The 1861 Census for England and Wales shows a Thomas Williamson born 1845 in New Jersey, United States.\u00a0 He is listed as a Tinplate Worker staying in Worcester (England) with his uncle William Blizard Williamson. This would imply that Thomas (and his mother and possibly his father) would have been in New Jersey around 1845.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
William Blizzard Williamson (the uncle above) was born in Cork, Ireland in about 1812 (data from England and Wales Census).\u00a0 The England and Wales census also names his wife as Elizabeth Williamson also born in Cork but in about 1818.\u00a0 I do not yet know who were his parents – or who was his brother, the father of Thomas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Thomas\u2019s father can be named we then have WBW\u2019s brother, and we can then try to look for baptismal records for them with the same parents (assuming we don\u2019t have half brothers!). Williamson is not however an uncommon name, so trying to find records of Thomas Williamson in the US, even with an Irish-born father, is problematic. But restricting the search to New Jersey around 1845 considerably narrows the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 1850 and 1860 US Censuses unfortunately do not detail family relationships.
There is a Thomas Williamson born in New Jersey in 1845 found in the 1850 US Census for Hillsborough, Somerset, New Jersey, but the two adults in the household (assumed to be his parents) are both born in New Jersey as well \u2013 which is possible but unlikely if we are looking for the father to be a brother for WBW. The probable father, Francis, is listed as a Labourer.
There is also a Thomas Williamson born in 1843 (but in Ireland) found in the 1850 Census for Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey. The other household members (including the probable mother) are also Irish-born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However in Troy, Ward 5, Rensselaer, New York, we find in the 1850 Census:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Might “George T” be “George Thomas”? George is also a name found in the family that we are looking at (George Henry Williamson, discussed above, and his son George Evans Williamson). If he is the “nephew” in the 1861 Worcester, England census, it is possible he was recorded as “Thomas” to distinguish him from WBW’s son George Henry. If it is this family he may well also have been known by his second name to distinguish him from his father. It is also worth noting that Samuel is a name that is shared with George T’s uncle – if this is the right family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This might be thought to be a bit tenuous – but looking for a Thomas Williamson born in New Jersey around 1845 does not return many possible results let alone certain results. There is a danger of building on speculation, but we may find it useful – particularly if we later find more corroborating evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The birthplaces are what we are looking for and the father’s occupation of Tinsmith is very convenient and might indicate that his son may become a tin-plate worker as well – he may even have been sent to England to see how his uncle managed his business. The father would have been born in about 1817 making him 5 or 6 years younger than WBW. If<\/em> this father is WBW’s brother, that gap may indicate that we might find further siblings born in Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trying to find this family again in later census records is hard but in 1900, we find what could be the eldest son at Wappingers Falls, Dutchess, New York:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note that there is also a George W Williamson, born February 1844 New Jersey, in the 1990 census for Rossville, Vermilion, Illinois married also to a Sarah Williamson. I cannot make out his occupation (possibly restaurant keeper), but the census also records that both his parents were born in New Jersey. This family is also found in the 1880 census for Ross Township, Vermilion, Illinois – he is noted as born 1845. There his occupation is “farmer”. There is also a death notice for a George Williamson, restaurant owner and widower, on 5 February 1929 at Rossville, Vermilion, Illinois; the birth details are recorded as 18 February 1844 at Washington, New Jersey; parents William R Williamson and Caroline Benjamine. I think this is a different family [Ref: Family Search for George Williamson, b 1845 NJ, USA]. There is also an 1870 Census Record (New York City, Ward 09) for a George Williamson, Tinsmith, aged 50 [b~1820], b Ireland. However, the probable wife (relationships are not recorded) appears to be a Mary, aged 46, b Ireland. In addition, there are four younger females all born in New York between 1847 and 1864 and one male (George) also born in New York in about 1860. Because of the years of birth this is at the moment thought to be a different family – but would indicate that there was more than one Williamson family of Tinsmiths in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is also a family story (see comment on another post<\/a>) about George Henry Williamson having fought on possibly the Confederate side in the American Civil War [1861\u20131865]. It is believed he ran off as a very young man to America to fight. If true, we might guess that he was drawn into this escapade with his cousin Thomas, although given Thomas was born in New Jersey it is possibly surprising that they fought on the Confederate side.<\/p> It is worth noting that the Irish Brigade<\/a><\/em> was a Union unit consisting of 3 Regiments from New York (63rd New York Infantry, 69th New York Infantry & 88th New York Infantry) and others from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.<\/p>First name(s)<\/th> Last name<\/th> Gender<\/th> Age<\/th> Birth place<\/th> Occupation<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> George<\/td> Williamson<\/td> Male<\/td> 33<\/td> Ireland<\/td> Tinsmith<\/td><\/tr> Eliza A<\/td> Williamson<\/td> Female<\/td> 24<\/td> New York<\/td> <\/td><\/tr> George T<\/td> Williamson<\/td> Male<\/td> 5<\/td> New Jersey<\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Samuel H<\/td> Williamson<\/td> Male<\/td> 3<\/td> New Jersey<\/td> <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table> First name(s)<\/th> Last name<\/th> Relationship<\/th> Marital status<\/th> Gender<\/th> Age<\/th> Birth month & year<\/th> Birth place<\/th> Occupation<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> George<\/td> Williamson<\/td> Self<\/td> Married<\/td> Male<\/td> 55<\/td> Feb 1845<\/td> New Jersey<\/td> Tinsmith<\/td><\/tr> Sarah<\/td> Williamson<\/td> Wife<\/td> Married<\/td> Female<\/td> 63<\/td> Dec 1837<\/td> New York<\/td> Mother of 2, both living<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
The census records that the couple tabulated above have been married 30 years (i.e. about 1870) – so he married at ~25 and she at ~33. The 1892 Census of Dutchess County may show this couple with a probable son Fred, age 17 \u2013 born 1875, when the mother Sarah would have been 38. There could be earlier children.
This record (if we accept the possible explanation for “George T” being known in England as Thomas) is consistent (in terms of date and place of birth and occupation) with the nephew in the 1861 Census in Worcester, England. The Census also records the place of birth of his Father as Ireland and his mother as New York; again this is consistent with this family.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAmerican Civil War<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Possible Involvement in American Civil War<\/h4><\/p>