Surname Saturday: WESTABY

The WESTABY line is my children's father's paternal grandmother's line. Although common in spelling to WESTBY and WESTOBY, I've found that the former tends to be Scandinavian, while the latter seems to have similar roots to his WESTABYs: from the area of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire bordering the Humber River in England.

Stories and History:

Ahnentafel #80 - Thomas WESTABY (1779? - ?) - there were several Thomas WESTABYs living in the area around this time and of the right age to be George's father (see next name in this line). "Our" Thomas married Mary SPAULDING in 1808 in Goxhill, Lincolnshire and probaby was born in Barrow-Upon-Humber.

Ahnentafel #40 - George Rice WESTABY, I (1822 -1894) - born in Barrow-Upon-Humber, Glanford Brigg, Lincolnshire. George, his wife Ann WILSON, and his brother Charles immigrated to Jo Daviess Co., Illinois in 1850, not long after his marriage. The family is mentioned quite frequently in The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois (1878).

Ahnentafel #20 - George Rice WESTABY, II (1863 - 1927) - between 1880 and 1888, "Rice" moved to Montana from Illinois, where he married Rebecca Catherine SNOOK. They settled in what was then Custer (now Rosebud) County, raising their five sons and one daughter. Later they divorced; Rice supposedly married twice more. I've yet to find evidence.

Ahnentafel #10 - George Rice WESTABY, III (1890 - 1972) - worked for the Northern Pacific Railroad and followed it to the Yakima Valley in Washington State in 1920, where descendants still remain. His wife was Rena LERFALD.

Ahnentafel #5 - Helen Mary WESTABY (1915 - 1997) - my children's beloved great-grandmother

Ahnentafel #2 - my children's paternal grandfather (living)

Ahentafel #1 - my children's father (living)


More about the WESTABY family:

1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): WESTABY ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available)

2. Some WESTABY obituaries

3. Posts about WESTABY ancestors and relatives on this blog

4. Some scanned WESTABY documents

5. Some scanned WESTABY photos

6. The WESTABY Family Bible

7. My WESTABY Virtual Cemetery on Find A Grave

8. The WESTABY Message Board on Ancestry and RootsWeb


My children's WESTABY immigration trail:

Barrow-Upon-Humber, Lincolnshire, England > Thompson Twp., Jo Daviess Co., IL > Yellowstone Co., MT > Custer (later Rosebud) Co., MT > Dawson Co., MT > Yakima Co., WA > Thurston Co., WA > Clark Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA