Thomas Stock Rigby (1871 - abt. 1964)

Born 3 Oct 1871 in Firs Lane, West Leigh, Lancashire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Ruth (Spencer) Rigby — married 1895 in Leigh, Lancashire, England

Descendants

Died about 29 Mar 1964 at about age 92 in Greymouth, New Zealand

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Corinne Morris [send private message]

Biography

Thomas Stock Rigby was born 3 Oct 1871 in Firs Lane, West Leigh, Lancashire, England. He was the fourth and last child of Thomas Rigby, a glassworks manager, and his wife Margaret (Hulme) Rigby. According to family story, his father had episodes of heavy drinking and eventually disappeared; by 1881 his mother was calling herself a widow.

Thomas himself grew up to be a coal miner, and married Ruth Spencer in 1895 at Christ Church, Pennington. They had five children, of whom two died young, Norah and Hilda.

Sometime between 1911 and 1913, Thomas, like his father, disappeared. At the time his wife died in 1943, he had been missing over 30 years, and his wife and children didn't know if he was alive or dead.

Thomas died on 29 March 1964 in Greymouth, New Zealand. He was described in the probate record as a retired miner, resident in Hokitika.

Sources

• Birth registration: listed on https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp

• Marriage registration: https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=go7foQ%2B9cj%2FUqmZYUDgCbw&scan=1 & https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=erVwnvn242x3J%2FV1QbhCLQ&scan=1 also listed in Lancashire Register Office indexes on www.lancashirebmd.org.uk

• Wife's probate: "South Africa, Cape Province, Probate Records of the Master of the High Court, 1834-1989," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG15-C7CC : 12 June 2018), Thomas Stock Rigby, 1943; citing Probate, Grahamstown, Albany, Cape Province, South Africa, 1943, Pietermaritzburg Archives (Formerly Natal State Archives), South Africa; FHL microfilm .

• Death registration: New Zealand 1964/45890, Thomas Rigby aged 91

• Probate: "New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Probate Records, 1843-1998," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2VCC-Y6F : 9 March 2021), Thomas Rigby, 1964; citing , Greymouth probate files, 1868-1996, record number GM4430/1964, Archives New Zealand, Auckland Regional Office; FamilySearch digital folder 007117696.

• "England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27G-3BF3 : 13 December 2017), Margaret Rigby, Abram, Lancashire, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 24, Piece/Folio 3771/59, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,775,084.

• "England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:747K-PPZ : 10 December 2017), Mary E Taylor in household of Margaret Rigby, Leigh, Lancashire, England; from "1891 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 12, Lancashire county, subdistrict, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.

• "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9PS-M14 : 8 April 2016), Thomas S Rigby, Leigh, Lancashire, England; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing Leigh subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.

• "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWY2-Q39 : 2 August 2017), Thomas Stock Rigby, Leigh, Leigh, Lancashire, England; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.

The civil registration index, and the England and Wales censuses, are Crown Copyright.