𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙢 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙢 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣

Find My Family facebook post 3/31/2023

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖𝟐𝟕 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤, 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞.

On the 20th of August 1843 he married Rachel Bartlett Barton in Feltwell. In 1851 the family were living in Walsoken, Cambridgeshire, where William was working as a general labourer. They had four children, Robert, William, Emma, and Henry. In 1861 the family lived in Walworth, London. William was now working as a fireman at the gas works. They had one more child, a daughter Susanna.

Sadly, Rachel passed away in 1862, aged 40, leaving William to bring up their young children. In those days there was no support for young families, William would have needed to carry on working and the older children would have looked after the younger ones. For this reason peoole usually married again pretty quickly, and this what William did as on the 29th of March 1864, William married Ellen Morgan at St Peters church, Walworth, London.

In 1871 the family lived in Lambourne, Essex, where he worked as an agricultural engine driver. They had three children together, Rachel, Annie, and Esther.

It seemed the family didn't like to stay in one place for long so it was no surprise to see the family emigrate to the United States in 1873. In 1880 we find the family living in Detroit, Michigan, where William was working as a gardener. They had three more children, Bertha, Mary, and John.

In 1900, Ellen was living at Butternut Street, Detroit Ward 8, Wayne, Michigan, with her son John, daughter Louisa and granddaughter Emma.

William was living with his daughter Rachel, who by now was married to George Bench, in Watertown, Tuscola, Michigan. He was listed as a general labourer.

William passed away on the 12th of June 1902, in Springwell, Detroit, Michigan, aged 81. Ellen passed away on the 13th of August 1919, in Detroit, aged 80.