Thomas Richard Christopher Bennett (1885 - 1944)

Born 20 Dec 1885 in London, Middlesex, England

Ancestors

Son of James Richard Bennett and Emily Maria (Abels) Bennett

Husband of Minnie Clarke Hanson — married 13 Jul 1908 in West Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada

Husband of Maria Mercedes (Vasquez) Bennett — married 1 Feb 1913 in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Descendants

Died 27 Apr 1944 at age 58 in London, Middlesex, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Eileen Bennett [send private message]

Biography

Thomas was born 20 December 1885 and baptized 14 February 1886 in St Pancras, Camden, London, England. His parents were James Richard and Emily Maria (Abels) Bennett. ^[1]

The family was living in Holborn, London, in 1891. ^[2]

Thomas was on his own at 15 in 1901, living as a boarder in North Brixton. His occupation was pawn broker's assistant. ^[3]

In 1908 he emigrated to Canada and shortly thereafter married Minnie Clarke Hanson in York, Ontario. On the marriage record his occupation is Cook; his religion is Church of England. Minnie was an immigrant, too, having been born in Ireland. ^[4]

Minnie died by 1911 when Thomas emigrated from Toronto, Canada to Detroit, Michigan. ^[5]

About then he started using the name Richard.

Richard enlisted in the United States Army on 20 September 1911 and was posted to Puerto Rico, where he met and married Maria Mercedes Vasquez 1 Feb 1913 in San Juan. Both her parents were born in Spain. ^{[5] [6]}

Richard and Mercedes had children:

• Richard John Bennett, born 13 December 1913 in San Juan;^[7]
• Joseph Albert Bennett, born 22 March 1920 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States;^[8]
• Gloria Maria Bennett, born 10 December 1923 at Fort Totten, New York;^[8]
• Alicia Bennett, born 1 April 1926 at Fort Totten.^[8]

Still in the Army, Richard was posted to Fort Meade, Maryland, arriving 12 Nov 1917. ^[9] There he petitioned to become a U.S. citizen and was naturalized 6 June 1918. ^[5]

By 1920 following World War I, Richard was discharged from the Army, the family was living in nearby Baltimore, and he was making a living as a clerk in a real estate office. ^[10]

By 1923 he was back in the Army and the family was at Fort Totten, New York. ^{[11] [12]}

In 1930 Richard was still in the Army and the family was living in Washington, DC, near the U.S. Soldiers' Home. ^[8]

In 1931 he was listed in the city directory as a staff sergeant in the Medical Department. ^[13]

In the 1940 census his occupation was Janitor Foreman, U.S. Army. The family was living at Walter Reed General Hospital. ^[14]

Richard died 27 April 1944 in Washington, DC, and was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery. Mercedes was buried in the same grave in 1954. ^{[15] [16]}

Richard had a remarkably similar life to his first cousin Charles George. Both were born in England and emigrated to the United States. Both served in the US Army during World War I and in military hospitals, afterwards. Richard was in Washington, DC; Charles in Portsmouth, Virginia, just 200 miles apart.

Research Notes

• The 1930 census shows that Richard was 27 when he first married, but he was actually 22. He would have been 27 when he married Mercedes.^[8][4]
• No military records have been found for Richard at Fold3.

Sources

1. ↑ Ancestry.com. "London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1920," [database on-line], citing London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P90/PAN1/042. Share Link. 1886 Feb 14, Thomas Richard Christopher [Bennett], parents: James Richard and Emily Maria Bennett, Abode: 45 Sandwich St., father's occupation: compositor, birth: Dec 20 1885.
2. ↑ Ancestry.com. "1891 England Census," [database on-line], citing The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12; Piece: 219; Folio: 50; Page: 47; GSU roll: 6095329. Holborn, London, England. Share Link.
3. ↑ Ancestry.com. "1901 England Census," [database on-line], citing Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives, 1901; Class: RG13; Piece: 433; Folio: 63; Page: 10. Brixton, Lambeth, London, England. Share Link.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada). Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1938 [database on-line], citing Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Reel: 138. Share Link.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Ancestry.com. "Maryland, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1795-1931," [database on-line], citing National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Naturalization Petitions of the US District Court for the District of Maryland, 1906-1930; NAI Number: M1640; Record Group Title: District Court (Rolls 41-43) Military Petitions 1918-1923; Record Group Number: 43. Share Link.
6. ↑ Ancestry.com. "Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001," [database on-line], citing Registro Civil, 1836–2001. Digital images. Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Share Link.
7. ↑ Ancestry.com. "Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001," [database on-line], citing Registro Civil, 1836–2001. Digital images. Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Share Link.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4} Ancestry.com. "1930 United States Federal Census," [database on-line], citing United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930; Washington, District of Columbia; Page: 5B. Share Link.
9. ↑ Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 [database on-line], citing Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897. Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls. NAI: 6256867. Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36. National Archives at Washington, D.C. Share Link.
10. ↑ Ancestry.com. "1920 United States Federal Census," [database on-line], citing Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.; Baltimore Ward 9, Baltimore (Independent City), Maryland; Roll: T625_662; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 126. Share Link.
11. ↑ Ancestry.com. "U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007," [database on-line]. Share Link.
12. ↑ Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1925 [database on-line], citing State population census schedules, 1925. Albany, New York: New York State Archives; Election District: 47; Assembly District: 03; City: New York; County: Queens; Page: 42. Share Link.
13. ↑ Ancestry.com. "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995," [database on-line], citing Washington, District of Dolumbia, City Sirectory, 1931, page 242. Share Link.
14. ↑ Ancestry.com. "1940 United States Federal Census," [database on-line], citing United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940; Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: m-t0627-00559; Page: 61A; Enumeration District: 1-215. Share Link.
15. ↑ Ancestry.com. U.S., "National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962," [database on-line], citing Interment Control Forms, A1 2110-B. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985, Record Group 92. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland. Share Link.
16. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/49120728/richard-bennett : accessed 11 May 2021), memorial page for Richard Bennett (unknown–27 Apr 1944), Find A Grave: Memorial #49120728, citing Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA; maintained by John C. Anderson (contributor 47208015) .

See, also:

• Paternal relationship is confirmed by a 23andMe test match between Bennet George and a living third cousin, who is a child of Joseph Bennett. Their MRCAs are Thomas Bennett and Ann Malyon. Predicted relationship from 23andMe: Third Cousin, based on sharing 54cM across 3 segments.