Unexpected American

I was surprised to find on RG12/2223/70/18 Thomas W Parker, aged
1, born Belmont Ohio. He is shown a grandson of Henry Parker,
and I am assuming for the moment that the younger Henry and
Esther are his parents.

I have no idea why his parents, both living and born in
Staffordshire should suddenly appear with a 1 year old born in

myths...

Anecdotal examples of temporary shifts to North America:

My husband's grandfather went to Alberta around 1900, came back and
married his girl in 1905, came back with her in 1910 to show off the
children and returned to Canada in 1911, signed up in the Army in the
war, and they settled back in England.

When he had first gone to Canada, he had stayed with his older sister
in Victoria, who had gone out there some years earlier, married, and
stayed.

She had gone with an even older brother, who had himself gone out as a
young man, come back after a few years, got married, took his wife and
the said younger sister back to Victoria, stayed a few years and then
returned to Kent and became a market gardener.

Ohio.

ecunningham...

Chris: Perhaps because his parents were married there?
There is a Henry Parker & Esther Beavan marriage in Belmont, Ohio on
5 Nov 1887. Might want to see LDS film #0902147, but it won't tell you
why they were there. and probably not even parents' names. If I
remember OH marriage records for this time frame, they are pretty
barren of info. In addition, there are other Henry Parkers marrying
in the 1880-90 time frame.

Chris J Dixon...

Thanks for that. It is not my direct line, just an interesting
side track. I suppose, never having previously considered it, I
was simply surprised that those of fairly lowly origin had the
means to be travelling. I can see that it may well have been a
search for work or opportunity.

Aside to Doug Laidlaw--there are no "brick walls" in New Jersey, just
beautiful soft sand beaches, sunny skies and a luscious bounty of
"the Garden State". The covey of Laidlaw school buses come out in
September! Contact me off-group to tell your tale of woe.
ecunningham@att.net

So far I have not found Thomas on IGI, or the 1901 UK census.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Doug Laidlaw...

Are you sure? Don't assume anything until you know. Identity of name
doesn't mean anything. My "brick wall" person from New Jersey, has a
namesake in Texas, born very close to the right time, but with different
parents, and numerous other namesakes who are even more obviously different
people. I grew up in Belmont Geelong, Vic. It is like saying "How did
Belmont get transported to Ohio?"