George Boothroyd, b. ca 1845 Yorkshire
George Boothroyd, b. ca 1845, was a schoolteacher.He married Alice Watts and they had two daughters, Anna and Ada, before immigrating to America during the 1870's and settling in Newburgh, New York.His father James and grandfather John had immigrated some years before. George couldn't make ends meet on a schoolteachers pay, and took a job with the Bessemer Steel Works.This is the best clue I have as to where he came from, as this must have been the Bessemer plant in Sheffield, built in the 1860's.This, and some evidence that his wife Alice may have come from Kirkburton, seems to place him in the south of Yorkshire, in the general area of Huddersfield and possibly Dewsbury and the hamlet of Boothroyd.I would estimate based on available information that George was born 1840-1845, father James about 1820-1825.
John Boothroyd probably left England for America before 1840.He had several sons and daughters, but I have no information as to whether any of them accompanied him to America.He sent money to son James to come to America 5 years after James' only son George was born, his wife having died in childbirth.George was placed with relatives to bring up. As I estimated George was born circa 1840-45, James would have immigrated circa 1845-50. James remarried, to Sarah Taggert, and they had a son Raymond, probably in Newburg, NY.
George and Alice Boothroyd had 7 more children after settling in Newburg, NY: Arthur, Oliver, Mable, Clarence, Carrie, Eleanor, and Harry.Eighth child Eleanor, born 7 Nov 1881, is my grandmother, and the source of what information I have of her family.She married James Findlay Maclaughlin,Jr.
Arthur Boothroyd married Ella Cairns in Rahway N.J. and they settled in Newburgh.First he was a printer and then became a carpenter.They had two children, Harold and Hortense.Harold was a teacher in Detroit.
Oliver Boothroyd married Ida Taylor of Fishkill, N.Y.He was a postman in N.Y. City and they bought a house in Hartsdale N.Y., and had just one son, Claude.
Clarence died at 2 yrs of age of a fever.
Harry Boothroyd wanted to leave school at 16, so his brother Oliver got him a job with the railroad carrying mail across the river to the freight houses, where he met a man that wanted him to go to Nicaragua and be an assayer at some gold mines he owned down there.He went for a year but developed malaria and had to come back.He was home for most of a year and then he went to Calif. and was there just 5 days when he was caught in the Earthquake.He lost everything he had, so came back to N.Y.
Any information that can help me connect to related Boothroyds here and in Yorkshire would be most appreciated.
Ian
San Diego