Find Ancestors

Vicci, there are lots of passenger lists missing or not on-line. I have rellies that I know travelled back and forth but there are no records (unless they teleported).

At 14 he could possibly have stowed away. Returning to the UK c1868 - incoming passenger lists start at 1878.

Outgoing passenger list from the UK start at 1890 and then are usually only to other continents so if he travelled via another part of Europe there would be no record. Reading the newspaper articles he likely took a circuitous route back to the US so likely not the sort of passages that would have records available.

Timeline - Thomas Mendus gleaned from newsparer articles

b. Llantrissant Wales (matches my relative)
1865 ran away from home to USA
lived with uncle in Kansas/Indiana for 3 years
1868 returned to Llantrissant Wales
worked in Wales
including for Taffs Wales Railway Co. where his father was an Inspector (matches 1871 Wales census father Charles was a Foreman Platelayer)

1878/79 East Indies for British Govt
Mexico/Panama
shipwreck Dardenelle

1881 Wales
1885 returned to USA Larksville Luzerne Co. (mine explosion)
1889 Reading PA
1891 worked for Reading Railway Co.

no mention of wife and children in Wales or his wife Elizabthe T. in USA

still have not been able to locate him on any passenger lists

A BIT of progress??? Vicci, what a fantastic find - it certainly is tying things together.

On page 1 I said I was sceptical about the immigration year of 1865 BUT if he ran away from home at age 14 then that is about when he would have arrived in the US the first time.

A bit of progress!
Through the Berks Co rootweb, have found newspaper articles about Thomas Mendus

Reading Eagle june 18 1916 page 19
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ZuSUVyMx-TgC&dat=19160618&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

Reading Eagle Oct 9 1918 page 4 Obituary
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ZuSUVyMx-TgC&dat=19181009&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

Re title: it's Berks Co, not Berkshire Co - OK, it's named after Berkshire in the UK, but it's not called that (the W-most county in MA is called Berkshire - MA is big on English county names - there's also a Hants Co in NS).


Just searched for mend:
Last_Name First_Name Middle_Name Suffix_Name Date_of_Death Volume Page Line
Mendes Eliz. T. 1899 1 126 3
http://rwills.co.berks.pa.us/geneology/BCDeath.aspx


Check out:
http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/about/contactus.shtml#Retired/Relatives


Several nations followed UK constitutional practice, so just like there is no UK death certificate, the is no US, Canada, nor Oz death certificate. They're not issued at that level, but at the country, state, provincial or territorial level.
I've no idea what's on a 1918 PA d.cert. You might get lucky, and find a tree online where the owner has attached an image.

Check out:
http://tinyurl.com/ng9sbyx

Any researchers in Berks County, Pennsylvania USA??
Looking for information on Thomas Mendus b. 1851 Wales d. 1918 Reading PA

wife 1. Elizabeth T b. 16 Apr 1853 St Clair PA d. 1898 Reading PA
wife 2. Martha W Shaneman b. 1867 d.1944 Reading PA

looking for marriages

looking for Berkshire Railroad employment records - may have some info on Thomas Mendus

The will of Thomas Mendus received, unfortunately it doesn't give any information other than his wife's name. Nothing about his Welsh origins.

Does anyone know what information might be on his death certifiacte? (USA certificates 1918)

Do let us know what it says when you receive it Vicci.

The will of Thomas Mendus is on its way...hopefully it will have some useful information. Don't know how long it will take to get to Austarlia from USA.

I have found his death record in the index as Thomas MAndus! date of death 8 Oct 1918.

http://berks.pa-roots.com/
then the maps link, then the
Township maps of Berks County Pennsylvania from the 1876 Historical Atlas of Berks County
link, then the Berks Co map link
shows the location of Tilden Twp, Centre Twp, Muhlenberg Twp, etc.
There are individual maps of each twp, too.

The 1900 census gives Thos's b'day as Dec 1851, so he would be 48 on 1/6/1900 and 58 on 1/6/1910. A late Dec b'day would likely be rego'ed in 1852q1.

The 1900 Thos is a Section boss (RR), i.e., working for the Rail Road.
The 1910 Thos is a Roadway foreman, working for the Railroad.

Thos is a naturalized US citizen, born in Wales like his parents, on both censuses.

The Shanemans

1860 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MXPX-1CD
GS Film number: 805077
Digital Folder Number: 4288510
Image Number: 00506

1870 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MZL2-83N [with image link]

1880 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MWXM-TDW
Entry Number: 4722
Affiliate Film Number: T9-1101
GS Film number: 1255101
Digital Folder Number: 004244229
Image Number: 00215


Magnify 4 clicks, then save image:
1860 http://archive.org/stream/populationschedu1077unix#page/n504/mode/1up
1880 http://archive.org/stream/10thcensus1101unit#page/n213/mode/1up

Sorry MC - I must have missed what you said about the immigration year on 1900 census - I think it is likely to be a mistake too as everything else seems to point to him being the right man !!

Dea Xxx <3

The Grace Lintz who appears as daughter of Martha Mendus
is not the daughter of Thomas Mendus
she used her father's surname when she married but her birth record is with her mother's maiden name. I have found someone on ancestry who has her in their tree so have sent a message.

Name: Irvin H. Lintz
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 10 Dec 1904
Event Place: Berks, Pennsylvania, United States
Age: 20
Birth Year (Estimated): 1884
Father's Name: Joseph H. Lintz
Father's Titles and Terms:
Mother's Name: Mary Emma
Mother's Titles and Terms:
>>>Spouse's Name: Grace A.L. Weisner
Spouse's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Age: 17
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1887
>Spouse's Father's Name: Samuel
Spouse's Father's Titles and Terms:
>Spouse's Mother's Name: Martha (nee Shaneman)
Spouse's Mother's Titles and Terms:
Reference ID: vol 29 p33-66

Name: Grace M. Shaneman
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 06 Oct 1887
Event Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Gender: Female
Mother's Name: Martha Shaneman

Dea, I did say when I posted the 1900 census that I was sceptical about that 1865 immigration date. I'm pretty sure that the 1900 and the 1910 are for the same man - the 1910 gives an immigration date of 1886 which fits in quite nicely.

Also, I can find no record in the 1870 or 1880 US census.

I hate to say this as it was all looking SO good for the one in Pensylvania to be the one you are looking for BUT - the 1900 census states that this particular Thomas had been in USA for 35 years, meaning that he arrived there in 1865 ????

It does also give his birth as being December 1851 though so that at least is hopeful !

Dea x

If 4th May 1944 is the actual date of Martha's death, (though I can't find it from the link you gave, mgnv) then that would mean that Thomas died 2nd July 1919 (per my earlier post - 22 Sept, 16:58).

But the gravestone record posted earlier by MarieCeleste says he died 1916, (though the photo of the stone shown says 1918), which makes me think they are dates of probate..

Of course, the date of 1919 given on Berks County, Pennsylvania, Register of Wills might be a clerical error, too! I would be inclined to think that the gravestone photo is the correct date - 1918.

But I don't see him in the Pennsylvania Death Indices for either 1916, 1918, or 1919.

Perhaps I'm missing something.

Flip - there was an 1890 US census - it was 99.99% destroyed by fire - nothing for PA remains.

Reading is in Berks Co in the SE part of PA, abt 80km NW of Philadelphia.

1900 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M3MG-DMP [with image link]
1910 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MGCB-ZW1
Affiliate Publication Number: M1283
GS Film number: 1375329
Digital Folder Number: 004449957
Image Number: 00015

[Lintz]
1900 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M3MP-66H [with image link]
1910 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MG33-QZB
Affiliate Publication Number: M1283
GS Film number: 1375325
Digital Folder Number: 004449303
Image Number: 01047

1920 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MFB8-F8L
GS Film number: 1821536
Digital Folder Number: 004384787
Image Number: 00492

1930 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XCZV-CT6
Affiliate Film Number: 1999
GS Film number: 2341733
Digital Folder Number: 004661295
Image Number: 00033

1940 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KQQN-VRX [with image link]

For best resolution of 1910-1930 images, magnify 4 clicks, then save image:
http://archive.org/stream/13thcensus1910po1316unit#page/n13/mode/1up
http://archive.org/stream/13thcensus1910po1312unit#page/n1044/mode/1up
http://archive.org/stream/14thcensusofpopu1536unit#page/n489/mode/1up
http://archive.org/stream/fifteenthcensus00reel1999#page/n26/mode/1up
http://archive.org/stream/fifteenthcensus00reel1999#page/n27/mode/1up


https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VFM4-Z6X [with image link]

To buy an uncertified copy of d.cert, see:
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/state_archives/2887

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/public_records/20686
MARTHA W MENDUS CENTRE T M 532 06 5 4 44 43314 [Page 1382]
[so died 4th May 1944 - state #=43314]

i've emailed the pennsylvania records office so hope to hear something soon!

Please come back to this thread and let us know the outcome.
We would love to know if he turns out to be the right man!

HI thanks for having a look, the Pensylvania Thomas Mendus is worth following up.
I've looked for passegner record but no luck, and have not been able to find a record of the marriages to either Elizabeth or Martha.
I might try and get the will and see if any relatives in Wales are mentioned.