On 27th April 1858, Thomas Laflin (age 24, labourer, son of Abraham Laflin) married Anna Abbot (age 20) in Ringshall. It looks as though he and his brother William married sisters Maria and Anna. His daughter Alice Laflin was born in the third quarter of 1858 and baptised on 12th June 1859 in Ringshall. His son George Laflin was born in the third quarter of 1860 and baptised on 6th January 1861, by which time the family was described as "of Barking". In 1861, Thomas & Anna Laflin were living at the Tye, Bildeston Road,Barking and Thomas was working as a rakemaker. With them were their daughter Alice (aged 2) and son George (aged 10 months). George Laflin died in the second quarter of 1863 and "George Laflin of Barking" was buried in Ringshall on 30th April 1863, aged 2 years and 9 months. Anna Laflin (Thomas' wife) died in the second quarter of 1865 and "Anna Laflin of Barking" was buried in Ringshall on 9th April 1865, aged 27 years.

In the 1871 census, Thomas Laughlin (a labourer aged 31) was living with his sister and brother-in-law in Cox Lane, Ipswich. Later that year (in the second quarter), he married Maria Cobbold in Ipswich and settled there and raised another family.

Their son Charles Henry Laflin was born in Ipswich in the last quarter of 1871 and Priscilla Harriet Laflin in the third quarter of 1873, Frederick Walter Laflin in the firstquarter of 1875 and Samuel in the last quarter of 1879. All these appeared as births in the IGI, suggesting that Thomas and Maria may have been Baptists.

In 1881, Thomas and Maria Laflin were living in Lower Orwell Street, Ipswich and Thomas was working as a corn porter. With them were four children, Charles (aged 9), Pricilla (aged 7), Walter (aged 6) and Samuel (aged 1). Meanwhile Alice Laflin aged 22 (born in "Raigshill", Suffolk, Thomas’ daughter from his first marriage) was living at 153 Old Kent Road, Southwark and working as a nursemaid in the household of Jabez Light a railway goods manager.

Jonathan Laflin, youngest son of Thomas and Maria, was born in Ipswich in the first quarter of 1883. Alice Laflin married Robert Paynter in Camberwell in the firstquarter of 1889.

In 1891, Thomas and Maria Laflin were living at 2 Trafalgar Buildings, Shire Hall Yard, Ipswich and Thomas was still working as a corn porter. With them were their three youngest children - Walter (aged 16 and working as a general labourer), Samuel (aged 11) and Jonathan (aged 8). Their daughter Priscilla Laflin (aged 17) was living at 5 Montrose Villas, Winthorpe Road, Putney in the household of George H. Babianchi and working as a domestic servant. Robert and Alice Paynter were living in 6-8 Southwark Street, Southwark and Robert was working as a hop porter.

In the last quarter of 1894, Priscilla Laflin was married in Ipswich. In 1901, Thomas and Maria Laflin were living in 122 Bath Street, Ipswich and Thomas was working as a quay labourer. With them was their son Jonathan (aged 17), but all the others had left home.

Sources for this section.

Parish registers for Ringshall - available in Ipswich Record Office.
IGI for Ipswich.
Civil Registration Indexes available online from FreeBMD
Civil Registration Indexes and Census Data available online from Findmypast

Page maintained by Susan Laflin. Last updated in January 2008.