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BENZING, Thomas and Elizabeth "Lizzie"

ArtEvans

Brummie babby
Interested in any information regarding Thomas Benzing, born 1872, who married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Tomkins (perhaps Evans) in July 1896 in Wolverhampton and thereafter resided in Birmingham. I have an image of two of their daughters c1913, Ivy and Elsie Benzing. Particularly interested in Elizabeth, who survived until January 1963 at the same residence in Aston, Birmingham.
 

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Nice pictures.

Quite elusive. All the children seem to be listed with mmn Tomkins. There is also a William Benzing (a relation?) that married an Elizabeth Stride Hall.

Coincidently - or not - they both have daughters named Elsie May b1898 & 1898.
 
Not quite sure what you already know. Do you have census info, also any births, marriages or deaths? If you let us know we will try to fill gaps.
 
Thomas & William appear to be brothers, sons of John & Hannah. Benzing seems to be a corruption of Benson, father John appears to be always listed as Benson.
 
John (father of Thomas & William) was the son of a German immigrant Martin Benging (1851 census). John is listed as Benzin on his marriage to Hannah Mason.

What Benzing started out as I'm not sure, there are a number of variations. Martin is listed as being born 1800 Wurtemburg on the 1871 census.

Intriguingly there is actually a baptism for a Johann Martin Benzing 17 Feb 1800 in Wurrtemburg, son of Johannes and Ann Maria. Martin's eldest child seems to be called Maria.
 
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And returning to Elizabeth, she is listed as living at 18 Broom Hall Grove with Thomas & daughter Olive on the 1939 register. However by 1955 she is living at 37 Wellfield Road, still with daughter Olive.
 
Nice pictures.

Quite elusive. All the children seem to be listed with mmn Tomkins. There is also a William Benzing (a relation?) that married an Elizabeth Stride Hall.

Coincidently - or not - they both have daughters named Elsie May b1898 & 1898.
Hi I am the youngest Grandaughter of William Benzing and Elizabeth Stride Hall
 
Thomas & William appear to be brothers, sons of John & Hannah. Benzing seems to be a corruption of Benson, father John appears to be always listed as Benson.
Benson was a adopted alteration of their surname Benzing during the War, to avoid German association and thereby enlist.
 
And returning to Elizabeth, she is listed as living at 18 Broom Hall Grove with Thomas & daughter Olive on the 1939 register. However by 1955 she is living at 37 Wellfield Road, still with daughter Olive.
This is excellent. Elizabeth lived until 1963, 90 years. She was born Elizabeth Tomkins and married Thomas Benzing in Wolverhampton in 1896 after which they moved to Birmingham. She sent her brother Arthur, in Canada, photos of her daughters Ivy and Elsie, and a portrait image of herself. Arthur Tomkins is listed as her younger sibling in the 1881 Census, Wolverhampton. However, he changed his surname to Evans in Canada and this has caused great genealogical confusion for my research over 30 years. Speculation is that Elizabeth's mother, Mary Ann Tomkins (born Gunter) remarried a man named Evans after her husband Charles Tomkins died in an iron foundry accident in Wolverhampton. However, Elizabeth was still using her Tomkins surname in 1896 when she married, suggesting that her younger siblings only had had to adopt the stepfather Evans's surname. In any event, no Evans shows up in Birmingham Census data showing Mary Ann Tomkins as a wife with her carry-over Tomkins children.
 
Thank you for your reply.
I was recently in touch with a lady who lives in Canada, she also gave information about Thomas and William. They both married an Elizabeth. Elizabeth Stride Hall married my Grandfather William.
Over the years I have been trying to find out what happened to William but have hit a brick wall each time. I was told that he’d died in France in WW1, but I can’t find any records for him. Like other members of my family he may have changed his name to Benson.
I don’t know anyone that has any information about William. Can I ask are you in anyway related to
the Benzing family as my Aunt Elsie May Benzing’s married name was Evans, she did marry twice but at the minute can’t recall the name of her second husband surname.
Again thank you for your reply.
 
Did Elizabeth list herself as a widow on her marriage to Albert Mann? If so and she was telling the truth, then there's only a small window for his death.

I assume you know Elizabeth was probably the illegitimate daughter of Sarah Stride.
 
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This is excellent. Elizabeth lived until 1963, 90 years. She was born Elizabeth Tomkins and married Thomas Benzing in Wolverhampton in 1896 after which they moved to Birmingham. She sent her brother Arthur, in Canada, photos of her daughters Ivy and Elsie, and a portrait image of herself. Arthur Tomkins is listed as her younger sibling in the 1881 Census, Wolverhampton. However, he changed his surname to Evans in Canada and this has caused great genealogical confusion for my research over 30 years. Speculation is that Elizabeth's mother, Mary Ann Tomkins (born Gunter) remarried a man named Evans after her husband Charles Tomkins died in an iron foundry accident in Wolverhampton. However, Elizabeth was still using her Tomkins surname in 1896 when she married, suggesting that her younger siblings only had had to adopt the stepfather Evans's surname. In any event, no Evans shows up in Birmingham Census data showing Mary Ann Tomkins as a wife with her carry-over Tomkins children.

Can't see the Tomkins (Mary or children) as Tomkins on any census after 1881. If I'm not being completely blind and they're their could point to another relationship (maybe informal).

On the 1891 census there is a John Evans with William & Elizabeth Benzing (Hall). Same age as Elizabeth Tomkins' brother and though his birth is listed as Bham instead of Wolverhampton so is hers in 1901 & 1911.
 
Did Elizabeth list herself as a widow on her marriage to Albert Mann? If so and she was telling the truth, then there's only a small window for his death.

I assume you know Elizabeth was probably the illegitimate daughter of Sarah Stride.
The marriage details I have are for Elizabeth and William.
I didn’t know that my Grandmother was illegitimate, that’s come as a surprise.
 
Elizabeth's birth was registered Dec qtr 1871 Bham as Stride, no mmn. Sarah Stride married John Hall Dec qtr 1875 Bham.

Elizabeth's sister, Alice, also appears to be illegitimate registered Sep qtr 1874 Bham.

Again, I assume you know of the marriage between Elizabeth Benzing and Albert Edward Mann, registered Dec qtr 1915 Bham. I assume it's not her daughter (who possibly married Clack then Calloway), as Albert's age is similar to her own.

Albert, Elizabeth and 3 of her sons seem to be at 33 Browning St on the ERs in the 1920s.
 
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Can I ask are you in anyway related to
the Benzing family as my Aunt Elsie May Benzing’s married name was Evans, she did marry twice but at the minute can’t recall the name of her second husband surname.

It appears that your aunt Elsie married twice more - to a Samuel Bayliss in 1947 and a Horace Tierney in 1956.
 
It appears that your aunt Elsie married twice more - to a Samuel Bayliss in 1947 and a Horace Tierney in 1956.
I
It appears that your aunt Elsie married twice more - to a Samuel Bayliss in 1947 and a Horace Tierney in 1956.
I’m not certain about about Elsie being married to Samuel Bayliss and Horace Tierney. I was in touch with her Grandaughter who did mention her husbands names. Unfortunately we’ve lost touch since the death of her mother, my cousin Blanche who was Elsie’s daughter
 
Elizabeth's birth was registered Dec qtr 1871 Bham as Stride, no mmn. Sarah Stride married John Hall Dec qtr 1875 Bham.

Elizabeth's sister, Alice, also appears to be illegitimate registered Sep qtr 1874 Bham.

Again, I assume you know of the marriage between Elizabeth Benzing and Albert Edward Mann, registered Dec qtr 1915 Bham. I assume it's not her daughter (who possibly married Clack then Calloway), as Albert's age is similar to her own.

Albert, Elizabeth and 3 of her sons seem to be at 33 Browning St on the ERs in the 1920s.
I didn’t know my Grandmother had a sister called Alice. My cousin also called Elizabeth (Lizzie) was married to a man who’s surname was Clack, they had a son called George, Georges father passed away and she remarried a man with the surname Calloway they had a son called Albert I almost certain there was another son, but I can’t remember his name.
Albert and Elizabeth were living with my father John (Jack) and his brother William (Bill) in Browning Street in 1927.
Thank you for the information you’ve given me.
 
If you want me to give you some of the names your missing I can, the info is readily available.

I think the Elizabeth that married Clack then Calloway may have been your aunt though.

None of it resolves what happened to your grandfather though unfortunately.
 
Thank you for your reply.
I was recently in touch with a lady who lives in Canada, she also gave information about Thomas and William. They both married an Elizabeth. Elizabeth Stride Hall married my Grandfather William.
Over the years I have been trying to find out what happened to William but have hit a brick wall each time. I was told that he’d died in France in WW1, but I can’t find any records for him. Like other members of my family he may have changed his name to Benson.
I don’t know anyone that has any information about William. Can I ask are you in anyway related to
the Benzing family as my Aunt Elsie May Benzing’s married name was Evans, she did marry twice but at the minute can’t recall the name of her second husband surname.
Again thank you for your reply.
I have a report that William Benzing joined the U.K. Navy for WWI under the surname Benson (or Bensen). So he may not have served in France. So Marie, I would definitely search Navy records for William.

My great-grandfather, migrated to Canada aged 14 and disembarked as Arthur Evans in 1889. But aural history in our family had it that he may have been born Arthur Tomkins in 1875; and subsequent family DNA points maternally to his mother being Mary Ann Tomkins (nee Gunter). She remarried after her husband Charles died in an 1879 foundry accident, possibly an Evans in the mid-1880s in Birmingham. No records of this though. In fact the only Mary Ann Evans, married to John Evans, appears in the 1901 Birmingham Census, with John's middle-aged children. That could be Mary Ann Tomkins though, because we know her original four children by Charles Tomkins had left her alone with a stepfather they could not bear.

Your Aunt Elsie May Benson I believe was born August 2, 1899 in Warwickshire.
 
I have a report that William Benzing joined the U.K. Navy for WWI under the surname Benson (or Bensen). So he may not have served in France. So Marie, I would definitely search Navy records for William.

My great-grandfather, migrated to Canada aged 14 and disembarked as Arthur Evans in 1889. But aural history in our family had it that he may have been born Arthur Tomkins in 1875; and subsequent family DNA points maternally to his mother being Mary Ann Tomkins (nee Gunter). She remarried after her husband Charles died in an 1879 foundry accident, possibly an Evans in the mid-1880s in Birmingham. No records of this though. In fact the only Mary Ann Evans, married to John Evans, appears in the 1901 Birmingham Census, with John's middle-aged children. That could be Mary Ann Tomkins though, because we know her original four children by Charles Tomkins had left her alone with a stepfather they could not bear.

Your Aunt Elsie May Benson I believe was born August 2, 1899 in Warwickshire.
The William Benzing (Benson) you mentioned that joined the Navy was Uncle, he was a telegraph operator. His ship was torpedoed in WW1. I have a photograph of him. When I get time I would love to find out more about my family. Thank you so much for all the information you’ve given so far.
Best wishes Marie
 
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