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William S. Greenwood, "Gold Rush" Miner
Facts and Events
About William Greenwood
William Greenwood was born 1817 in England. He married at age 23 to Mary Hardman sometime between April and June of 1840 in Bolton, Lancashire, England. William and Mary had three children together in England before William forged off on his own (in advance of the rest of the family) and came to America on the ship "John Ravenel", which sailed from Liverpool, England and arrived in New York on 1 April 1848. It must have taken William a while to get established in his new home, as he must have sent for his wife and children some two years later - they set sail from Liverpool, England and arrived in Boston on the ship "Hope" on 27 Jul 1850. The Greenwoods were living in New Jersey in 1851 when their fourth child John was born.
As with many immigrants, the Greenwoods certainly must have heard of the new riches in California during the "Gold Rush" of the 1850's, and William Greenwood and his family headed west and were in California by February 1856, when their fifth child, Rafe Greenwood was born. The Greenwoods made Placer County, California their home, located in the heart of "Gold Rush Country". William Greenwood's occupation is listed a "Miner" in the 1860 and 1880 Census, and to make ends meet, his wife kept a "Boarding House", and took care of their growing family (three more sons were born between 1858-1861). William's wife Mary passed away in 1878 when her youngest son was just 16 years old. It must have been difficult on William, who had to raise his family without his wife, but his three older daughters undoubtedly took over many of the chores for their departed mother. William Greenwood lived another 13 years after his wife Mary's passing - he died as a result of falling from a pile of wood, on 10 December 1891 in Auburn, Placer County, California, the place that the Greenwood's called home for over 35 years.
Emigration Information
Probable Emigration of William Greenwood: (William appears to have first come to America in advance of his wife and three daughters, as evidenced by the following ship records):
- William Greenwood, arrived 1 Apr 1848, age 29, male, from Liverpool, England to New York, NY, on ship "John Ravenel". [Ancestry.com Immigration Records].
Emigration of Wife and three children:
- Mary Greenwood, 33
- Mary Ann, 7
- Jane, 5
- Emily, 3
- Arriving in Boston from Liverpool, England, on 27 Jul 1850 on the ship "Hope" of Duxbury; G.B. Weston, Master [of ship].
- [Source: Boston Passenger Lists, 1820-1943, from actual handwritten pages of ship's passenger list].
Records in Placer County, CA
- From Census Information:
- 18 June 1860: Resided in Michigan Bluffs, Placer County, California. Age in 1860:42; he was a 'miner'; his wife kept a boarding house; 5 children.
- 18 August 1870: Resided in Township 6, Placer County, Califirnia. Age in 1870: 53 Kept a Hotel; three sons at home (in school?)
- 10 June 1880: Resided in Forest Hill, Placer County, California. Age: 63; Miner, Marital Status: Widower; Relation to Head of House: Self
- From "The Placer County Herald", Auburn, California, December 12, 1891:
- Local Siftings--William Greenwood died at the County Hospital on Thursday evening. Death was the result of a fall he received last Monday from off a pile of wood, striking on his head. Deceased was a native of England, aged 74 years. He was well and favorably known throughout the county. Mr. Greenwood was the father of Mrs. B. D. Dunnam. The funeral will take place at 2 PM this afternoon from the residence of his daughter.
Image Gallery
References
- United States. 1860 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M653).
1860 United States Federal Census
Name: William Greenwood
Age in 1860: 42
Birth Year: abt 1818
Birthplace: England
Home in 1860: Michigan Bluffs, Placer, California
Gender: Male
Post Office: Michigan Bluffs
Household Members:
Name Age
William Greenwood 42
Mary Greenwood 43
Emily Greenwood 12
John Greenwood 9
Rafe Greenwood 5
William Greenwood 3
Alexander Greenwood 4/12
John Paul 26
Robert Tarner 30
Martin Buman 28
James Clark 30
- United States. 1870 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publications M593 and T132).
1870 United States Federal Census
Name: William Greenwood
Age in 1870: 53
Birth Year: abt 1817
Birthplace: England
Home in 1870: Township 6, Placer, California
Race: White
Gender: Male
Post Office: Bath
Household Members:
Name Age
William Greenwood 53
Mary Greenwood 53
Ralph Greenwood 15
Alexander Greenwood 10
James Greenwood 9
James A Grant 30
John C Jones 26
William Moss 48
William H Jackson 46
Lancelot Robson 27
William Downard 33
Henry Dods 30
William Heaton 42
Sing Wing 20
- United States. 1880 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T9).
1880 United States Federal Census
Name: William Greenwood
Age: 63
Birth Year: abt 1817
Birthplace: England
Home in 1880: Forest Hill, Placer, California
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Marital Status: Widower
Father's Birthplace: England
Mother's Birthplace: England
Occupation: Miner
Household Members:
Name Age
William Greenwood 63
Rafe Greenwood 24
James Greenwood 18
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ancestry.com. Public Member Trees: (Note: not considered a reliable primary source).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Find A Grave.
William S. Greenwood
Birth: 1817, England
Death: Dec. 10, 1891
Auburn
Placer County
California, USA
Admitted - Placer County Hospital
July 17, 1889
Resident of Foresthill
Buried in I.0.0.F. cemetery
.
WILLIAM GREENWOOD
William Greenwood died at the County Hospital on Thursday evening. Death was the result of a fall he received last Monday from off a pile of wood, striking on his head. Deceased was a native of England, aged 74 years. He was well and favorably known throughout the county. Mr. Greenwood was the father of Mrs. B. D. Dunnam. The funeral will take place at 2 PM this afternoon from the residence of his daughter.
[Placer County Herald, Auburn, 12-12-1891]
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=109934085
- California, United States. Great Registers, 1866-1898.
Name: William Greenwood
Residence Year: 1874
Residence Place: Placer, California
Age: 56
Birth Year: abt 1818
Name: William Greenwood
Residence Year: 1879
Residence Place: Placer, California
Age: 61
Birth Year: abt 1818
Name: Wiliam Greenwood
Residence Year: 1890
Residence Place: Placer, California
Age: 73
Birth Year: abt 1817
Name: Wiliam Greenwood
Residence Year: 1890
Residence Place: Placer, California
Age: 73
Birth Year: abt 1817
- Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. (Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Research, 2006).
U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s
Name: William Greenwood
Arrival Year: 1855
Arrival Place: Sacramento Co., California
Source Publication Code: 6001.16
Primary Immigrant: Greenwood, William
Annotation: Date and place of naturalization. Extracted from Sacramento, California, newspapers. Country of nativity is also provided. Date of original newspaper is sometimes provided.
Source Bibliography: "NATURALIZATION." In Root Cellar Preserves (Sacramento [CA] Genealogical Society). vol. 15:2 (January 1993), pp. 59-60; vol. 15:3 (April 1993), pp. 93-94; vol. 17:2 (January-February-March, 1995), pp. 61-66.
Page: 93
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