I seem to have no success with searching emigration & passenger lists for family members, I now have Thomas Reed b.1817 who emigrated with wife Agnes & 3 children in 1854 to Wisconsin USA, Thomas was a stone mason but they farmed when they arrived, I cannot find any reference to them on ships, so I am presuming they flew or swam
I entertained several Thomas Reeds today but none mentioned a wife nor an Agnes. None were seen to go to Wisconsin either. .-sorry. Have you looked in Mersey Times website. Lots of newsy items there.
They were living with Agnes's parents in Barton-on-Irwell Lancashire in 1851 census, by the US Wisconsin state census of 1855 they were in Oregon, Dane, Wisconsin.
Did you check ports in Canada? Technically they would not be immigrants until they crossed into U.S. I can't look any right now. Ancestry has the St Albans border crossing records.
Oops! Sorry about that. I tried looking for Thomas and Agnes in later census reports to see if there was a date of immigration. No luck on that, except that in 1870, they are still in Dane County, WI - three children in household, all born in WI. Findagrave has them buried in Madison, WI, both died in 1871. The place of birth looks off, though. I'm too distracted to really dig in on this one. Do you know if Thomas became naturalized citizens - or any of the older kids? If so, we might find the records somewhere, some how.
Yes Ladies, I have all that information, son George's Obituary states 1854 for emigration, I know they were all definitely in Manchester in 1851, & in Dane in 1855, never mind, thought there might be a passenger list somewhere or a naturalization cert for any of them, so far no luck so I will just keep delving, thanks anyway.
1854 is one year too early for Castle Garden as it opened in 1855, sadly. Found marriages for their girls though
Thanks Sue, I have the marriages, it was just the emigration details that are missing for this family.
Hello. I'm new to this website, but I found your post when searching for definitive facts about my ancestors. Thomas Reed was my great-great grandfather. Based on the Cheshire, Englands records that I've traced. it looks like he was baptized in Ince, Cheshire on the 16th of February, 1817. I suspect that he was born several months earlier, in 1816, based on his age at the time of his death in 1871 in Dane County, Wisconsin. At the time of his christening, his last name was spelled "Read." His father was George Read, a farmer, and his mother's maiden name might have been Margaret White. He married Agnes Henshaw, daughter of Peter Henshaw, on the 6th of August, 1837. His occupation was listed as "laborer." Both he and Agnes were illiterate (they signed the marriage register with an "x," which could account for the discrepancy in the spelling of their last name. I don't have any sources for information about their emigration to America. I'd love to find out more.
Hi there. I did a separate search of the New York Passenger and Crew lists for Agnes Reed (Thomas Reed's wife) and I found her. She arrived in New York on the 9th of November 1853 from Liverpool. The ship's name was William Tapscott. They must have separated the men and women when they arrived, because she is listed in the rolls with her 3 daughters (Margaret, age 16; Alice, age 8; and the baby Agnes, age 1). Their final destination was listed as "Chichago." So far, I haven't found Thomas or their son George, who would have been 11 or 12 at the time. This might help to fill in the gap, and maybe we can still find Thomas and George.
Hi Joan, welcome, you are correct with the Mother of Thomas b.1817. Magaret White, the spelling of the surname Read has many alternatives, Reed, Read, Reid & Reade. George b.1785. & Margaret b.1788. had 14 children between 1807 & 1831 all born Ince Cheshire Thomas b.1817, is your 2nd great grandfather, his brother Samuel b.1815 is mine. I see you have managed to find Agnes in the passenger list, well done. George b.1840 did emigrate in 1854 & I'm wondering if he & his Father traveled separately, George would have been 13-14 years old so it's very possible. In the census of 1851 the family were staying with Agnes's parents in Manchester & Thomas's occupation was stone mason, son George was also listed as a mason, (Father taught son). I think you will know that Thomas & Agnes had 3 more children in USA Winneford, John & Samuel Henry
Hello, Everyone. This is Joan (Reed) Williamson. I've done a lot of searching for this branch of my family tree, because Samuel Henry, Thomas and Agnes' youngest son, was my great-grandfather. Thomas was christened on the 16th of February, 1817 in Ince, Cheshire. His parents were George Read (1785-1847) and Margaret White (1776-1857). Thomas married Agnes Henshaw on the 6th of August, 1837. They had 4 children while still living in England - Margaret, George, Alice and Agnes - and 3 in Wisconsin. One interesting tidbit about Samuel Henry, the youngest son: After his parents died two days apart in 1871, young Samuel moved to Illinois and by 1880 was living with his sister Winneford, her husband Charles Green and their two young children. Samuel was indeed a stonemason. In 1881 he married Katherine Ellen Mulcahy, and they had several children. In the 1880's and early 90's they moved several times, to Minnesota, Illinois, Madison, and finally to Milwaukee. Samuel was instrumental in the building of St. Josaphat Basilica, a famous landmark here in Milwaukee. The stone for the church came from the Chicago Post Office and Custom House, which was being torn down, and Samuel knew about the razing and told Father Grutza about the stone. He made it possible for the materials to be bought affordably. I found out about this when we toured the church several years ago. My father told me when I was a child that my great-grandfather had "built the church" and the 1900 census lists Samuel as Superintendent of Buildings, so I'm assuming that he worked for the building crew of St. Josaphat's. I think about him every time I drive past that magnificent basilica.
