R - Railwayman

Thomas Kelsey, my 2 x great grandfather was the youngest of five children born to Thomas Kelsey and Sarah Hulett in Shropshire England. Thomas was born at Norton near Stockton, his elder siblings at Dawley Bank, Dawley Magna, Hatton and Kemberton where his father was employed as an Ag Lab. See, I told you every family has at least one.

Although they were in Norton on the 1851 census just 8 weeks after Thomas' birth, for each subsequent census they were living in Kemberton, Shropshire. Thomas' father was born nearby in Hinnington and his mother was from Wellington.

By 1871 Thomas and his older siblings, all bar Henry, had left Kemberton and rural life behind them. Henry remained in Kemberton most of his life working as an Ag Lab like their father and raised a family of fifteen, three times the size of any of his siblings' families. George was married, living in Dudley and employed as a Railway Porter. Harriet was married and living in Blakedown, Worcestershire where her husband was Station Master . Emily was married and living in Tettenhall, Staffordshire with her husband a Roading contractor.

Thomas began his employment as a uniformed staff member of the Great Western Railway in March 1870. He is recorded as a Shunter at Brettell Lane Goods Yard in the Railway Employment Records. On April 2nd 1871 he received a pay increase of one shilling, to 19 shillings. The date of the payrise was also census night and Thomas is recorded there as a Porter. So not just a pay increase but a promotion too.

He received another pay increase in January 1872, and another the following month when he was also promoted and transferred to Wolverhampton as a Goods Guard. His pay had now increased to 22 shillings and would regularly increase up to March 1888 when he was recieving 32 shillings. 

He first married in 1875 to Mary James. They had 2 children before Mary died at their home in Junction Street, Wolverhampton in 1878. He was earning 31 shilllings at that time. His children went to live with their maternal grandfather and it is unclear exactly when they were returned to the care of their father. Thomas remarried in 1886 to Louisa Rudd. They had three children before Louisa died in 1890.

At the 1891 census, Louisa's father and older sister were living with Thomas and his 5 children. Clara was recorded as the Housekeeper, but three years later she married Thomas and they had a daughter of their own.

His employment record includes some warnings, but no accompanying fines. On 20 November 1885 for over-carrying two wagons, in August 1891 for leaving the train and not warning the signalman - which resulted in him being left behind, and again on 19 April 1893 for overcarrying a cattle truck.

He is noted as being "Away Ill" in February 1895 and again in October 1896 with a note that he had been paid up until that date. The last notation is 19 May 1898 "Will not resume, Deceased". 

Thomas died at the Stafford County Asylum from General Paralysis (syphillis). Not an uncommon predicament in Victorian times. Those periods of illness recorded on his employment record might be indicators of when his condition began to deteriorate. His wives don't appear to have suffered from it, in fact Clara lived until the age of 80. The children too don't seem to have been affected. Two died young, one as an infant from measles and the other from pneumonia aged 21 years. 

The growth and expansion of the Railway networks offered new opportunities for travel, to transport goods and to help develop the growth of towns and cities. DNA suggests that Thomas may have had other relationships, and his occupation provided the opportunity to be in other locations around the country. He certainly had a bit of time between 1878 -1886 when he was single, as well as prior to his first marriage. It might take some unravelling yet.