The 1861 Census for England and Wales shows a Thomas Williamson born 1845 in New Jersey, United States. He is listed as a Tinplate Worker staying in Worcester (England) with his uncle William Bliz(z)ard Williamson.
William Blizzard Williamson was born in Cork, Ireland in about 1812 (data from England and Wales Census). The England and Wales census also names his wife as Elizabeth Williamson also born in Cork but in about 1818. I do not yet know who were his parents – or who was his brother, the father of Thomas.
My Cousin Helen (from the Williamson side) has heard that William Blizzard Williamson’s youngest son, George Henry fought for the Confederates in the American Civil War (1861-1865). George and Thomas’s ages make this a possible youthful activity – although given Thomas was born in New Jersey, one would have guessed that he (and his cousin) might have fought on the Union side.
American Civil War Records may give a route into finding WB Williamson’s parents.
[…] There is also a family story (see comment on another post) about George Henry Williamson having fought on possibly the Confederate side in the American Civil War [1861–1865]. It is believed he ran off as a very young man to America to fight. If true, we might guess that he was drawn into this escapade with his cousin Thomas, although given Thomas was born in New Jersey it is possibly surprising that they fought on the Confederate side. However if Civil War records (for either side) show a youngish (George) Thomas (b New Jersey) and George Henry Williamson (b London) in the same unit, we may have found them. Unfortunately the indexing of these records does not make such a check easy! (See separate post) […]
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