The death certificate for Thomas Hindle has confirmed he is indeed the son of John and Elizabeth (Lawton) Hindle. Earlier investigations prior to receiving this document also built a case for Thomas being a “missing” relative.

In the 1840 census there is 1 male under 5 who is not in the 1850 census for the family. With the births of the other children, he would fit in about 1835. I had assumed that he had died. But if this was not the case, what had happened to this male child by 1850?

While compiling data and newspaper articles on Hindle descendants, a Mr. and Mrs.Thomas Hindle show up at two of the larger weddings of Hindle cousins in Paterson. They are from Orange, New Jersey. Why would a Hindle be invited from out of town unless they were somehow related? These weddings also had most of the rest of the Hindle descendants as guests.

The baptism records for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church have a missing gap from 1831-1835 for baptisms and 1832-1841 for burials. I only knew eldest son, John Henry’s birth date from the family Bible. There were also no required birth records for that time period. None of the siblings of John Henry were listed in the Bible, so there didn’t seem to be any direct evidence for Thomas as a son. The death certificate now provides this as it lists Thomas’ father as John Hindle and his mother as _______ Lawton.

Census records from 1850 to 1910 show Thomas Hindle in Orange, New Jersey. In 1850 at age 15 he is living with the Alex. H. Freeman family. Alexander is a tin sheet and iron worker. By 1860 Thomas is listed as a tinsmith, living in the household of John and Margaret Harrison. William O. Harrison is a tinsmith apprentice. Also living in this household is Euphemia Harrison who will later become Thomas’ wife.

The initial indications that Thomas was a tinsmith were encouraging because John Hindle, Sr., was also a tinsmith. The questions became, why move to Orange to apprentice and did the Hindles know the Freeman family? The answers are in understanding the family timeline and with elder brother, John Henry Hindle’s story. John Henry Hindle was known to have started out as a stable boy, probably about age 12. He is said to have tried his father’s occupation of tinsmith and did not take to it. He also tried cigar-making before working for his brother-in-law, Josiah Calvin, in his furniture business. So John Sr. did not pass his occupation on to his eldest son. John Hindle Sr. died 30 May 1849. If Thomas, at age 14, had been apprenticing with his father, this would have ended this opportunity to learn the trade. He would have had to find some other person to take him as an apprentice.

Did the Hindles of Paterson know the Freemans of Orange? This was answered affirmatively when consulting the Samuel Fisher Censuses of 1825, 1827, 1829 and 1832. Research showed that Alexander Hamilton Freeman was born in New York 10 Dec 1810, bp 24 Feb 1811, son of Uzal W. and Sarah Ann (Sally Ann) Freeman. These parents and Alexander H Freeman are in Paterson for the 1832 census. Uzal W. and family also appear in Paterson in 1825, 1827 and 1829. The Freeman family lived on John Street. This is also the street the Hindles live on in 1832. In addition, in the Cycylopedia of New Jersey Biography (1916), Volume 2, the Alexander Freeman timeline is even more laid out. Alexander is in Paterson from 1821 to 1836. He learned his tinsmith trade there. He was pretty well established by the time the Hindles arrived. He was married and had his first son the same year that John Henry was born. He left Paterson for a year in 1836 to start a business in Orange. He returned to Paterson in 1837, possibly because his father had died. An older woman, age 60-70, possibly his widowed mother, is listed in his household in 1840. He and his family then returned to Orange for good in 1844 where he established his tin and iron works shop.

It is highly likely the two tinsmiths and their families knew each other. Alexander is established as a tinsmith when the Hindles arrived and may have even worked with John, Sr. The two oldest sons were born the same year. Perhaps the Hindle and Freeman children even played together. Perhaps Thomas showed an interest in tinsmithing even at an early age. Whatever the reason, it seems highly likely that when his father died, Thomas would have wanted to continue to learn the tinsmithing trade and could have followed Alexander to Orange and been welcomed.
©2013 Narrative by Nancy Ratay

1850 New Jersey, Essex County, Orange Township, p. 207
dwelling 179, family 197
Alex H. Freeman, age 39, male, tin sheet & iron maker, real estate $3300, born New York
Lucinda C.--------, age 36, female, born New Jersey
Joseph A.---------, age 17, male, tin sheet & iron worker, born New Jersey
Genevia-----------, age 11 female, born New Jersey
Wilberforce?-----, age 8, male, born New Jersey
Sally Ann---------, age 76, female, born New York
Thomas Hindle, age 15, male, born New Jersey

1860 New Jersey, Essex County, Orange, 1st ward, p. 31
dwelling 184, family 212
John Harrison, age 59, male, crosie?, born New Jersey
Margaret-------, age 53, female, real estate $1000, personal, $50, born New Jersey
Euphemia-----, age 18, female, born New Jersey
William O.-----, age 16, male, tin smith apprentice, born New Jersey
Thomas Hindle, age 23, male, tin smith, born New Jersey

1870 New Jersey, Essex County, Township of East Orange, p. 20
dwelling 126, family 136
Harrison, Margret, age 65, female, white, keeps house, real estate $4000, personal $100, born New Jersey
-----------, Euphemia, age 28, female, white, dress maker, born New Jersey
Felty, David E., age 40, male, white, book & show, born Pennsylvania
------, Sarah M., age 35, female, white, keeps house, born New Jersey
------, Eleanor A., age 32, female, white, domestic, born New Jersey
------, Sarah M., age 13, female, white, seamstress, born New Jersey
------, Jennie, age 7, female, white, born New Jersey
Hindel, Thomas, age 22, male, white, tin smith, born New Jersey

1880 New Jersey, Essex County, East Orange, E.D. 97, sheet 18B
Essex Street, dwelling 138, family 157
Harrison, Margaret, white, female, age 74, head, housekeeper, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey
Felty, David R., white, male, age 53, son-in-law, shoe cutter, born Pennsylvania, parents born Pennsylvania
-------, Sarah M., white, female, age 44, wife, keeping house, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey
Hindle, Thomas, white, male, age 44, son-in-law, plumber, born New Jersey, parents born England
---------, Euphemia, white, female, age 37, wife, keeping house, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey
Whitney, Sarah, white, female, age 22, granddaughter, keeping house, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey
-----------, Jennie C., white, female, age 16, granddaughter, keeping house, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey
Harrison, Maggie A., white, female, age 10, granddaughter, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey

1900 New Jersey, Essex County, City of Orange, first District, First Ward, E.D. 156, sheet 14A, stamped page 106
58 Elm Street, dwelling 220, family 280
Hindle, Thomas, head, white, male, July 1835, age 64, married for 27 years, born New York, parents born England, plumber
---------, Euphemia,, wife, white, female, Nov 1842, age 57, married for 27 years, mother of 0 children, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey
Wheaton, Charles W., boarder, white, male, Mar 1867, age 33, married 14 years, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey, butcher
------------, Margaret, boarder, white, female, Oct 1869, age 30, married 14 years, mother of 2 children, 1 surviving, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey
------------, Ethel, boarder, white, female, Apr 1887, age 13, single, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey
Felty, Sarah, boarder, white, female, Oct 1835, age 64, widow, married for 33 years, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey

1910 New Jersey, Essex County, Orange City, ward 1, E.D. 204, sheet 15A, stamped page 15
58 Elm St., dwelling 272, family 351
Hindle, Thomas, head, male, white, age 74, married once for 35 years, born New Jersey, parents born England, own income
--------, Euphemia H., wife, female, white, age 67, married once for 35 years, mother of 0 children, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey
family 352
Wheaton, Charles W., head, male, white, age 42, married once for 24 years, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey, retail merchant, butcher shop
------------, Margaret A., wife, female, white, age 40, married once for 24 years, mother of 2 children, 1 living, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey
------------, Ethel C., daughter, female, white, age 23, single, born New Jersey, parents born New Jersey

——————deceased

Newark Sunday Call, 11 October 1914
Death of Thomas Hindle Yesterday in Orange

Thomas Hindle, who was an active business man in Orange for twenty-five years, died yesterday afternoon at his home, 58 Elm street, that city, aged 79 years. Death was due to Bright’s disease and followed an illness of three years. Mr. Hindle was of the firm of Hindle & Williams, which dissolved partnership six years ago, the other being Ezra C. Williams, one of the best known citizens of West Orange.

Born in Paterson July 11, 1835, the son of John Hindle, of that city, Thomas Hindle, walked to Orange at the age of 15 years and after a few preliminaries apprenticed himself as plumber’s boy to “Squire” Freeman, who then had a monopoly of the trade in the community.

At the time of his employer’s death, in 1883, Mr. Hindle was his foreman. Mr. Williams was then bookkeeper and the two young men concluded to buy the business and run it together. In the quarter of a century during which they remained in business the two taught many men who are now successful master plumbers themselves.

Mr. Hindle married, in 1873, Miss Euphemia Harrison, daughter of John Harrison, of Orange, who survives him. One sister, Mrs. Lida Westervelt, of Paterson, also survives.

The funeral will take place at 3 o’clock on Tuesday afternoon at the house and will be conducted by the Rev. Dr. Stephen Joseph Herben, pastor of the Orange Methodist Church, assisted by the Rev. J. William Ryder, pastor of the Sandford Street Methodist Church, of East Orange. Burial will be in Rosedale Cemetery.

The Paterson Press, 12 October 1914
Thomas Hindle, Former Paterson Man, Dead

Orange, N.J., Oct 12 – Thomas Hindle, for twenty-five years a well known business man of this city died at his home, 58 Elm street, early yesterday following an illness of three years from Bright’s disease. He was born in Paterson seventy-nine years ago. He leaves a wife.

The Morning Call (Paterson, New Jersey), Tuesday, 13 October 1914, p. 12
Thomas Hindle
Thomas Hindle, a brother of the late John H. Hindle, who was one of the leading undertakers of Paterson for a number of years, died Saturday afternoon at his home, 58 Elm street, Orange. He was seventy-nine years old. His death was due to Bright’s disease. He was the last surviving member of the family. The funeral will be held this afternoon at Orange. Rev. Dr. Stephen J. Jerben, of the Orange Methodist Episcopal church, will officiate. He will be assisted by Rev. J. William Ryde, pastor of the Sandford Street Methodist Episcopal church, of East Orange. Burial will be in Rosedale cemetery. Mrs. Hindle leaves a widow.