Hi,

This is my first posting on this forum. I have been seeking information about my grandfather Thomas Edward Byett/Byatt. According to records at the Middlemore homes (Birmingham), a "friend" from the Gloucester area brought him to Middlemore Homes in approximately November 1879 when he was age 6 and paid for (some of) his care. The person who brought him is unidentified in the home records. He was sent to Canada in 1880 to live with a farm family there.

I have checked birth, baptismal, death etc records very thoroughly on this and other websites but only have a few clues. My current theory is that he may be the child born to Eliza Byett in 1873 in Westbury (name could not be made out).

I also noticed there are still Byett's living in the Forest of Dean area so perhaps more is known about his history.

He ultimately moved to New York City, married and had 8 children; my mother was his next to last daughter. He died in ~1953 when I was 2.

Thank you for any clues you might have. Your website is amazing!

Best regards,
Carol

Child of Eliza Byett:

Record_ID:65555
Entry_Number:1094
Year:1873
Month:May
Day:30
Parents_Surname:BYETT
Child_Forenames:Eliza
Fathers_Forenames:base born
Mothers_Forenames: Eliza
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Workhouse Westbury
Occupation:Single Woman
Officiating_Minister:Chris Jay Jones Vicar
Event:Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:In this record a surname was not clear so the best guess was given
Register_Reference:P354 IN 1/15
Page_Number:137
Parish_Chapel:Westbury on Severn

Source: FreeBMD

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Jun 1873 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Byett Thomas Westbury S. 6a 259

A copy of the Birth Certificate will give futher information about date of birth, parents names, occupation and abode.

Source: FreeBMD

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Jun 1873 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Byett Thomas Westbury S. 6a 259

A copy of the Birth Certificate will give futher information about date of birth, parents names, occupation and abode.

BYETT Thomas
BYETT (no father surname)
1873 Gloucester Gloucester, Huntley 13 132

Careful of any confusion with
There is a Thomas Byett 1873 Soudley/Ruspidge..
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=36689

a possible mother Eliza, esp marriage around 1878 might explain why Thomas was "placed" in a home >>>

Year: 1858
Month: Oct
Day: 31
Parents_Surname: BYATT
Child_Forenames: Eliza
Fathers_Forenames: John
Mothers_Forenames: Margaret
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: East Dean
Occupation: [not stated]
Officiating_Minister: R[ichar]d Vaughan
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes: Sewdley [sic] Chapel
Register_Reference: D2598 5/3
Page_Number:
Parish_Chapel: Forest of Dean Bible Christian

1861
John Byatt abt 1826 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Head East Dean, Gloucestershire
Margarett Byatt abt 1826 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Wife East Dean, Gloucestershire
George Byatt abt 1851 Newnham, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire
William Byatt abt 1853 Newnham, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire
John Byatt abt 1855 Newnham, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire
Thomas Byatt abt 1849 Newnham, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire
Eliza Byatt abt 1857 Newnham, Gloucestershire, England Daughter East Dean, Gloucestershire
Henry Byatt abt 1860 Newnham, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire

1871 Ruspidge
Margaret Byett 45
George Byett 22
William Byett 19
John Byett 17
Eliza Byett 12
Elizabeth Byett 7
Annie Byett 5
Margaret Byett 2
Thomas Wright 22
Thomas Hodges 24

Year: 1878
Month: Mar
Day: 10
Grooms_Surname: BALDWIN
Grooms_Forenames: Joseph
Grooms_Age: 27
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Coal Miner
Grooms_Residence: Bilson
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Balswin (deceased)
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: Thomas
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Carter
Brides_Surname: BYETT
Brides_Forenames: Eliza
Brides_Age: 21
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Residence: Bilson
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Byett (deceased)
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: John
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Coal Miner
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns: [not stated]
Signature_or_Mark: Both mark
Witness_1: Joseph Parker
Witness_2: Ann Parker
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: William Barker Vicar
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P109 IN 1/7
Page_Number: 149
Parish_Chapel: Drybrook

1881 ?
Eliza Baldwin abt 1857 Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England Servant Gloucester St Mary Crypt, Gloucestershire Widow

HARTNELL James
BYETT Eliza
Gloucester Gloucester St James
1883 29x No 4 302

Year: 1907
Month: Oct
Day: 11
Surname: BYETT
Forenames: Margaret
Residence: Bilson Green Cinderford
Age_at_death: 80 years
Officiating_Minister: W. H. M. Hancock
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P85/1 IN 1/14
Page_No: 148
Parish_Chapel: Cinderford St John

--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

1910
Thomas E Byrtte [Thomas E Byette] name city, Kings, New York abt 1875 England
Lilllian F Byette [Lillian F Byrtte] name city, Kings, New York abt 1880 location info
Herbert E Byrtte name,name city, Kings, New York abt 1899 location info
Eleanor L F Byette[Eleanore L F Byrtte] name,name city, Kings, New York abt 1903 location info
Louis E Byette[Louise E Byrtte] name,name city, Kings, New York abt 1908

--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

Hi!

Thanks so much for all the exploring you're doing. It really is engrossing.

Yes this is my grandfather in Brooklyn NY(soon after coming to the US he changed the spelling to Byitte). My mother was born in 1923 (Doris). On the 1880 Polynesian boat logs with the Middlemore group his name was spelled Byett or Byatt.

It seems he didn't tell stories about his childhood in England--none of my aunts or uncles (or mother)knew, for instance, the first names of his parents or even where in England he was from. A researcher in Canada provided me the information on his coming from Gloucestershire.

I've spent some time trying to trace forward from some of the births in ~ 1873 to find a child who disappeared....no deaths, no marriages etc. It was unfortunate (for finding him) that his life in England occurred entirely between two censuses. That's why your website seems so much richer than others. In the meantime, I'm developing a pretty thorough family tree of Byett's.

And yes, I've noticed the other Thomas (born ~ 1874 who went on to marry Virginia and never left the UK)--so obviously not him.

I'm waiting for a birth certificate to come and also waiting his his Middlemore Homes and Canadian "social work" records to come. Until then, I had felt at something of a brick wall with learning more about him.

Thanks!

Regards!
~Carol

The other side of England....

Name: Thomas Edward Byatt
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1874
Registration district: Colchester
Inferred County: Essex
Volume: 4a
Page: 313

but still at home in 1881 -not in Canada or States

1881
Edward Byatt abt 1839 Whepstead Head Whepstead, Suffolk
Isabella Byatt abt 1851 Wortham, Devon, England Wife Whepstead, Suffolk
Thomas E. Byatt abt 1874 Colchester, Essex, England Son Whepstead, Suffolk
Isabella Byatt abt 1873 Colchester, Essex, England Daughter Whepstead, Suffolk
Joseph H. Byatt abt 1878 Maidstone, Kent, England Son Whepstead, Suffolk
George H. Byatt abt 1879 Whepstead Son Whepstead, Suffolk
Laura G. Byatt Whepstead Daughter Whepstead,

1891
Edward Byatt abt 1840 Whepstead, Suffolk, England Head Whepstead, Suffolk
Isabella Byatt abt 1854 Northam, Devon, England Wife Whepstead, Suffolk
Thomas Byatt abt 1874 Colchester, Essex, England Son Whepstead, Suffolk
Joseph Byatt abt 1878 Maidstone, Kent, England Son Whepstead, Suffolk
George Byatt abt 1879 Whepstead, Suffolk, England Son Whepstead, Suffolk
Dora Byatt abt 1885 Whepstead, Suffolk, England Daughter Whepstead, Suffolk
Archibald Byatt abt 1886 Whepstead, Suffolk, England Son Whepstead, Suffolk
Francis Byatt abt 1887 Whepstead, Suffolk, England Daughter Whepstead, Suffolk
Christopher Byatt abt 1890 Whepstead, Suffolk, England Son Whepstead, Suffolk

--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

Hi!

Last posting, time to head home!

The Colcester Thomas seems to have grown up in England and had a family (if I tracked his census records accurately). I also find anything that seemed to link his family (or a family friend) with Gloucester (it would have been a long trip in those days...).

There were two Thomas Byett's born in Gloucestershire to single mothers in 1873. The following entries are taken from:
http://ww3.gloucestershire.gov.uk/bmd/MainMenu.aspx

Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
BYETT Thomas BYETT 1873 Gloucester Gloucester, Huntley 13 132
BYETT Thomas James BYETT 1873 Gloucester Gloucester, Frampton 11 246

and the corresponding entries from FreeBMD:
Births Jun 1873
Byett Thomas Westbury S. 6a 259
Births Dec 1873
BYETT Thomas James Wheatenhurst 6a 308

Searching Census records etc on Ancestry finds Thomas/Tom of East Dean e.g.:
1881 Census
East Dean, Gloucestershire
George Terrett abt 1815 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Head Westbury on Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
George Terrett George abt 1847 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Son Westbury on Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
Tom Byett abt 1874 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Boarder Westbury on Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire

but Thomas James Byett does not appear nor is there a marriage or death registration to be found for him.

BTW there is more than one Frampton in Gloucestershire. In this case it will be Frampton on Severn and there was a Workhouse there:
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Wheatenhurst/

Mike

I see that now--Wheatonhurst/Frampton is basically across the river. When I started working on this I wasn't understanding that East Dean is basically the area around Westbury on Severn and Awre and wouldn't have included Wheatenhurst. I'll keep looking. Thank you.