I have enabled the email icon (above beside my name) If you drop me an email Ill try to send the newspaper scans that were transcibed

S

Good morning. Could you kindly share the link for the newspaper articles recording the deaths in action of William and Henry Parry?

Thanks once again!

I am so grateful for the research and kind reply you have once again so generously shared to help me with my search for information regarding my family history. This level of detail really provides a connection for me to William, his brother Henry (Harry) and the sad circumstances of their deaths along with so many others in the Great War.

Thank you.

1911 Back Cottage Clynderwen
Virginia Evonial Blanches Collins Wife Married Female 29 1882 - Galmorgan Mardy
Frederick Llwellyn Victor Collins Son - Male 5 1906 - Carmarthen Clyndewen
John Haydon Gilroy Collins Son - Male 4 1907 - Pembrokeshire Clyndawen
Leoline Handel Llwelyn Collins Son - Male 1 1910 - Pembrokeshire Clyndawen

First name(s) Blanche
Country Wales
Last name Llewellyn
Volume 11A
Marriage quarter 4
Volume as transcribed 11A
Marriage year 1904
Page number 2104
Registration month -
Blanche Llewellyn marries Frederick Collins
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
District Haverfordwest
Subcategory Civil Marriage & Divorce
Collections from Great Britain, Wales
County Pembrokeshire

1901 Farm, Woodstock, Ambleston, Haverfordwest
Blanche Llewellin Servant Single Female 19 1882 General servant domestic Mardy, Glamorganshire, Wales

Marriages Mar 1872 (>99%)
COLLINS Thomas Westbury S 6a 362
JENKINS Julia Westbury S. 6a 362

1871 St johns Ruspidge cinderford
Mary Ann Jenkins Head - Female 58 1813 - Gloucestershire, England needle woman cripple
Julia Jenkins Daughter - Female 21 1850 - Gloucestershire, England
Damaris Jenkins Daughter - Female 19 1852 - Gloucestershire, England
Mary Ann Jenkins Granddaughter - Female 11 1860 - Gloucestershire, England
Thomas Collins Boarder - Male 21 1850 - Bristol Coal Miner Boarder

1911 Church Rd Cinderford
Julia Parry Head Widow Female 61 1850 - Ruspidge Gloucestershire
William Parry Son Single Male 26 1885 Colliery roadman below ground Cinderford Gloucestershire
Henry Parry Son Single Male 23 1888 Town postman Cinderford Gloucestershire

William previous gave his birth as Blaenavon/Llanover nr Abergavenny not Glamorgan- more monmouthshire/Breconshire border
Llanellen ???

1901 ST Johns Cinderford
William Parry Head Married Male 55 1846 Care taker of schools Llanelly, Glamorganshire, Wales
Julia Parry Wife Married Female 53 1848 Care taker of schools Ruspidge, Gloucestershire, England
William Parry Son Single Male 16 1885 Coal miner hewer Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England
Henry Parry Son Single Male 13 1888 - Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England

1891 Cinderford Tump / St Johns
William J Parry Head Married Male 45 1846 School keeper Blaenavon, Wales
Julia Parry Wife Married Female 40 1851 - Ruspidge, Gloucestershire, England
Edith Collins Daughter - Female 13 1878 Scholar Ruspidge, Gloucestershire, England
Thomas W Collins Son - Male 11 1880 Scholar Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England
William Parry Son - Male 6 1885 Scholar Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England
Henry Parry Son - Male 3 1888 - Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England

Year: 1883
Month: May
Day: 21
Grooms_Surname: PARRY
Grooms_Forenames: William James
Grooms_Age: 36
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Brickmaker
Grooms_Residence: Bilson Woodside
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Parry (deceased)
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: William
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Quarry Man
Brides_Surname: COLLINS
Brides_Forenames: Julia
Brides_Age: 35
Brides_Condition: Widow
Brides_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Residence: Bilson Woodside
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Reese[?] (deceased)
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: Henry John
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Miner
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns: [not stated]
Signature_or_Mark: Both Sign
Witness_1: Mark of Simeon Brain
Witness_2: Honoris[?] Brain
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: William Barker Vicar
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P109 IN 1/7
Page_Number: 234
Parish_Chapel: Drybrook

1881 High St Cinderford
Moses Harris Head Widower Male 33 1848 Coal miner Gloucestershire, England
Mary A Harris Daughter Single Female 1 1880 - Gloucestershire, England
Mary Parry Mother in law Widow Female 55 1826 - Newland, Gloucestershire, England
William Parry Brother in law Single Male 33 1848 Brick maker Llanover, Monmouthshire, Wales

1871 St Johns Cinderford
William Parry Head - Male 56 1815 - Monmouthshire, Wales
Mary Parry Wife - Female 48 1823 - Gloucestershire, England
William James Parry Son - Male 25 1846 - Monmouthshire, Wales
John Parry Son - Male 19 1852 - Breconshire, Wales
Sarah Ann Parry Daughter - Female 16 1855 - Gloucestershire, England
James Parry Son - Male 13 1858 - Gloucestershire, England

1861 Whitecliff, Newland
William Parry Head Married Male 42 1819 Agricultural labourer Monmouthshire, Wales
Mary Parry Wife Married Female 39 1822 - Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales
William Parry Son - Male 15 1846 Labourer Newland, Gloucestershire, England
John Parry Son - Male 10 1851 Labourer Blaenavon, Monmouthshire, Wales
Sarah Parry Daughter - Female 6 1855 - Brecknockshire, Wales
James Parry Son - Male 3 1858 - Newland, Gloucestershire, England

First name(s) William James
Mother's first name(s) Mary
Last name Parry
Page 152
Birth year 1846
County Monmouthshire
Birth date ? ? 1846
Country Wales
Baptism year 1846
Record set Monmouthshire Baptisms
Baptism date 12 Apr 1846
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Place Blaenavon
Subcategory Parish Baptisms
Father's first name(s) William
Collections from

Two of Cinderford letter carriers, both
Excellent servants of the Post Office and both
Very much respected citizens were a few weeks
Ago, among the last contingent of worthy
Britishers who made the great sacrifice which
Has brought peace and we believe true liberty
To the world. Two official notifications have
Been received, one by the family and one by
Miss Alice G Lewis of Woodside Street
Of the death of Pte. John Parry, beloved son
of Mrs Parry, St. Johns. No letter having
been received for seven weeks, inquiries were
addressed to the authorities and Miss Lewis
received the following :- “B.E.F. France,8th
Nov 1918, Dear Madam, In reply to you
Letter of the 1st inst., I much regret to inform
You that No 24566 Pte H Parry was killed in
Action on the 29th September last, He was hit
During the recent successful advance in the
Neighbourhood of _________, and died instan
Taneously. I would ask you to please accept
My deepest sympathy with you in your great
Loos Believe me, yours faithfully H H Door
Captain and Adjutant the Queens Own
(Royal West Kent Regiment)”

The deceased soldier who was 30 years of age began his
Working life as a messenger at the Post Office
And was a faithful and good servant well
Respected by the post mistress and staff and by
The public generally. Mrs Cooksey ( the postmistress)
Has expressed her kind sympathy with the
Friends in their loss. He was long closely
Associated the St Johns Church and had
Server in the choir there,and in family life he
Was a devoted son and brother.He joined the
Army on May 15th 1916, and had been twice
To the front, returning the first time after suffering
From trench fever and shellshock and a
Slight wound. His friends will have the kindest
Thoughts of our readers in their time of grief.

W Parry 3rd July 1916

The list of Foresters who have made the
Great sacrifice in the present war or who are
Missing has, unfortunately, received further
Additions. Anxiety has for some time been felt
By his friends in respect of the fate of No 12202
Wiliam Parry, aged 31, single a native of
Cinderford and the son of the late Mr William
Parry and Mrs Julia Parry, St Johns. Several
Communications have been received in the district
From a comrade in which his death is
Referred to, and Mrs Parry has had a letter from
An officer of the Gloucestershire Regt. In which
He says :- “ Dear Madam, It grieves me very
Deeply to have to inform you that after we had
Been in action from the 3rd to the 5th inst.
Your son W. Parry was found to be missing.
I have asked everyone who was likely to have
Been with him during the fight if they had seen
Anything of him, but regret to say that no one
Appears to have seen him or known anything
About him. There is a slight chance that he
May have been wounded and taken prisoner by
The Germans, but I greatly fear that we can
Hold out little hope of this having taken place,
And we must console ourselves with the thought
That he died like a man, fighting for his country
On ground won back from the enemy – the finest
Death a man can die. The N.C.O.s and the men of
No. 16 platoon, by whom he was very greatly
Liked, wish to join me in this message of sympathy
To you in your great loss. Believe me,
Yours faithfully Campbell Keith P.S. I shall
Immediately inform you if I hear anything
Further of him .”

Private Parry worked as a collier at Lightmoor
And he was well liked and respected by
All. A brother is now in training for service.
His aged mother and other relatives have the
Deepest sympathy of our many readers.

"Corpl Harry Parry was killed in action on July 3rd 1916 at the battle of the Somme, after 11 months at the front. The battle of the Somme started July 1st 1916. The leading 8th battalion failed to take it. The 13th Glo'ster Regiment was ordered to go up to the front line to take La Boiseville on July 3rd, they were told the artillery had cleared the way, but as they approached the Germans came out of hiding. They had dug outs 50 foot underground, a lot of men were slaughtered. Harry was killed that day, no known grave, but his name is on the Thiepval Memorial, along with 72,000 others, all killed in the battle of the Somme. Harry's brother Jack Parry was also with the 13th Glo'sters, told his family that he had passed Harry on the trek to the front, he called to him 'see you', but that was the last he saw of him."

I am happy to share photos and information with anyone who has an interest.

Any further information you may have on William Parry or his brothers would be greatly appreciated.

1911 Census:

PARRY HENRY M 1888 23 Westbury on Severn Gloucestershire
PARRY WILLIAM M 1885 26 Westbury on Severn Gloucestershire

CWG:

Private
HENRY PARRY
Service Number: G/24566
6th Bn., Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) who died on 29 September 1918
Son of William and Julia Parry, of St. John's, Cinderford, Glos.
Remembered with Honour
VIS-EN-ARTOIS MEMORIAL
Panel 7.

Private
WILLIAM PARRY
Service Number: 12202
8th Bn., Gloucestershire Regiment who died on 03 July 1916 Age 33
Son of William and Julia Parry, of St. John's, Cinderford, Glos.
Remembered with Honour
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 5 A and 5 B.

I am travelling to France at the end of August to visit these two memorials, and would appreciate any photos or background of Henry and William.

29th November 1904
The Register Office, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire

Frederick Collins - 23 years - Bachelor - Coachman - Clynderwen, Grondre

Father - Frederick William Collins (dec.) Manager of Timber Yard

Pending further research into Frederick William Collins:

Given that the inquest of Frederick Collins recorded testimony from Fred's step-brother, Henry Parry of St.Johns, Cinderford, could Fred and Henry's relationship as step-brothers possibly be established by Frederick William Collins and Thomas Collins sharing the same father?

That record of Frederick Arthur COLLINS looks like a transcription error. The original image on GR says Frederick Arthur JONES.

Similar story I'm afraid re Frederick Arthur Collins, altho I am drawn to this record on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons. It's only about 10 miles from Llandilo fawr, Carmarthenshire, where he married a few months later, and the birth year/place are "almost" correct....

??

1911 Ystradgynlais Lower, , Glamorganshire, Wales.
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Bernard Collins Head M 23 COAL MINER HEWER. Ireland
Martha Ann Collins Wife F 21 Wales, Brecknockshire
David Bernard Collins Son M 0
Frederick Arthur Collins Boarder M 26 WIDOW. COAL MINER HEWER. Herefordshire

I cannot see any records on FreebMD anywhere in the UK that definitely relate to this name after the aforementioned 1914 death records. Struggling to see his earlier marriage tho...

???

Their "hotel" was presumably the old Red Lion inn, (or Lyon as it is now...), and luckily the GlosPubs site page can be linked here, which shows that Charles was still there c1906.
http://www.gloucestershirepubs.co.uk/AllGlosPubsDatabase/RAIGConnection.php?pubid1=2351

Sure enough, searching him again finds;

1901 Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire, England.
Household Roll Sex Age Birthplace.
Charles Nichols Head M 63 Innkeeper. Coaton, Northamptonshire
Bessie Offord Niece F 34 Poole, Dorestshire
Percival Guy Offord Nephew M 11 Leytonstone, Essex
Charles Ireland Servant M 14 Painswick, Gloucestershire

1911 Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire, England.
Household Roll Sex Age Birthplace
Charles Nichols Head M 73 WIDOWER. LICENSED VICTUALLER. Coton Northampton, Northamptonshire
Bessie Offord Niece F 4 Poole, Dorsetshire

Name Charles Nichols
Event Type Death
Registration Quarter Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration Year 1922
Registration District Westbury On Severn
County Gloucestershire
Event Place Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire, England
Age 86
Birth Year (Estimated) 1836
Volume 6A
Page 226
Affiliate Line Number 80

Ah well...

----

I've just searched for Adelaide and then Edith under the hope they were his mother or aunt and so born between 1800 and 1840, and at one time living in Bristol area. To my surprise I found Adelaide a more common name hence "fit" than Edith, this one particularly;

1851 Spring Street, Bedminster, Somerset, England
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Joseph Collings Head M 55 Gardner. West Pennard, Somerset
Sarah Collings Wife F 52 Kilmersdn, Somerset
Angelina Collings Daughter F 23 Unmarried. Brislington, Somerset
Adelaide Collings Daughter F 20 Unmarried. Brislington, Somerset

(NB: Bedminster is in Bristol, Brislington is on the southern edge of Bristol.)

1861 East Redcliff Cresent, Bedminster, Somersetshire, England
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Joseph Collins Head M 65 Gardener. Wells, Somerset
Sarah Collins Wife F 62 ..., Somerset
Angelina Collins Daughter F 34 Unmarried. Milliner & Dressmaker. ..., Somerset
Adelaida Collins Daughter F 30 Unmarried. NO OCCUPATION GIVEN ? ..., Somerset
Abraham Collins Son M 21 Clerk tea trade. Bristol, Somerset
John Ruddock Boarder M 30 Widower. Engine fitter. Bristol, Somerset
Matilda Ruddock Boarders Daughter F 7 Bristol, Somerset
Charles Nichols Boarder M 24 Clerk. Taunton, Somerset

I cannot find any later marriage or Census record for Adelaide.
John Ruddock remarried Aug 1861, and was still married to same lady in 1901, and not Adelaide.

However;

Name Charles Nichols
Event Type Marriage
Event Date 02 Apr 1864
Event Place Bedminster, St John, Somersetshire, England
Gender Male
Marital Status Single
Father's Name Edward Nichols
Spouse's Name Angelina Collins
Spouse's Residence Place Bedminster, St John, Somersetshire
Spouse's Gender Female
Spouse's Marital Status Single
Spouse's Father's Name Joseph Collins

1871 Bedminster, Somersetshire, England
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Charles Nichols Head M 34 Contractor's foreman. Cleeve, Somerset
Angelina Nichols Wife F 36 Bristol
Joseph Collins Father-in-law M 73 West Pennard, Somerset

IT MAY ??? be significant that by 1891 they MAY be living in the Forest of Dean !!
Is this them ? Probably not, yet...

1891 Church Street, Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire.
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Charles Nichols Head M 54 Hotel keeper. England
Annie Nichols Wife F 48 Dorsetshire, England
Ernest Walkins Servant M 16 Gloucestershire, England

Cannot find them in 1881 Census - sounds familiar..

There are only a couple of Chas Nichols in the FoD PRs.

Angelina Nichols is not such a rare name in the BMD records as I first assumed.

Not conclusive, but ????

---

I also cannot find any obvious birth records in FreeBMD for Thomas CollinGs, a spelling variation I hadn't previously considered.

========

Haha, my muddled mind's just been searching for William J Barry, not Parry, oops.

Revisiting the previous posts by Slowhands, we know;

Year: 1883
Month: May
Day: 21
Grooms_Surname: PARRY
Grooms_Forenames: William James
Grooms_Age: 36
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Brickmaker
Grooms_Residence: Bilson Woodside
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Parry (deceased)
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: William
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Quarry Man

So was born abt 1846 and lived in Cinderford, East Dean, working as a brickmaker.
According to the 1891 & 1901 census, he was born in Blaenavon Monmouthshire or Llanelli, Glamorgan.

FamilySearch gives;

1871 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England
Household, Role, Sex, Age, Birthplace
William Parry Head M 56 Labourer. Monmouthshire
Mary Parry Wife F 48 Laundress. Coleford, Gloucestershire
Wm James Parry Son M 25 Brickmaker. Blancevon, Monmouthshire
John Parry Son M 19 Miner. Llennoy, Brecknockshire
Sarah Ann Parry Daughter F 16 Gen Servant. Coleford, Gloucestershire
James Parry Son M 13 Coleford, Gloucestershire

Record_ID: 48810
Entry_Number: 318
Year: 1879
Month: Jan
Day: 11
Grooms_Surname: HARRIS
Grooms_Forenames: Moses
Grooms_Age: 30
Groom_Condition: Widower
Grooms_Occupation: Coal Miner
Grooms_Residence: Bilson
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Harris (deceased)
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: Moses
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Coal Miner
Brides_Surname: PERRY
Brides_Forenames: Sarah
Brides_Age: 24
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Residence: Bilson
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Parry
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: William
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Coal Miner
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns: [not stated]
Signature_or_Mark: Both Sign
Witness_1: John Parry
Witness_2: Jane Parry
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: William Barker Vicar
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P109 IN 1/7
Page_Number: 159
Parish_Chapel: Drybrook
Soundex_Groom: H620
Soundex_Bride: P600

Record_ID: 92636
Entry_Number: 1095
Year: 1880
Month: Feb
Day: 5
Surname: HARRIS
Forenames: Sarah
Residence: Ruadean Hill
Age_at_death: 24
Officiating_Minister: A F Burgoyne Curate
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death: [not sta
Memoranda: Name is annotated Upper Yd 5 Row 13
Notes:
Register_Reference: P109 IN 1/12
Page_No: 137
Parish_Chapel: Drybrook
Soundex: H620

1881 High Street, East Dean, Gloucestershire, England
Household, Role, Sex, Age, Birthplace
Moses Harris Head Male 33 Widower. Coal miner. E Dean, Gloucestershire, England
Mary A Harris Daughter Female 1 E Dean, Gloucestershire, England
Mary Parry Mother In Law Female 55 Widow. Newland, Gloucestershire, England
Wm Parry Brother In Law Male 33 Brickmaker. Llanover, Monmouthshire, England
James Parry Brother In Law Male 24 Brickmaker. Newland, Gloucestershire, England

(Llanover is near Abergavenny.)

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Mar 1846
Parry William James Abergavenny 26 30

Thomas William COLLINS - mother's maiden name: JENKINS

1879 December Qtr, Westbury on Severn, Vol 06A Page 262

- Thomas (the father) trial was 28 July 1879

---

The marriage certificate of Blanche LLEWELLYN to Frederick COLLINS, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire in 1904 - should give 'Fred' father's name etc etc.

Have you considered the possibility that Thomas William and Frederick Arthur were one and the same person? (It would not be the first time I have seen someone adopt a different set of given names in later life – my own grandfather was baptised Oliver John but appears in all later records as Thomas Oliver.) I know it introduces a small age discrepancy WRT his death in 1914 but such things are not uncommon in Family History matters when the knowledge of an informant has to be relied on.

Why he might have changed his given names I could only guess. If he did change them it would have to be sometime between 1891 and 1904.

I guess a search for Thomas William in censuses after 1891 might demonstrate the above is not correct. At the moment I cannot see anything definitive. Although his siblings, Adelaide and Edith, were baptised at Cinderford (this site) I can’t identify a baptism for him anywhere. Am I missing something?

The names he gives his first two girls: Adelaide 1876 and Edith 1878 - could well be family names..

? on the 1881 census, where is William J BARRY (Brickmaker) - born 1846, Blaenavon, Wales

Indeed, just because his wife's Julia's declared herself a widow, and remarried, this in itself doesn't prove that Thomas has actually died. He may just be living elsewhere, possibly America - this forum's seen plenty of examples where couples have separated in this way, gone their separate ways, and then started afresh. Don't forget in those days there was no Social Security databases etc which might catch-out fibs such as this. Similarly Julia may have believed Thomas was dead, when he may not have been, they were literally worlds apart in 1881.

The various searches we've done, and presumably you as well, shows just how many Thomas Collins' were born in the "Bristol" area c1850 - you almost need to trace ALL these different men, and their lives, before you can discount them as possibly our man.

And then again, so he's apparently from Bristol ? - which in those days was still a busy international port, despite falling behind the likes of Liverpool by the mid 1800s. But without any more evidence than his word, is this fact ?. This MAY mean he wasn't actually born there, but just claims to be "from" there, perhaps it was his port of arrival as an immigrant from Ireland - his name is "very" Irish. And at that time Irish immigrants often tried to hide their background, as they were often seen to be "trouble"... This may explain his apparent desire to stay "under the radar" and avoiding the 1851 & 1861 Census' etc - or maybe he was in Ireland at that time ?

So many unknowns, so many possibles ??

---

Perhaps he spent his early years in the Army, and this FamilySearch record is his ?
Somerset was an important mining area at this time, with the output going via Bristol docks. If he was born into the Army, that might explain the problems trying to find his birth record.

Name Thomas Collins
Event Type Pension
Event Year Range 1760-1913
Event Place United Kingdom
Birthplace Somerset
Birth Year (Estimated) 1851

"United Kingdom, Chelsea Pensioners' Service Records, 1760-1913," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5CQ-MWV : 10 December 2017)

Re the British Army in the 1850s and 1860s;

"the late 1850s mark the highpoint of British power. That was the period when Britain was able to fight and win wars in Russia, China and India at almost the same time (admittedly with the help of allies), and the country was at the peak of its wealth and relative influence. Britain alone — not counting its empire — accounted for about 10% of the world's GDP during this period.
In 1854, the British Army had a total strength of 140,043 men. Of that number 39,750 were stationed in the colonies, 29,208 in India, and the remaining 71,085 in the British Isles. Around 30,000 troops would be sent to the Crimea. It was an all-volunteer, professional force.
The forces of the British East India Company should also be mentioned. In 1857 the company maintained a private army of 357,000 men — more than twice as large as the official British Army! Around 46,000 of those troops were Europeans, the other 311,000 were locally-recruited Indians."
https://www.quora.com/What-was-the-size-and-might-of-the-armed-forces-of-the-British-em...

So it's not impossible to believe that Thomas may have been born into the Army, where his father was serving oversees...

???

---

If he did indeed die in the USA c1881, maybe this is him ?
Maybe he kept moving on west thro' the railroad town of Elko Nevada and was in Colma (San Francisco) on the west coast a few months later ??
Frisco was born on the Gold Rush - it was a small settlement of about 200 residents in 1846, but after the gold was discovered it was a boomtown of about 36,000 by 1852 !. This growth continued for some years, altho' admittedly by 1880 it was on the downturn again.

Name Thomas Collins
Event Type Burial
Event Date 1881
Event Place Colma, San Mateo, California, United States of America
Photograph Included N
Death Date 05 Sep 1881
Affiliate Record Identifier 105005330
Cemetery Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery

???

NB: the otherwise small town of Colma has a massive number of large cemeteries !
https://allthatsinteresting.com/colma-california

---

Ref his funding his journey to America, in 1880 the cheapest (steerage) class fares were at a very low price indeed compared to just a few years earlier, so perhaps not a problem to a hard-working miner ? The shipping companies were very keen to fill their ships and promoted them heavily.

Maybe this is him, again from FamilySearch, but please be reminded their records show several "Thomas Collins".

Name Thomas Collins
Event Type Immigration
Event Date 1880
Event Place New York City, New York, United States
Gender Male
Age 25
Birth Year (Estimated) 1855
Birthplace England
Ship Name City Of Montreal

Here is an image of that actual passenger list - as you can see they didn't take extensive details !
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-5Y9Y-YW?i=916&cc=1849782

This next page shows how intensive was the business of shipping migrants across the Atlantic; click on any ship on this long list, and you'll find each ship making dozens of crossings with many thousands of passengers. The "City of Montreal" is one of the ships listed. And this example is all in just one short month of one year, 1880.
http://www.norwayheritage.com/t_transatlantic.asp?month=05&year=1880

--

Alternatively, perhaps he managed to find a ship needing crewmen, and he could work his fare. Indeed, as a young lad "from" Bristol he might even have been a sailor in those early years, and another good way of dodging (inadvertantly or otherwise) the census records.

???

-----------

But again, given the sheer number of records available that MAY be your Thomas, who really knows for sure ??

I think the fact is that because his name is not at all rare (even when combined with his date of birth), I think we may never know the answer to some of your questions. I also believe you're lucky to have an ancestor with a really interesting story, Thomas was clearly something of a "character" who led an "interesting" life which should be celebrated.
I do hope you find more answers.

atb J

1. Thomas Collins convicted 31 July 1879
2. Thomas William Collins (Son) born D Quarter 1879
3. Thomas Collins discharged 30 Jan 1880
4. Thomas Collins shown in the USA 1880 Census (1 June 1880) showing DOB about 1850
5. Thomas Collins recorded as in America in the UK 1881 Census (3 April 1881)
6. Julia Collins (Widow) marries William James Parry 21 May 1883
7. PARRY/COLLINS marriage certificate 6 March 1872 states Thomas Collins' age as 23 i.e. born circa 1849
8. Frederick Arthur Collins (Son) born circa 1881?

Assuming 5&6 are correct, Thomas Collins died after 3 April 1881 and before 21 May 1883, during which time, another son, Frederick Arthur was born circa 1881.

For consideration:
GRO death records show a Thomas (James?) Collins death record for M Qtr 1883, which subject to registration timings I understand may indicate actual date of death as early as late 1882:

COLLINS, THOMAS JAMES 32
GRO Reference: 1883 M Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Volume 02B Page 286

The location PORTSEA ISLAND (near Portsmouth) is interesting, given his sailing to and from America, if indeed he did return.

Where would Thomas have served his sentence for hard labour?
Any further convictions?
How was his trip to and from America funded?

The search concerning Frederick Collins' birth (and under what registered name) continues. Any further information and advice much appreciated.