William Whitford was born around 1739 in Alcester, Warwickshire, England.
I haven’t been able to find his baptism yet.
St Nicholas, Alcester, Warwickshire
William married Ann Dyson on 17 October 1764 at St Nicholas in Alcester by banns.
They both signed their name on the register, and the witnesses were Ann Harbridge and Elizabeth James.
Ann Dyson was born in 1745 (according to her age of 78 at her burial), in Alcester and it is believed she is the daughter of John Dyson (1713-1754) and Ann Marshall. Baptisms for 1745 were ‘mislaid’, but there are baptisms either side of her for John & Ann Dyson. This note from the parish clerk explains about the missing baptisms for two years between 1745-1747.
Alcester Warwickshire baptisms 1745 to 1747
Ann’s parents John and Ann were married on 29 June 1736 at Hadzor, Worcestershire, 13 miles away from Alcester. Ann was one of 8 children born to the couple.
William and Ann lived in Alcester, Warwickshire and had six children –
- Sarah b 1765 Alcester d 1848 Aston Rowant, Oxf. Marr John Britnell, 13 kids
- John b 1767 Alcester
- Thomas b 1769 Broadway d 1843 Alcester, marr Sarah Moore, 7 kids
- *Elizabeth b 1774 Alcester, d 1839 Aston Rowant, marr William Jones
- William b 1777 Alcester d 1829 Alcester, marr Elizabeth Huxley & Rachel Loader
- Hannah b 1778 d 1824 & d 1824 Alcester, marr Thomas Loader, 2 kids – Hannah was baptised at the aged of 16 years (which was noted in the baptismal register).
Alcester, Warwickshire
Unfortunately most of the 1760-1770s baptisms are missing from the Alcester batches of the IGI.
The eldest daughter Sarah left Warwickshire sometime as a young woman and moved down to Aston Rowant in Oxfordshire where she married in 1789. This was confirmed by her answering ‘no’ to the question on the 1841 census as to whether she was born in Oxfordshire. This has also been confirmed by a DNA match with a descendant of son William’s whom I match.
*Sarah’s sister Elizabeth, also travelled to Oxfordshire, and was married in Aston Rowant in 1795 to William Jones.
Children William and Hannah both married Loader siblings who were also born in Aston Rowant.
In 1776, and then again in 1800, William appears in the Warwickshire Land Tax records (1773-1830) for Alcester. In the 1800 register, he is the tenant of Mr George Savage, as is his neighbour William Elkins.
Alcester Warwickshire land tax 1776
William died in Alcester, Warwickshire sometime after 1800. I haven’t been able to find his burial record, despite searching the indexes of the Warwickshire Burials 1813-1910 under every possible combination of names. His son William Whitford was buried in 1829 in Alcester, but the age given was 51 years, so this burial is definitely for his son.
His wife Ann Whitford died in November 1823, aged 78 years, in Alcester, and was buried at St Nicholas, Alcester on 14 November 1823.
