Thomas Mays was the fifth child of Joseph Mays & Amelia Stone born July-September 1873 & christened November 23rd, 1873 at St Peter’s, Brighton, Sussex.
By 1881 the family had moved to Alfred Mews, Kensington where his father was a coachman & Thomas had 4 brothers & a sister by this time.
In 1891 Thomas was living at 56 Gloucester Mews, Paddington where he was a groom.
Thomas, a coachman, married Caroline Sophia Vyse on June 1st, 1895, at St Michael & All Angels, Kensington, London. Caroline was born April 25th, 1873 & christened August 31st, 1873 at Christ Church, Norwood, Surrey, the daughter of Harriett Mary & Charles Vyse, a gardener.
In 1901 Thomas & Caroline were living at Adam & Eve Mews, Kensington & Thomas was a domestic coachman. They had a 4 year old son, Charles J, & a boarder Llewelyn Brandon (17), a domestic groom.
Thomas died on June 3rd, 1904, aged 30, & was buried at Kensal Cemetery, Kensington.
The children of Thomas Mays & Caroline Sophia Vyse were:
m.7.1.5.1 Charles Joseph Mays born November 28th, 1896 & christened March 14th, 1897 at St John’s, Kensington, London; died Oct-December 1979 at Hillingdon, London
m.7.1.5.2 Eleanor Florence Mays born May 16th, 1903 at Kensington, London; died December 11th, 1984 at Uckfield, Sussex
Caroline remarried on Christmas Day 1906 at Holy Trinity, Kilburn, Hendon. Her new husband was William Frank Roberts, a time keeper. William was born c1873 in Marylebone, London, the son of Philip Roberts, a gas fitter.
In 1911 Caroline & William Roberts were living at 31 Adine Rd, Plaistow, West Ham, Essex where William was an omnibus inspector. They had 2 children by this time – Winifred Frances (3) & Frank Kenneth (2). Also with them were Caroline’s children from her first marriage – Eleanor & Charles, who was a motor fitter’s assistant working for the omnibus company. Caroline’s brother William Charles Vyse (36) was also with them at the time of the census & was apparently ‘unable to work’.
William was in the Army reserve corps from December 1915 & on February 24th, 1917 he enlisted with the Royal West Surrey Regiment & gave his occupation as cashier & his address as 29 St Stephen Rd, East Ham. He stated that he had 5 children – the fifth child being Florence Emily, born in March 1912. William served in France & was a corporal in the Labour Corps.
Daughter Eleanor married Samuel Bromfield Aspland in 1927 in West Ham, Essex. The 1939 register shows Eleanor living with her mother Caroline in East Ashford, Kent. Caroline was separated from her husband William who was living in East Ham, Essex in 1939 with divorcee Florence E Laen Gay. William & Florence married in 1944.
The 1939 register shows son Charles Mays who married Alice May Taylor in 1919 living in Woodford, Essex with his family.
Caroline Sophia died in Oct-December 1940 in Bromley, Kent.