Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The Children of Alexander and Rachel Whittle - Elizabeth

Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle brought three children to California from Australia.  The oldest child, Elizabeth, was born 1 June 1839, and baptized 14 July 1839, in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, England (English Births and Christenings, 1538-1991,  (Database on http://beta.familysearch.org/, accessible on FHL Microfilms), "Electronic," birth record as Elizabeth Morley, mother Rachel Morley, born 1 June 1839, christened on 14 July 1839 in St. Peter's, Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, England).

She married William Baker Ray, perhaps around 1855, perhaps in San Francisco.  They had at least three children, Adelia C. Ray (born ca. 1856), Mary C. Ray (born ca. 1858), and Caroline Ray (born ca. 1859), all born in California (San Francisco? Tuolumne County?). 

In the 1860 U.S. Census, this family resided in Township No. 2, Tuolumne County, California, Shawsflat Post Office (1860 U.S. Census, population schedule, Tuolumne County, California, Page 399, Lines 26-31, Dwelling #3774, National Archives Series M653, Roll 71, accessed on http://www.ancestry.com/). The household included:

* W.B. Ray - age 30, male, a miner, born NY
* Elizabeth Ray - age 21, female, born England
* Delia C. Ray - age 4, female, born CA
* Mary C. Ray - age 2, female, born CA
* Caroline Ray - age 8/12, female, born CA
* Jane White - age 13, female, born Australia

The 13 year-old "Jane White" is almost certainly Elizabeth (Whittle) Ray's sister, Jane Whittle, born in August 1847 in Australia. 

Either Mr. Ray died, or he and Elizabeth divorced, and Elizabeth (Whittle) Ray married William Swerer on 8 June 1863 in Sonora, Tuolumne County, California.  They had at least ten children, all born in Tuolumne County, California.

In the 1870 U.S. Census, this family resided in Township No. 2, Tuolumne County, California, Columbia Post Office (1870 U.S. Census, population schedule, Tuolumne County, California, Page 353A, Dwelling #1330, Family #595, National Archives Series M593, Roll 93, accessed on http://www.ancestry.com/). The household included:

* Wm Swerer - age 47, male, white, a grocer, $200 in real estate, $1000 personal property, born PA
* E.C. Swerer - age 31, female, white, keeping house, born England
* A.C. Swerer - age 14, female, white, at school, born CA
* M.A. Swerer - age 12, female, white, at school, born CA
* C.C. Swerer - age 10, female, white,.at school, born CA
* Wm. A. Swerer - age 8, male, white, at school, born CA
* Shelton Swerer - age 5, male, white, at home, born CA
* Frank Swerer - age 3, male, white, at home, born CA
* A.J. Swerer - age 2, male, white, at home, born CA

The first three children in this list are the children of Elizabeth (Whittle) (Ray) Swerer, by her first husband, W.B. Ray. The initials correspond to Adelia C. Ray, Mary A. Ray and Caroline C. Ray - not exactly the same, but close enough, I think.

In the 1880 U.S. Census, this family resided in Township No. 2, Tuolumne County, California, Columbia Post Office (1880 U.S. Census, population schedule, Tuolumne County, California, Page 176A, Dwelling #406, Family #408, National Archives Series T9, Roll 85). The household included:

* William Swerer - age 57, white, male, a sheep farmer, born PA, parents born PA/PA
* E.C. Swerer - age 41, white, female, wife, keeping house, born England, parents born England/England
* William A. Swerer - age 16, white, male, son, single, born CA, parents born PA/England
* Milton A. Swerer - age 15, white, male, son, born CA, parents born PA/England
* Franklin E. Swerer - age 13, white, male, son, born CA, parents born PA/England
* Albert J. Swerer - age 11, white, male, son, born CA, parents born PA/England
* Cassius M. Swerer - age 9, white, male, son, born CA, parents born PA/England
* Millard F. Swerer - age 7, white, male, son, born CA, parents born PA/England
* David B.T.H. Swerer - age 5, white, male, son, born CA, parents born PA/England
* Elisabeth Swerer - age 3, white, female, daughter, born CA, parents born PA/England
* Baby Swerer - age 11/12 (June), white, male, son, born CA, parents born PA/England

In the 1900 U.S. Census, this family resided in Township #4, Tuolumne County, California (1900 U.S. Census, population schedule, Tuolumne County, California, Township #4, Enumeration District 127, Page 10B, Dwelling #227, Family #236, National Archives Series T623, Roll 116, accessed  on http://www.ancestry.com/). The household included (indexed on Ancestry.com as "Suearer"):

* William Swerer - head, white, male, born Apr 1823, age 77, married 36 years, born Pennsylvania, parents born Pennsaylvania/Pennsylvania, a grocer, owns home.
* Lizzie Swerer - wife, white, female, born Jun 1839, age 60, married 36 years, 12 children born, 12 living, born England, parents born England/England, immigrated in 1849, a resident for 50 years
* William Swerer - son, white, male, born Mar 1864, age 36, single, born California, parents born Pennsylvania/England, a farm laborer.
* Frank Swerer - son, white, male, born Nov 1866, age 33, single, born California, parents born Pennsylvania/England, a farm laborer.
* Alferd Swerer - son, white, male, born Jun 1880, age 19, single, born California, parents born Pennsylvania/England, a farm laborer.
* Lizzie Swerer - daughter, white, female, born May 1877, age 23, single, born California, parents born Pennsylvania/England, a farm laborer.
* Mable A. Swerer - daughter, white, female, born Aug 1882, age 17, single, born California, parents born Pennsylvania/England, a farm laborer.

In the 1910 U.S. Census, this family resided in Tuttletown, Tuolumne County, California, (1910 U.S. Census, population schedule, Tuolumne County, California, Tuttletown District, Township #2, Enumeration District 166, Page 4A, Dwelling #54, Family #54, National Archives Series T624, Roll 111, accessed on http://www.ancestry.com/). The household included (indexed on Ancestry.com as "Snow"):

* Elizabeth Swerer - head, female, white, age 70, widow, 13 children born, 12 living, born England, parents born England/England, immigrated in 1849, owns home free of mortgage.
* Alfred A. Swerer - son, male, white, age 30, single, born California, parents born Pennsylvania/England, a miner, works in a gold mine
* Stephen J. Davey - son-in-law, male, white, age 32, first marriage, married for six years, born England, parents born England/England, immigrated in 1884, a naturalized citizen, a miner, works in gold mine
* Mabel A. Davey - daughter, female, white, age 27, first marriage, married 6 years, no children born, born California, parents born Pennsylvania/England

An Ancestry Member Tree - the "Swerer Family Tree"  by user chalicia - has birth and death dates, spouses names, and other information about the William and Elizabeth (Whittle) Swerer family.  The death dates of William Swerer (16 September 1905) and Elizabeth (11 November 1912), probably in Tuttletown, Tuolumne County, California.  This tree has Elizabeth's parents as Alexander (1820-1876) and Rachel (Morles) Whittle, but does not include the first family by W.B. Ray.

An Ancestry Member Tree - the "Baker Family Tree" by user vhuss - has information about the family of Adelia Church Ray, the daughter of William Baker and Elizabeth (Whittle) Ray, but no information about Elizabeth's ancestry. 

An Ancestry Member Tree - the "Seabury Family 2008" by user mseabury133 - has information about the family of Diantha Caroline Ray, the daughter of W.B. and Elizabeth (--?--) Ray, but no information about Elizabeth's ancestry.

The Seabury Family 2008 tree also includes Mary C. Ray as a child of W.B. and Elizabeth Ray, but no further information.  She may be the Mary C. Lord (age 23, born in CA, parents born in England/England in the 1880 U.S. Census) married to William J. Lord, with a 3-month old daughter, Mabel Lord residing in Sonora, Tuolumne County, California.  There are several other Mary's in Tuolumne County that may be Mary, but this is the only one with the middle initial C. and the mother was born in England.  And she may not be living in Tuolumne County in 1880. 

There may be other family trees with some of these persons on Ancestry and other family tree sites.  The ones above were the "low hanging fruit."

All of this information about Elizabeth Whittle and her descendants are a fertile field for further research.  My hope is that one or more of these cousins will Google their ancestral Ray or Swerer name and find my series of posts and be helped by the information gathered to date about their ancestors.  Perhaps they can help me also with more information about the lives of Elizabeth (Whittle) (Ray) Swerer and her descendants.   If you have information to share, please contact me at rjseaver@cox.net.

No comments: