Correction on William Whitehead Sr Where He Came From

I would like to update some information that I had previously posted about where William Whitehead Sr grew up.  One of the perks of the Internet is to be able to connect with people all over the world.  Early in August of this year I was contacted my a 'cousin' in England who grew up and lives where William was from.  He was able to send me a description of the mill that the Whiteheads owned at some point.  This information clarifies some of the information that we had.

http://www.hamandbud.co.uk/industrial_valleys/denshawvalepw.html

I am hoping to get more info as time goes on.

I invite any one who happens upon my blog and can provide further insight and info to contact me.  Thanks for the input.

Making Connections- More on William Whitehead

I was able to have the privilege to meet (on-line) one of my cousins (well second cousins once removed) who had quite a bit of information on William.  
I want to share it with you.
Some of the information is a bit of a repeat from my last post, but that's OK.  We can learn from repetition.
Thanks Kris for the info! I look forward to meeting you one day and to many more family learning time.

Born: 23 Nov 1839 in Calf Hey, Yorkshire, England

Source: Independent Chapel (Delph, Yorkshire) Church records, 1780-1851; Family History Library Film 1484390, Page 89-90

He was the illegitimate son of Robert Wright, a machine printer at Denshaw Print Works, and Martha Whitehead.  Martha went on to marry Henry Ramsbottom.  Robert Wright

Calf Hey is a small area just north east of Oldham, Lancashire and is located at 53°35'12.23"N,  2° 4'47.97"W (Google Earth coordinates).  Today, the only trace is a small, residential road called Calf Hey Rd.  I’ve attached a map of the area in 1851 (Crompton Fold).  Calf Hey is near the top, just to the right of center.

Christened: 18 May 1840 in the Independent Chapel, Delph, Yorkshire, England

Source: Independent Chapel (Delph, Yorkshire) Church records, 1780-1851; Family History Library Film 1484390, Page 89-90

The Independent Chapel was Wesleyan Methodist and is located at 53°34'8.22"N,  2° 1'23.55"W, (Google Earth coordinates).  I’ve attached a map of the area in 1854.  The Independent Chapel is near the top, just right of center on the north east corner of the intersection in the middle of Delph.  The words “Independ Chapel” are just below “Delph Barn”, “Trough”, and “Cobler’s Hill”.

Text from a Certified Copy of an Entry of Birth for William Whitehead, certificate, CG 700422, 13 Dec 1974:

"Certified Copy of an  Entry of Birth

Pursuant to the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953

Registration District - Saddleworth

1839.  Birth in the District of Delph in the County of York

No.: 38

When and where born: November Twenty Third 1839 at Calfhey Friar Mere

Name, if any: William

Sex: Boy

Name, and surname of father: Robert WRIGHT a Machine Printer at Denshaw Print Works

Name, surname and maiden surname of mother: Martha Whitehead

Occupation of father: -----

Signature, description, and residence of informant: Hannah Whitehead X her mark Calfhey In Attendance

When registered: November Twenty Ninth 1839

Signature of registrar: John Brook

Name entered after registration: -----

Certified to be a true copy of an entry in a register in my custody.

<Signature> Superintendent Registrar."

Emigrated from Liverpool to New York from 11 Apr 1859 to 13 May 1859 on the ship “William Tapscott”

Source: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mormon Immigration Index (CD).

BMR, Book #1046, pp. 102-130 (FHL #025,691); SMR, pp. 69-77; Customs #367 (FHL #175,547); SMR, 1859 (FHL #025,696).

I’ve attached accounts of the immigration voyage from others who were on that ship at the time.

He was in the 8^th handcart company, the George Rowley Company, which left Florence, Nebraska (now Omaha) on 7-10 June 1859 and arrived in the Salt Lake valley 4-6 September 1859.  (more info athttp://lds.org/churchhistory/library/pioneercompany/1,15797,4017-1-17,00.html)

He married Margaret Green on 28 Mar 1862 in Farmington, Davis, Utah.  He subsequently married (plural marriage) Alice Butterworth on 22 Aug 1870 in Salt Lake City.

In 1861, he took his family and settled in Franklin, Idaho.  He lived there until his death in 1881.  Once the settlers moved out of the fort, he lived in a small house directly east of the corner of Maple Creek Rd and 3^rd East in Franklin.  The house still stands, though the roof has caved in and, according to legend, was a chicken coop for a while.  I’ve attached a picture of it.  The Google Earth coordinates for the house are 42° 1'15.99"N, 111°47'48.25"W.

From a program from the 50^th anniversary of Franklin in 1910, it says this about William Whitehead: “William Whitehead, a farmer, was captain of the infantry at Franklin, organized under the laws of the territory of Utah.  He was one of the first city councilmen of Franklin, and had some talent in the dramatic line and was a well educated man for his time.”

Here is a sketch of William that I do not know who wrote:

“Sketch of William Whitehead

“He was born at Oldham, Lancaster England.  His childhood was spent in the home of his grandparents, James and Hannah Hepworth Whitehead at Oldham until he came to the United States.  He came to the U.S. with an Elder Taylor who had filled a mission in England and was from Lehi, Utah and at whose home William lived until his Aunt Mary came for him.  Aunt Mary had walked from Ogden to Lehi to bring him back with her as she had promised his mother she would care for him until the Ramsbottam family could emigrate to Utah.  In the early spring of 1861, William, along with his two cousins Ben and James Chadwick, moved to Franklin where he helped these two boys in the canyon to get logs out with which they built his Aunt Mary and mother a house at Franklin, Idaho.  Shortly after arriving at Franklin he and Thomas Mendenhall went to Ogden and brought back two loads of tithing seed grain for the people to plant that spring.  Because he had the advantage of a very fine education in England, he was valuable to the people of Franklin.  He brought some books from Lehi with him and after his days work was finished he would read and study by candle and fire place light until very late hours.  He was so eager to learn he attended the night school of William Wright, also the Elders' School.  He was a bookkeeper and a clerk for Marrick and Duffin and also for the first cook store.  He was clerk of Franklin Village for years, choir leader, dramatic art leader, and one of the players and he also played musical instruments.  He was an outstanding figure in the community for his cleanliness and neatness of person.  It is said of him every hair on his head must be laid just right at all times.  He belonged to the Militia and was a minute man.  He took his turn with the rest of the men in standing guard on the little mountain of Mt. Lookout for the protection of the people against the Indians.  He also went to Logan each month to take military training.  He was thoroughly converted and lived up to his religious beliefs of strictly keeping the Word of Wisdom, of paying his tithes and offerings.  He was honest, honorable and humble, a kind and loving father.  In 1862, he left Franklin for Salt Lake City to meet his sweetheart whom he had, in England in 1859, expecting to bring her back to Franklin with him.  When he arrived there he found her already married.  A short time later, he married Margaret Green.  They were married March 28, 1862.

“William met his mother and her family at Ogden in October of 1869 and brought them to Franklin.  He also later married Alice Butterworth as his plural wife.  He was a very busy man with the fund of rich knowledge he acquired and was always willing to help others - in fact he was always busy at something.”

He died 2 Apr 1881 in Franklin, Idaho.  His obituary was published in the Deseret News.  Here is what it said (even though it got the birth place incorrect):

“DESERET NEW WEEKLY

APRIL 13, 1881

VOLUME 30:176

“At Franklin, Oneida county, Idaho, April 2nd, of inflammation of the bowels, William Whitehead, age 42 years, 4 months and 9 days.  Brother Whitehead was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England; embraced the gospel when very young; he emigrated to Utah in the year 1859, drawing a handcart across the plains, in Captain George Rowley's company.  On his arrival in the valley he went to Lehi, lived there a short time, then moved on to Weber.  In the year 1861 he moved to Franklin, and lived there until the day of his death.  Brother Whitehead was a faithful member of the Church and was a useful man.  He was assistant superintendent of Sunday School for many years, and was always found at his post.  He was also a member of the choir.  Since his arrival in Franklin he held offices in the city, and was a member of the City Council at the time of his death.  He was a faithful servant to the people of Franklin, who feel to mourn his loss.  His funeral services were held at the Franklin tabernacle, on Sunday afternoon.  His body was carried to the tabernacle by the Mayor and Council, and the teachers of the Sunday School, followed by all of the Sunday School children.  Remarks were made by Brother Joshua Hawkes, and by Brother Samuel R. Parkinson and Thomas Durant.  Benediction by Bishop L. L. Hatch.  His remains were taken to the grave, followed by 35 vehicles, besides a number on foot.  Brother Whitehead was taken sick three days before his death; he died firm in the faith, with the hope of a glorious resurrection.  He left a wife with 10 children to mourn his loss.  Our loss was his infinite gain.”

William Whitehead 1839-1881 (or 1882)

               This information was taken from The Whitehead Family Magazine Number 10 June 1975.

William Whitehead was born the 23 of November. 1893 at Calfhey, Friar Mere, Saddleworth, Yorkshire, England.

He was the son of Martha Whitehead and Robert Wright, who was a machine printer at the Denshaw Print Works.  According to family history we grew up in the home of his grandparents, James Whitehead and Hannah Hepworth in Oldham.

It is said that he received a fine education in England.

He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but the date of his baptism seems uncertain.  According to the Franklin Ward records he was baptized by James Gledhill in November 1852 and confirmed the same month by William Scofield.  This would have made him about thirteen years old at the time.  However, according to the Temple Index Bureau record card he was baptized November 20, 1854.  This would have made him just a few days short of fifteen years old.

William emigrated to Utah in 1859.  he sailed on the William Tapscott a ship of 1,750 tons register. The ship had been chartered by the Church and sailed from England(probably Liverpool) for New York on April 11, 1859.  His age is given in the emigration records as twenty, though he would not have reached the full age of twenty until November of that year.  According to the emigration records, he gave his address as Manchester, and his occupation as factory worker.  The price of his ticket, steerage class, was 4.20 pounds.  There were 601 adults, 92 children, and 32 infants making a total of 725 emigrants from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Switzerland.  Also, included were some missionaries according to family history was an Elder William Taylor with whom he later stayed in Lehi, Utah.

The William Tapscott arrived in New York after a pleasant voyage of 31 days.  According to the book, Handcarts to Zion, the party of emigrants left New York on May 14, 1859 on the Steamer Isaac Newton for Albany.  From Albany, they took the Hannibal and St.Joseph railway to St.Joseph, Missouri.  From there they took river boots on the Missouri River to Florence Nebraska.  Florence was the staging and departure point for the handcart companies.  

William Whitehead was a member of the eighth handcart company.  According to the book, Handcarts of Zion, the company was made up of 235 persons.  There were 60 handcarts, the 6 ox-drawn wagons to haul provisions and the sick.  George Rowley was captain of the company, and there was a sub-captain for each ten carts.  The carts each had a cover made from bed ticking and stretched over three bows.

The company started from Florence on June 9, 1859 and travelled four miles. On the tenth they laid over to get organized.  On the eleventh they started out in earnest and travelled sixteen miles. On the twelfth they traveled twenty-two miles and ran into swarms of big mosquitoes.  Provisions for ten days for one person included ten pounds of flour, one pound of bacon, a little sugar and salt.

The company met a large band of Sioux indians on July 3.  They were the first indians most of the emigrants had ever seen, and it was a terrifying experience for them.  The indians demanded food, and were given three sacks of flour and some bacon.  That night the indians staged a dance.  Next morning, the company left early hoping to elude the indians, but some of the indians followed them and tried to make a deal for a “white squaw”.  

There was another encounter with Indians in the Devil’s Gate area which frightened the immigrants.  There had just been a battle between two tribes.  The victorious tribe had a number of prisoners, and they invited a number of the men in the handcart company to visit their camp to watch the prisoners being tortured to death.  The men respectfully declined the invitation.

The company ran low on food and many were suffering from starvation when a supply wagon train from Salt Lake City reached them after traveling a night and day to come to their aid.

The company arrived in Salt Lake City on the afternoon of Sunday, September 4, 1859.  They were met on their arrival by a huge crowd, including two or three bands.  

According to family history, due to the extreme heat and exposure during the trek, and the strain of pulling the hand cart, William ruptured a blood vessel in his head and was in serious condition for sometime.  It is said that as a result of the hardship of the handcart journey, he was never a strong man.

William located at Lehi, living with Elder William Taylor, until his Aunt Mary brought him to Ogden.  Mary had promised to look after William until the Ramsbottom family could emigrate,  (William’s mother, Martha Whitehead married Henry Ramsbottom in August of 1853).

In the early spring of 1861, William along with his two cousins, Ben and James Chadwick, moved to Franklin, Idaho.  He helped Ben and James bring logs out of the canyon and helped them build a house for their mother (William’s Aunt Mary).

Margaret Green with her twins Hannah Jane and John Charles

According to family history, in 1862 William went back to Salt Lake City to meet his sweetheart whom he had left in England in 1859.  He expected to bring her back to Franklin with him.  However, when he arrived he found her already married.  On the way back from Salt Lake City, he married Margaret Green whom he had previously known in England.  Family records indicate the marriage date as March 28, 1862.  However, there seems reason to believe that the marriage may have actually taken place a year later in 1863.

In 1872, with his first wife’s consent, William married Alice Butterworth, and they all lived together in the same house.  Alice died soon after the birth of her first child, Alice Whitehead.

According to the records of District Court of the third Judicial District of the Territory of Idaho, i and for the County of Oneida, William Whitehead made application for and was granted United States citizenship on July 8, 1873.  According to family history, William was one of the first city councilmen chosen when Franklin was organized a city in 1878.

After his day’s work, William would read and study by candlelight until very late.  He was eager to learn and he attended the night school of William Wright.  he also attend the Elder’s School.  He was a bookkeeper for Merrick and Duffin, also for the first Co-op store.  He was ward clerk and choir leader and active in dramatics.  He was a member of the militia and was a minute-man.  He was also a good mason and farmer. (According to the 1880  census record he gave his occupation as stone mason).

William was always noted for his cleanliness and neatness of person.  It was said of him, “Every hair and thread must be laid just right at all times.”  

William had eleven children by his wife Margaret.  He loved his family dearly, but they were very poor.  He was a small man of medium complexion with blue eyes.

William's wife- Margaret Green Whitehead, with some of her children. Left to right back row: Jenette, Abraham Lorenzo, Peter Green, Martha Front Row: Mary, William James, Margaret Green Whitehead, John Charles, Margaret Elizabeth

He died of a ruptured appendix, but the date of his death does not seem certain.  the Archives of the Genealogical Society in Salt Lake City give the date as April 2, 1880.  Family records and the Franklin Ward records give the date as April 2, 1882.  If 1881 is the correct date, he would have been forty-one years old at the time.


I love this story told:

The following experience was told to Sarrah Eppich by an unidentified son of William Whitehead on February 21, 1940 at Cornish, Utah.

I left Monday morning to go up Maple Creek to chop log.  When I left Father was not feeling very well.  

Monday night, a strange woman came into my cabin and woke me.  She told me I was needed at home.  I woke the other men and asked then if they had seen her, but none of them had.  Then I got up and looked for tracks in the snow, but although it was three feet deep, there were no tracks.

The next morning I had just felled one tree and started on another when the same woman I had seen came and told me I was needed at home.  Then, in a flash, I saw my brother, Peter G., coming on a horse to meet me.  I told my friend and we locked the cabin and started down the canyon.  We met Peter, six years old at the time, at the bottom of Lowe’s Hill.  He was coming on a horse to meet us.

When I reached home my father was sitting in a big chair with a quilt wrapped around him.  I talked to him for a white, and then my mother came into the room and told me the cows had broken through the willow fence and got out.  I left to fix the fence, and when I returned they told me my father had just passed away.  He had died of appendicitis while sitting in the chair.

I have more information on his life and will get it to you soon.