated and sent as "home children" or "farm children" to Canada. We have been unable to trace their journey to Canada. Barnardo's has no record of them, so they were likely sent over by a different agency.
Again from family stories, we know that Ivor was put to work as a farm labourer on Maplewood Farm in Drummond County, Quebec. Once he was of age he was free to travel west across Canada, settling in Victoria BC where he became a gardener for a time for Sir Frank Barnard, 10th Lieutenant Governor of BC between 1914 to 1919, in Esquimalt (Sir Barnard's obituary was published in the Montreal Gazette in 1936). The ships from China caught his eye and he decided to seek his fortune in the Orient.
He settled for a time in Shanghai where he met and married Lily YEOMENS in 1898. They had 5 living children: Bill about 1901, Mary Agnes 1909, Gertrude Gladys 1911, Arthur Emlyn 1915, and Lillian Joyce 1918. He worked for the Standard Oil Company for 25 years, both in Dairen Manchuria (later to become Dalian) near the Soviet border, and in Shanghai, until his retirement. These were dangerous times, and his wife's health was not strong, so he sent Lily and children Gladys (age 15), Arthur (age 10) and Joyce (age 7 1/2 or 8) to Vancouver BC ahead of him in Sept 1926. After Ivor's retirement (or perhaps in 1927?) they also tried living in Seattle Washington in the USA before settling in Victoria BC.
As THOMAS is a very common surname in Wales and therefore difficult to research, we have been unable to trace this line back further with certainty. Family stories say that Arthur Rhys's father (and Ivor's grandfather) was named Robert. This is unproven.
Joyce's father, Ivor John THOMAS, was born in Cardiff Wales in 1871. His parents were Arthur Rhys THOMAS (c1839-c1876) and Charlotte CHAMBERS (1845 Kent - 1876 Leicester). According to family stories, both died about 1876 of "galloping consumption" in Leicester England, but we have been unable to confirm Arthur's death. We have now found evidence to suggest that Arthur Rhys was probably still alive until at least 1902. The Chambers family stories suggest that Arthur was no longer living with his family at the time of Charlotte's death because they had separated and Charlotte had moved back home to Leicester from Wales. Efforts to find Arthur at this time failed. Another factor was that Arthur was a commercial traveler and was away from home a lot.
We do know that Charlotte was buried in Leicester in 1876 in the Welford Road Cemetery, leaving her young sons Ivor John and Robert William THOMAS without parents. Their older daughter Rachel had died in 1871 a month before her second birthday, and just a month before her brother Ivor was born. All this was certainly a tragic series of misfortunes and heartache for this family.
In the 1881 England census, the THOMAS brothers were living with their maternal grandparents (William CHAMBERS and Phoebe OAKHILL), although they were both recorded or indexed incorrectly as Joe J. Thomas and William Thomas. We know that Robert's middle name was William. Due to poor handwriting on the census, Joe J could be read as Iva J, a variation on Ivor John.
Their grandparents died in the mid 1880s. Family stories say that the boys were cared for by their Aunt Sarah. She was probably their mother's sister Sarah Chambers who had married a James Joyce. But this arrangement didn't last long. Probably for financial reasons, the family was no longer able to care for the boys. They may have entered an orphanage for a time, but ultimately they were separated and sent as "home children" or "farm children" to Canada. We have been unable to trace their journey to Canada. Barnardo's has no record of them, so they were likely sent over by a different agency.
Again from family stories, we know that Ivor was put to work as a farm labourer on Maplewood Farm in Drummond County, Quebec. Once he was of age he was free to travel west across Canada, settling in Victoria BC where he became a gardener for a time for Sir Frank Barnard, 10th Lieutenant Governor of BC between 1914 to 1919, in Esquimalt (Sir Barnard's obituary was published in the Montreal Gazette in 1936). The ships from China caught his eye and he decided to seek his fortune in the Orient.
He settled for a time in Shanghai where he met and married Lily YEOMENS in 1898. They had 5 living children: Bill about 1901, Mary Agnes 1909, Gertrude Gladys 1911, Arthur Emlyn 1915, and Lillian Joyce 1918. He worked for the Standard Oil Company for 25 years, both in Dairen Manchuria (later to become Dalian) near the Soviet border, and in Shanghai, until his retirement. These were dangerous times, and his wife's health was not strong, so he sent Lily and children Gladys (age 15), Arthur (age 10) and Joyce (age 7 1/2 or 8) to Vancouver BC ahead of him in Sept 1926. After Ivor's retirement (or perhaps in 1927?) they also tried living in Seattle Washington in the USA before settling in Victoria BC.
As THOMAS is a very common surname in Wales and therefore difficult to research, we have been unable to trace this line back further with certainty. Family stories say that Arthur Rhys's father (and Ivor's grandfather) was named Robert. This is unproven.
CHAMBERS
Charlotte CHAMBERS and Arthur Rhys THOMAS are Terry's great-grandparents. With the help of other family researchers, we know that Charlotte's parents William CHAMBERS and Phoebe OAKHILL (Ivor's maternal grandparents) lived and died in Leicester and had 4 children. Phoebe was the daughter of John OAKHILL and Henrietta WARD, the oldest of 5 children. Henrietta WARD was the daughter of William WARD and Charlotte POLE who were married in 1780 in Billeston, Leicester England.
For some reason, the female branches in this line have been easier to trace back.
Charlotte CHAMBERS and Arthur Rhys THOMAS are Terry's great-grandparents. With the help of other family researchers, we know that Charlotte's parents William CHAMBERS and Phoebe OAKHILL (Ivor's maternal grandparents) lived and died in Leicester and had 4 children. Phoebe was the daughter of John OAKHILL and Henrietta WARD, the oldest of 5 children. Henrietta WARD was the daughter of William WARD and Charlotte POLE who were married in 1780 in Billeston, Leicester England.
For some reason, the female branches in this line have been easier to trace back.
YEOMAN (adopted name, birth name unknown)
Spelling variations: Yeoman, Yoeman, Yeomen, Yoemen, Yeomans, Yoemans, Yeomens, Yoemens. etc.
Joyce THOMAS's mother was known as Lily Mary YEOMANS, an adopted name. Her birth details are not known, including her exact date of birth and her birth name. All we have to go on are family stories. She went by both Lily and Mary and was reportedly born in England and orphaned at the age of 3. An American couple by the name of Mr and Mary Yeomens adopted her and took her to Shanghai. They both died when Lily was about 9, leaving her orphaned for a second time. She was then taken in by the French Franciscan nuns at St Josephs Convent. I remember Joyce saying once that her mother was ill prepared for her life outside the convent.
Nothing further is known about Lily's adoptive parents.
DNA research to determine Lily's birth heritage is not yet conclusive.
Spelling variations: Yeoman, Yoeman, Yeomen, Yoemen, Yeomans, Yoemans, Yeomens, Yoemens. etc.
Joyce THOMAS's mother was known as Lily Mary YEOMANS, an adopted name. Her birth details are not known, including her exact date of birth and her birth name. All we have to go on are family stories. She went by both Lily and Mary and was reportedly born in England and orphaned at the age of 3. An American couple by the name of Mr and Mary Yeomens adopted her and took her to Shanghai. They both died when Lily was about 9, leaving her orphaned for a second time. She was then taken in by the French Franciscan nuns at St Josephs Convent. I remember Joyce saying once that her mother was ill prepared for her life outside the convent.
Nothing further is known about Lily's adoptive parents.
DNA research to determine Lily's birth heritage is not yet conclusive.
Terry's MATERNAL Descent (tentative and very incomplete):
You can see from all the blanks in the following fan chart how difficult it has been to research Terry'a maternal THOMAS and YEOMAN lines:
- Parents: Lillian "Joyce" THOMAS (1918 - 2006) married William Irvine "Bill" BOORMAN (1911 - 1966) in Victoria BC, Canada
- Grandparents: Ivor John THOMAS (1871 Wales - 1946 BC Canada) married Lily Mary YEOMANS? (adopted name, born c1880 England - 1954 BC Canada), married in 1898 in Shanghai. Lily's birth information not known.
ON THE THOMAS and CHAMBERS SIDE ONLY: - 1G Grandparents: Arthur Rhys THOMAS (c1839 Wales - after 1902?) married Charlotte CHAMBERS (1845 Kent England - 1876 Leicester England) in 1868 in Leicester England
- 2G Grandparents: William CHAMBERS (c1818 - 1887) married Phebe OAKHILL (1812--1886) in 1845 in Leicester England; perhaps Robert THOMAS?
- 3G Grandparents: John OAKHILL (c1790 Cheshire - 1864 Leicester) married Henrietta WARD (c1788 Leicester - 1858 Nottingham) in 1811 in Leicester England
- 4G Grandparents: William WARD (c1757 Leicestershire - 1804 Leicestershire) married Charlotte POLE (1758 Leicestershire - ?) in 1780 in Billesdon Leicester England
- 5G Grandparents: David WARD (1722-1804) married Ann TYLER (1722-1812); Charles POLE (1735- ) married Mary _____ (1735-? )
- 6G Grandparents: David WARD (1670- ?) married Elizabeth SHARPE (1676- ?);
- 7G Grandparents: Nicholas SHARPE (1640- ?) married Alice BEEBIE (1644-? )
You can see from all the blanks in the following fan chart how difficult it has been to research Terry'a maternal THOMAS and YEOMAN lines:
6 generation fan chart for Terry's Mother, Lillian Joyce* THOMAS (click chart to enlarge)
THOMAS Photo Gallery
Click on a photo to see a larger version, then use the arrows to scroll back and forth through the photos.
DISCLAIMER: Research is ongoing; this page includes uncertainties and may contain errors.
