William Williamson is buried in the Middle Intervale Cemetery in Bethel, Maine. He is related to my 4X great-grandfather, John Williamson, and most likely they were brothers. The fact that they are immigrants from Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland and that there are other William Williamsons living in the area make it difficult to establish the relationship with certainty. It seems likely that they arrived in this country in the 1820s, well before the potato famine that began in the 1840s. William and John were shoemakers who travelled from house to house, making shoes for the entire family. William Williamson moved to the Sunday River section of Newry, across the Androscoggin River from Middle Intervale.
William Williamson married second Eliza (Elizabeth) Stuart/Stewart. She was considerably younger. Her memorial on Findagrave lists her birthdate as 1816 and in census records her age varies but is most consistent with 1810. After the 1860 census they appear in separate households and she is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery in Newry. She spent her final days with her son, Richard and he lived with his nephew, Dr. William Williamson in 1870 and his brother, John in 1880.
William Williamson's family constructed from census records:
- John (age 30 in 1850 census; not living with William and Eliza in 1860, I haven't found records after 1850). He must be from a prior marriage because he's only 10 years younger than Eliza.
- Mary J. (age 24 in 1850 census; not living with William & Eliza in 1860; I haven't found records after 1850) She is probably also from a prior marriage as Eliza would have been 16 when she was born.
- Sarah (age 18 in 1850 census; not living with William & Eliza in 1860; I haven't found records after 1850). I believe she may be the first child of William and Eliza based on the six year gap between Mary J. and Sarah and the more frequent births after her.
- Margaret (age 16 in 1850; 26 in 1860; not living with William or Eliza in 1870; I haven't found records after 1860)
- Rebecca (age 12 in 1850; not living with William & Eliza in 1860; I haven't found records after 1850)
- William Henry (called Henry age 9 in 1850; called William H. age 19 in 1860; In 1863, William is registered as eligible for the draft in Newry, Maine. In 1870, there is a William H. living in Gorham, N.H. at a hotel and farming with a wife, Jennie, who was a pastry cook. This may or may not be the same William Henry Williamson.)
- Maria (age 6 in 1850; called Mariah age 16 in 1860; I haven't found any records after 1860)
- Richard (age 3 in 1850; age 13 in 1860; age 22 in 1870 living with Eliza; is head of household that includes his mother, Eliza in 1880). He is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery. Findagrave has his birthday as June 1, 1847 and his death date as August 8, 1923. He is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery.
- Thomas S. (age 11 in 1860) Findagrave lists his birth as June 1850 and death as January 17, 1869. He is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery.
- George (age 6 in 1860; age 17 in 1870 living with Eliza, according the The Bethel Journals, there is gravestone in Sunday River Cemetery for a George D. who died January 30, 1927; I haven't found any records after 1870).
- Albert (age 5 in 1860; age 14 in 1870 living with Eliza, age 24 in 1880 and working as a druggist in Norway, Maine). In the 1900 census, he is still living in Norway with a wife, Helen, who is 18 years younger. Maine marriage records show her name was Helen Augusta Tufts. Albert died February 22, 1911 and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Norway, Maine. Findagrave gives his date of birth as June 27, 1855.
The Bethel Journals - Williamson Family - some information conflicts with original records.
Some of my other Williamson blog posts
Celebrating an Centenarian - John Williamson, William's brother (probably)
What's Your Story, John Williamson? - Trying to figure out the immigration of the family
The Williamson Divorce - The Dr. William Williamson with whom William (of this post) lived in 1870.
