Mr Thomas Storey was born in Rochdale, Lancashire, England on 29 January 1853.¹

He was the son of Benjamin Storey (b. 1810), a boatman, and Maria Holt, née Dawson (b. 1807), a charwoman. His father was a native of Leicestershire and his mother was from Rochdale and they were married in 1852. He had a half-sibling, Martha (b. 1837) from his mother's previous marriage to a man named Edward Holt.

He appears on the 1861 census living at 43 School Lane, Rochdale (the address of his birth) with both his parents. Other details about his early life are not known although it is possible he spent a portion of his adolescence living and working on the Isle of Man as a farm labourer.² What became of his parents is also not certain although it is possible that both his mother and father died within months of each other in 1862.

Storey first left British shores bound for a new life in 1878; in October that year he arrived in the USA and soon after began working as an able seaman for the American Line. He is first shown on record as a seaman aboard the Arizona following which he appeared to have defected to Cunard for a couple of years, showing up working on several trips aboard Scythia between 1883 and 1886, Pavonia in 1887 and Gallia in 1888. He later returned to the American Line to work aboard City of New York in 1888 which he is shown serving aboard through to 1890.

Storey became a naturalised US citizen on 8 March 1898 and at the time his home address was 54 Fulton Street in New York City. 

Storey's signature from his 1898 naturalisation

Storey is believed to have remained with American Line (albeit for one brief period in 1898 when he served aboard Cunard's Campania³) for the remainder of his career, later working aboard St Paul and rising through the ranks to become master-at-arms. He was shown on the 1910 census of the USA aboard the St Paul. Later he was transferred to the Philadelphia.

In April 1912 the British coal strike had caused scheduling problems and Philadelphia's westbound voyage was cancelled, with Storey and several other shipmates; Andrew Shannon [Lionel Leonard], August Johnson, William Henry Törnquist, Alfred Carver and William Cahoone Johnson) forced to travel aboard Titanic as passengers. Storey and his shipmates boarded the Titanic at Southampton, all travelling third class (ticket number 370160).

Thomas Storey, who was unmarried, died in the sinking and his body was recovered by the Mackay-Bennett (#261). He was buried at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia on 10 May 1912.

© Bill Fowler, Canada