Biographical notes

Thomas married Charlotte Morgan on the 21 April 1839 in Swansea. The only census record traced for this family is that of 1851 which records the family living at 5, White Lion Court in Newport Monmouthshire; Thomas Brookman, Head, Mar, 30, Anchor smith, Monmouth Newport; Charlotte Brookman, Wife, Mar, 30, Glamorgan Swansea; David [Thomas] Brookman, Son, Unm, 11, Scholar, Somerset Bristol; Lewis [Thomas] Brookman, Son, Unm, 7, Scholar, Glamorgan Swansea; Margaret Brookman, Dau, Unm, 3, Glamorgan, Swansea; John [Thomas] Brookman, Son, Unm, 1, Mon Newport.

This suggests that soon after their marriage in Swansea in 1839 the couple moved to Bristol where David Thomas Brookman was born in 1840. In 1841 their second child Mary was born when they were living in Newport. in 1844 when Lewis Thomas Brookman was born, the family were in Swansea again. There are two possible entries for the death of Mary Brookman either in 1845 or 1847 both in Newport - need to check which one relates to this family. In 1847 the family were back in Swansea for the birth of daughter Margaret. 1850 saw John Thomas Brookman born in Newport. Apparently another child - Jane was born in Newport in 1852. In 1854 their last child Thomas Brookman was born in Newport and died soon afterwards. It looks as if Charlottte died in childbirth as the entry of her death is on the same page as that of her son. Apart from Margaret Brookman, no further trace of any of the remaining family has been located in the 1861 or later Census returns which may indicate that the family emigrated.