Cornelius Whitehead, the First Whitehead in America

Cornelius was born on June 6, 1834  in an area of Manchester, England called Newton Heath. It was formerly a farming area but following the Industrial Revolution the principal industries were mining and textile. He was the son of William Whitehead (1795-1847) and Mary Chadderton (1797-1876). I was only able to find one sibling, John (1823-1861) but considering his parents were 39 and 37 when he was born, and they were married in 1817, I am sure there were older siblings. According to their marriage banns neither of them could read or write.

His family were in the textile business, his father and grandfather were  silk weavers. His great grandfather was John a weaver as well but there were numerous John Whiteheads in Newton, so I have not been able to narrow him down. I have also had issues tracking down his maternal side; I do know that her was parents were John and Sarah and that John was also a weaver.

Cornelius was baptized at All Saints Anglican Church in Newton Health on July 7, 1834.

In 1847 when Cornelius was 13 his father died, aged 42. A year later his mother married Joseph Wilde at St. Mary, St. Denys and St. George Cathedral in Manchester. She was 6 years older than him and both were listed as widowed on the banns. Joseph was a weaver, and they were both living in Newton.

I am not sure if it was a good marriage. A Joseph Wilde was living with his daughter’s family in 1871 but no wife is listed. He was listed as married, not a widower. And, sometime before her death in 1876 Cornelius moved his mother to America. It is hard to tell when she arrived, she is not listed on the 1870 US census, but I cannot find her in any English census after they were married. The only proof I have that Mary lived in Lawrence is that she is buried with her son. Joseph Wilde died in 1878 in Newton Heath.

Cornelius immigrated to America in 1855. His paperwork shows he was a colorist. Later paperwork states color mixer. He was listed as a chemist on his death certificate and his wife’s obituary noted that he owned a dye manufacturing company in Medford, MA.

In the 1860 census he is living in a boarding house in Lawrence and his occupation is listed as operative. I am not sure what that is, but assuming some sort of factory work in the textile industry. Quite a few men in the boarding house have the same occupation.

On Nov. 18, 1862 he married Phoebe Ann Hall in Lawrence. His occupation is listed as color mixer. I am not sure which church they were married in, but it was probably Grace Episcopal Church in Lawrence.

Phoebe was the daughter of James and Alice Hall and she was born in Manchester. She immigrated when she was 17 in 1861. It would not be unusual for her to be from the same city as Cornelius. Lawrence was the center of the textile industry and there was a sizable English population who sought work in the mills where they were given choice jobs by the American factories on account of their shared linguistic heritage and close cultural links. Phoebe’s sister and brother also immigrated and at one point her sister was living with Cornelius and his wife.

He was a Mason and belonged to the Grecian Lodge, Lawrence, MA. He was initiated on Sept. 13, 1965, passed on Jan. 19, 1866, and Raised on March 16, 1866.

Sometime around 1861 his brother John died. Family folklore is that he drowned while trying to save a boy’s life; the boy survived, he did not. However, I cannot find any proof of this story. Then sometime between 1865 and 1968 his wife Ann Sellers died, and their three children, Mary, Emily and John were sent to live in America, probably with Cornelius. There are conflicting dates on when they arrived, Mary had 1865 and 1868 on later census records. There is naturalization oath paperwork for a John Whitehead that has 1865, the birth city is right however the date of birth is a few years off. I cannot find any passenger lists that has all three of them on it. I do know that in 1870 John and Emily are living with Mary who married George Moses Marslin the year before. I have no idea where they were living before that.

Judging by ages LtoR back row: William, Frederick, Edmund
Front row: Cornelius, Phoebe & Walter
Photo curtesy of Allen Atwell (via Ancestry) 

Their first child William was born March 26, 1864. William would later marry Mary Lizzie Kay in Dover, New Hampshire. He was a sketch maker. They had two children Philip Kay Whitehead (1890-1969) and Mary Chadderton Whitehead (1897-1976). Mary Lizzie Kay died on January 28, 1900 from a tumor. William than married Eliza Ann Yapp on April 10, 1901. William died in 1916 at the age of 51. William, his two wives, son, and daughter-in-law are buried together in Bellevue Cemetery, Lawrence, MA. 

In 1866 his son Frederick James Whitehead (1866-1947) is born. He seems to have followed his brother William to New Hampshire. His occupation is listed as engraver on his marriage certificate and in the 1920 census he is a foreman engineer in the print work. He married Ena Veille Foster (1866-1946) and they had 2 children Allison F. Whitehead (1902-1994) and Frederick Gale Whitehead (1905-1992). I originally thought that William and Frederick were in the printing business but there are textile engravers and sketch artists, so I would assume that they were also in the textile business. Frederick died in 1947 and buried in the Bellevue Cemetery with his wife. Allison's name is also on the tombstone but no death date. Allison never married and Frederick was a teacher. I'm not sure where Frederick is buried but he ended up in California. He was married twice. 

1n 1868 his son Edmund Hall Whitehead (1868-1948) was born in Lawrence. He married Camilla Mansur on Sept 15, 1892 and had two children with her, Warren Mansur Whitehead (1893-1977) and Virginia L. Whitehead (1910-2005). You will note that Warren is much older. Edmund was a traveling salesman at the time of the marriage, but I am not sure in what industry. Camilla died on January 15, 1914 of cancer and on Christmas Day 1915 Edmund married Ella May Snow. One odd note, Edmund is not mentioned in Camilla’s obituary, it just lists her parents. There was a newspaper article in 1902 about a party to celebrate their 10th anniversary and in the 1910 census they are living at 15 Lowell St, Wakefield, MA and he is a salesman in the cracker industry, so they were together. The children are living with them, Warren was 16 and a machine operator in an organ factory and Mary was just born. On a side note, that he was a cracker salesman struck me as funny but apparently crackers were a big business in the area, Medford was famous for its crackers and rum. Edmund died on June 14, 1948 in Boston, MA. and I am not sure where he is buried.

In the 1870 census Cornelius and his family are living in a house with 9 other people, it seems to be owned by James Ashworth and his family, but I do not see any relationship with Cornelius, so I am guessing it is a boarding house. His wife’s sister is living there as well and working as a weaver. Another woman, Sara Merchant is also living there but again, cannot find a connection. 

Cornelius became a US citizen in 1871. There wouldn’t be any naturalization paperwork for his wife, in those days wives automatically got their citizenship with their husband.

In 1880 his last son Walter Whitehead was born. This is my friend Cindy's branch, Walter is her great-grandfather. Walter married Edith Elizabeth Leavens, daughter of the wealthy furniture store owner William Leavans on June 14, 1094. Walter graduated from MIT as a chemist but put that aside to work in his father-in-law’s business, eventually working his way up to president of the furniture company. They had three children, Cindy’s grandmother Barbara Whitehead (1905-1990), William Leavens Whitehead (1910-1991) and Walter Whitehead Jr. (1913-1987). He died in 1955.

That his son married into a wealthy family and he was a councilman for the city of Lawrence in 1881 and 18821 indicates that Cornelius had finally “made it.” From this point on he buys a house and starts making trips back to England. I believe that he was working at the Old Pacific Print Works in Lawrence, a big sprawling factory.

This is a book at the Smithsonian of textile samples collected by Cornelius from the Old Pacific Print Works and donated by his son Frederick. I believe that is Cornelius’ handwriting.
https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/people/18060785/collaborators/18056265/

In 1887 Cornelius traveled to England with his son Frederick. They arrived in Liverpool on June 2, 1887 and came back to Boston on August 18, so it was a short trip, maybe for business.

Sometime before 1890 the family moved to Medford, a town 25 miles south of Lawrence. In the 1890 directory Cornelius is living at 14 S. Park, Medford and he is listed as a chemical manufacturer. The business was located at the rear of 65 Riverside Ave, Medford which is now unfortunately an apartment building. I saw a boiler inspection report for Cornelius in the city of Medford where it was noted the building was used for chemicals. The inspection report doesn’t list the name of the business. I have emailed the Medford Historical Society to see if they had any information. I could not find the house either on a map.

In 1899 he again went on a trip to England, this time with son Walter. They left Boston on July 2, 1899 and returned on Sept 22.

99 Park St, Medford

On the 1900 census he is living at 99 Park Street, Medford. He owns this house, and it is not mortgaged, and has a housekeeper, another indication that he is doing well. On the census, there is no occupation listed for him. Walter, age 19, is also living with them and attending MIT.

Cornelius passed away on Sept. 4, 1907 in Medford, MA from cancer of the bladder.
His occupation was listed as chemist on his death certificate. Of note, his mother’s maiden name is erroneously listed as Cladderton on the death certificate. He is buried in the Bellevue Cemetery in Lawrence, MA along with his wife and his mother. There does not appear to be an obituary for him that I could find.

In 1910 his wife Phoebe was living with her son Frederick James Whitehead in Dover, New Hampshire. In 1912 she is living on her own at 22 Dudley, Medford about a block away from her son Walter. She died on September 20, 1916 in Medford and is buried with her husband.

Phoebe's House 

1 Dorgan, M. B. (1924). History of Lawrence, Massachusetts: With War Records. United States: The author. https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_of_Lawrence_Massachusetts/wIQlAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0