Surname Saturday: WILKINSON

My WILKINSON line ends with my paternal great-grandmother's mother, Mary J. WILKINSON, and like my KIMBALL line, can only be traced back two more generations. The line originates from Yorkshire, England, but there are no further details, such as which city or town, or even which Riding in Yorkshire the family hails. This is a brickwall line I would love to tear down!

Stories and History:

Ahnentafel #76 - Richard (middle name John?) WILKINSON (b. c. 1815) - born in Yorkshire, England, he married Mary LAMOREAUX (a.k.a. TERRY) (c. 1818 - 1901). An article in the Weekly Guide, Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, on 25 August 1869 mentioned a thirtieth anniversary celebration of a Mr. and Mrs. John WILKINSON of Canton on the 14th of August. Richard and Mary were known to have ties to the area. They had five, possibly six, children: Elizabeth, John, Mary, Richard, William, and (possibly) George Henry. The couple was in Woodstock, Oxford County in 1845, and Aurora, York County by 1856. By the 1861 Canadian Census, they were in East Gwillimbury, York County and in 1871 and 1881, they were in Whitchurch Township, York County, where Richard remained the rest of his days. In 1891, Mary is listed as a widow. There is no record of Richard's death in the Ontario Death Records (believe me, I've looked!).

Ahnentafel #38 - John WILKINSON, Sr. (1845 - 1917) - According to a written family history, John was born in Woodstock, Oxford County, Ontario. He married Mahala SAYERS (1847 - 1937) on 29 Jul 1871 in Port Hope, Northumberland County. They emigrated to Muskegon County, Michigan c. 1880-1 with other Sayers family members, effectively missing both the U.S. Federal Census of 1880 and the Canadian Census of 1881! John and Mahala had eight children, the first five born in various communities of Northumberland and Durham Counties, and the last three born in Muskegon County. John was a carpenter and built numerous homes in the Whitehall Township area of Muskegon County.

Ahnentafel #19 - Mary J. WILKINSON (1872 - 1940) - She was born in Port Hope, Northumberland County, Ontario, the eldest of eight children. She married George Emmett LEWIS (1868 - 1964) on 31 Dec 1891 in Muskegon, Muskegon County, Michigan. Like her father, George was a carpenter, and it is likely Mary met George if he worked for or with her father. For a short time, Mary and George lived in Cleon Township, Manistee County, and later in Blue Lake Township, Muskegon County, but they lived most of their lives in Whitehall Township, Muskegon County, particularly the Village of Whitehall with both Wilkinson and Lewis family members close by. Mary gave birth to 13 children, 11 of whom survived infancy. Her eldest child, George Richard LEWIS was tragically killed at the age of 20 in a motorcycle accident. Although Mary herself only lived to the age of 68, four of her children survived into their 90's, apparently inheriting her Great-grandfather Sayers' longevity genes (he lived to age 102).

Ahnentafel #9 - Marie LEWIS (1902 - 1986) - my great-grandmother; read her AnceStory here.

Ahnentafel #4 - Robert Lewis ROBBINS (1920 - 2003) - my paternal grandfather; read his AnceStory here.

Ahnentafel #2 - my father (living)

Ahnentafel #1 - myself


More about the WILKINSON family:

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

2. Some WILKINSON obituaries

3. Posts about WILKINSON ancestors and relatives on this blog

4. Some scanned WILKINSON photos

5. Some scanned WILKINSON documents

6. My WILKINSON Virtual Cemetery on Find A Grave

My WILKINSON immigration trail:

Yorkshire, England > Oxford Co., ONT > York Co., ONT > Northumberland Co., ONT > Durham Co., ONT > Northumberland Co., ONT > Muskegon Co., MI > Manistee Co., MI > Muskegon Co., MI > Ottawa Co., MI > AK > Stevens Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA