to complicate matters further, Thomas James BRIDSON had a younger brother John Joseph, christened in St. Barnabas, Douglas on 31/10/1841. A burial is recorded in the "missing" Braddan burials on the IOMFHS website on 31/12/1865 of a John Joseph BRIDSON of Onchan aged 24.

In 1871, Thomas James, his wife and daughter were living as boarders with a William BRIDSON, ropemaker, age 50 (no place of birth recorded for either William or Thomas) at 3 Spring Gardens in Douglas.

Thomas James, his wife and two of their children (John Henry, d. 3/5/1865 aged 10m and Thomas, d. 15/4/1858 aged 1yr 5m) are buried in Section 2 of Braddan New Cemetery (grave 81). The adjacent grave (79) which has a stone of very similar appearance is of a William BRIDSON, shoemaker who died in 1882 aged 76.

The two families were are interested in are obviously connected in some way, though I haven't worked it out yet. I'll give it more time and effort!

The plot thickens!