Introduction

8 Apr 1995

This booklet has been long in the making - and I still have more to be done. However, I've decided to put together what I now have.

While I was looking at the Wisconsin Federal Census of 1860, Portage County, for my mother's Roe ancestors, I accidentally came across the Blakey family - a surprise since my Grandfather George supposedly was born in Hayward, Wis. The census (a copy is included here) shows Henry and Jemima, an older couple Edward and Margaret (Henry's parents), and James all born in England and Emily born in Wis.

By the 1870 Federal Census, they had moved to Jackson County, Minnesota - Emily had died and George had been born (in Wis.) Edward was listed alone, indicating his wife Margaret had died (I did find in the Mortality Schedule that she died in February of that year). Family tradition says that both Margaret and Emily were buried on the family farm.

By 1880, James had married and was listed with his wife; Henry and Jemima were listed with George and Will, their third son. Edward had remarried a Martha Haggard (a relative of James wife?) and had four children. I have found no trace of them anywhere.

An affidavit attached to a land record in 1904 states that in 1882 Edward left his family and returned to England, dying there in 1889. I have yet to verify that.

Besides the Census, I have included copies of obituaries (not every statement in obits. is accurate), and pictures, plus computer printouts of descendants. I would appreciate corrections, additions, suggestions, help in research, etc.
　
Verla A. Williams
4333 Pine Ridge Trail NE
Iowa City, IA 52240

UPDATE (31 Jan 2020): I received Edward BLAKEY's death certificate in the mail yesterday. The affidavit was incorrect. Edward died on 14 Nov 1886. He was living on the same street in Bradford as his daughter, Eliza, and her husband, William Hanson. The informant on the certificate was their daughter Harriet (Hanson) Littleson. 

Ancestors of Henry BLAKEY

For many years we were unable to discover any of the BLAKEY ancestors prior to Edward BLAKEY, who came to America with his wife Margaret, son Henry (my maternal 2x great grandfather), and family. Without realizing it at the time, the key to unlocking this information was in the 1860 US Census where the family's surname was listed as "BLAKOW" (pronounced BLAY-koh).

Searches in the Ancestry.com database provided census material in Yorkshire for 1841 and 1851. Along with other documents and records, we were slowly able to piece together the most probable ancestry of Henry Blakey back several generations more than previously had been known. Below is a chart tracing Henry's ancestry back six generations. The records use several variant spellings of "BLAKOW" including: BLACKO, BLACKOE, BLACKOW, BLACOE, BLACOW, and BLAIKOE. For convenience, and because it seems to have been one of the most common spellings, we have decided to adopt "BLACKOW" for all of Edward's paternal ancestors.


Henry BLAKEY pedigree chart. Image courtesy of Williams Family Pages.

Edward BLACKOW (1804-1886) Baptism and Marriage

The 1860 and 1870 US Censuses suggest a date of ca. 1804/5 for the birth of Henry BLAKEY's father, Edward. The 1860 Census also lists the family surname as "BLAKOW." As it so happens, Ancestry.com has a record for the baptism of an Edward BLAKOE (son of Ricd. and Peggy BLAKOE) on 20 Aug 1804 at the St. Mary and St. James Church (Roman Catholic) in Scorton, Lancashire, England.


St. Mary and St. James Church, Scorton, Lancashire, England (Dedicated 1861). Image courtesy of Ministry of Information Blog

How did we get from Bradford in Yorkshire county over to neighboring Lancashire county? For the answer to that we'll need to wait until we take a look at the 1841 and 1851 UK Censuses.

First though, let's recognize that currently we don't have any additional intervening records until Edward gets married. We've known for some time from the US Censuses that he married a woman named Margaret who was born ca. 1800/1 and died in Feb 1870. A search on Ancestry.com provides only two probable candidates for Edward's wife: (1) Margaret Sutton, who married an Edward BLACKOW on 26 Apr 1834 at St. Mary's, Lancaster, in Lancashire; and (2) Margaret Kellam, who married an Edward BLACOW on 11 Jun 1829 at St. Mary, St. Denys and St. George, in Manchester, Lancashire. Their marriage records are provided below.


Marriage record. Edward BLACKOW and Margaret Sutton (26 Apr 1834). Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.


Marriage record. Edward BLACOW and Margarett Kellem (11 Jun 1829). Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.


Marriage record (Bishop's transcript). Eduard BLACOW and Margarett Kellem (11 Jun 1829). Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

It is interesting to note that on the BLACOW/Kellem documents, Edward's occupation is listed as a Wool Comber. Keep this in mind as it will come up again in future records. It is also worthy of note that one of the witnesses is Thomas BLACKOW/BLACOW and Edward had an older brother named Thomas.

We will soon see in the 1841 and 1851 UK Censuses that Edward and Margaret had three children: Henry (b. 15 Apr 1829), Eliza (b. 18 Oct 1832), and James (b. 10 Nov 1834). It would have been more unusual for Edward to have married Margaret Sutton in 1834 about five years after Henry's birth and one and a half years after Eliza's birth, than to have married Margaret Kellam about two months after Henry's birth.

Further evidence supporting Margaret Kellam as Edward's wife is found in Eliza's and James' baptismal records. Though unfortunately Eliza's lists her mother as Margaret BLACKOW, it also lists a Martha Kellam as her godmother.


Baptismal record. Eliza BLACKOW (23 Dec 1832). Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

James' baptismal record is a little more direct. Even though Ancestry.com's editor transcribed the mother of James BLAKER as Margaret Helleson, when I first examined the record her maiden name jumped out to me as Margaret Kellum. Every other capital "H" on the page has a strong horizontal cross stroke that extends beyond the vertical strokes. Hers does not.


Baptismal record. James BLAKER [sic] (7 Dec 1834). Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

1841 England Census: Edward BLACKOW Family

In 1841, Edward BLACKOW and his family were living in District 6 of Northowram township (approximately five miles SW of Bradford), in the borough of Halifax in Yorkshire county. The map below shows the location of Gordon Street in Northowram.


Detail of Northowram, Halifax, Yorkshire, England. Image courtesy of Google Maps.


Detail of 1841 UK Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Edward Blackow / 35 / Wool C / no
Margret Do / 35 / no
Henery Do / 10 / y
James Do / 6 / y

Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 1303; Book: 2; Civil Parish: Halifax; County: Yorkshire; Enumeration District: 6; Folio: 47; Page: 13; Lines: 7-10; GSU roll: 464263.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1841 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010.

The "Do" is an abbreviation for "ditto." It is also interesting to note their ages. In 1841, Edward was 37 and Margaret was 39. The census lists them both as 35. But according to Ancestry.com, the ages of "people over 15 years old were usually rounded down to the nearest 5 years."

As mentioned in a previous post, Edward was a wool comber, which is corroborated here. Also notable is that both Edward and Margaret were not born in Yorkshire.

Finally we see that their daughter, Eliza, is not with her family. However, we do find her a few pages later listed with the James and Sarrah Taylor family. Their connection to the BLACKOWs is not known at this time. According to Ancestry.com:

The 1841 Census for England was taken on the night of 6 June 1841. All responses were to reflect the individual's status as of 6 June 1841 for all individuals who had spent the night in the house. People who were traveling or living abroad were enumerated at the location where they spent the night on census night.

Detail of 1841 UK Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 1303; Book: 2; Civil Parish: Halifax; County: Yorkshire; Enumeration District: 6; Folio: 49; Page: 17; Line: 14; GSU roll: 464263.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1841 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010.

1851 England Census: Edward BLACKOW Family

In 1851 Edward BLACKOW and his family were still living in Northowram, Halifax, Yorkshire, but in Charles Town. This time Edward and Margaret's ages are what we would expect, and in addition to Edward working as a wool comber, so are sons Henry and James. Here we also see that both Edward and Margaret were born in Lancashire county.


Detail of 1851 England Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.


Detail of 1851 England Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

108 / do / Edwd Blackow / Head / Mar. / 47 / Woolcomber / Lancashire
108 / Charles Town / Margret Blackow / Wife / Mar. / 49 / Lancashire
do / Hy do / Son / U / 20 / Woolcomber / Yorkshire
do / Eliza do / Dau / U / 18 / Weaver / do
do / James do / Son / U / 16 / Woolcomber / do

Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 2302; Folio: 49; Pages: 28-29; GSU roll: 87511-87512.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1851 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

Henry BLAKEY Descendants Diagram

Henry BLAKEY Descendants Diagram. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Family Group Sheet for Henry BLAKEY (1829-1904)

Husband: Henry BLAKEY

Born: 15 Apr 1829
Place: Bradford, York, England
Died: 18 Dec 1904
Place: Jackson, MN
Husband's Father: Edward BLAKEY
Husband's Mother: Margaret KELLAM

Wife 1: Mary Ann WIGNEY

Baptized: 6 Jan 1833
Place: Halifax, Yorkshire, England
Married: 4 Jun 1854
Place: Elland, Yorkshire, England
Died: Abt 1855
Wife's Father: William WIGNEY
Wife's Mother: Hannah HITCHEN

Wife 2: Jemima THORP

Born: 9 May 1829
Place: Bradford, Yorkshire, England
Married: 23 Sep 1855 Place:
Died: 27 Jul 1905
Place: Jackson MN
Wife's Father: Thomas/George THORP
Wife’s Mother: Unknown

---

Children

1. James Edward BLAKEY

Born: 20 Sep 1856
Place: Rastrick, Yorks, England
Spouse: Rosanna HAGGARD
Married: 24 Mar 1878
Died: 28 Mar 1928

2. Emily BLAKEY

Born: Feb 1860
Place: Portage Co., WI
Died: c. 1867

3. George Edward BLAKEY

Born: 17 Feb 1863
Place: Hayward? WI
Spouse: Lottie KEPHART
Married: 21 Nov 1894
Died: 8 Dec 1945

4. William Henry BLAKEY

Born: 8 Sep 1870
Place: Jackson, MN
Spouse: Cora RIDGEWAY
Married: 25 Dec 1900
Died: 26 Jun 1946

Henry and Jemima (Thorp) BLAKEY

 
Henry and Jemima (Thorp) BLAKEY (Jackson, MN: A. C. Roberts, c. 1894). Image courtesy of Verla Williams.

The information on the reverse side indicates that the photo at one time had belonged to George Blakey, their son. It also appears as if this same image was used for the separate pall photos of Henry and Jemima.

Marriage Certificate: Henry BLAKEY and Jemima THORP (23 Sep 1855)

Marriage Certificate. Henry BLAKEY and Jemima THORP (23 Sep 1855). Image courtesy of Verla Williams.

CERTIFIED COPY OF AN ENTRY OF MARRIAGE GIVEN AT THE GENERAL REGISTER OFFICE, LONDON
Application Number S106A

1855. Marriage solemnized at ___ in the Parish of Halifax in the County of York

No. 26
When Married: Sep 23
Name and Surname: Henry Blakey - Jemima Thorp
Age: 25 - 25
Condition: Widower - Spinster
Rank or Profession: Silk dresser -
Residence at the time of Marriage: Brighouse - Brighouse
Father's Name and Surname: Edward Blakey - Thomas Thorp
Rank or Profession of Father: Comber - Weaver

Married in the Parish Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church , by _____or after Barrow? by me, J.? R. Farris.

This Marriage was solemnized between us, Henry Blakey, Jemima Thorpe + her mark in the Presence of us, John Gregson, John Thomas.

Certified to be a true copy of an entry in the certified copy of a register of Marriages in the Registration District of Halifax, Given at the General Register Office, London, under the Seal of the said Office, the 13th day of July, 1984.


The Parish Church in the parish of Halifax is Halifax Minster dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It was here that Henry Blakey and Jemima Thorp were married.


Halifax Minster, Halifax, Yorkshire, England. Image courtesy of AboutBritain.com.

1860 US Federal Census

Detail from 1860 US Federal Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Edward Blakow 56 M
Margaret Blakow 59 F
Henry Blakow 30 M
Jemima Blakow 30 F
James E. Blakow 3 M
Emily Blakow 4/12 F

Source Citation: Year: 1860; Census Place: Almond, Portage, Wisconsin; Roll M653_1426; Page: 191; Image: 192.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Eighth Census of the United States, 1860. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1860. M653, 1,438 rolls.

1870 US Federal Census

Detail from 1870 US Federal Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Blakey, Henry 40 M
Blakey, Jemima 40 F
Blakey, James 13 M
Blakey, George 7 M

Blakey, Edward 65 M

Source Citation: Year: 1870; Census Place: Des Moines, Jackson, Minnesota; Roll M593_6; Page: 105; Image: 448.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003. Original data: 1870. United States. Ninth Census of the United States, 1870. Washington, D.C. National Archives and Records Administration. M593, RG29, 1,761 rolls. Minnesota. Minnesota Census Schedules for 1870. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. T132, RG29, 13 rolls.

Some of the Men Who Toiled Early and Late to Build Jackson

"Some of the Men Who Toiled Early and Late to Build Jackson," (Newspaper and date unknown). Image courtesy of Verla Williams.

Update (3 Nov 2009): I received from Linda Doepel a much higher quality scan of this image which I reproduce below. She found it in a book called An Illustrated History of Jackson County.


Pioneers. Illustration from Arthur P. Rose, An Illustrated History of Jackson County, Minnesota (Jackson, MN: Northern History Publishing Co., 1910), p. 147. Image courtesy of Linda Doepel.

Rose (1910, 119) also mentions Henry Blakey and his father Edward as some of the early settlers of Des Moines Township:

Jackson township (renamed Des Moines by act of the board of county commissioners May 16, 1866) had the other townships of the tier attached to it at the time of organization, as well as the tier north of it. It lost the northern tier early in 1867 by the organization of Belmont township, Wisconsin in 1869, and the townships to the west in 1872. Following are the early settlers of Des Moines who received titles from the government and the years the patents were issued:

. . . 1873, Milton Mason (4), Martin L. Bromaghim (12), Alpheus C. Marshall (12), Welch Ashley (12), Hans Chesterson (15), Stanton F. Stone (18), Hiram II. Stone (18), Emmet Miner (20-21), Joseph E. Fields (26-27), Horace L. Trumbull (27), Levi Bennett. Jr. (28), Henry Blakey (28), Edward J. Orr (29), Jesse E. Prescott (30), Orson Cook (30), Michael Smith (30), William R. Maddock (33), Edward Davies (34); 1874, Hans Stall (2), Hans Hanson (2), Erick Christianson (2), Edward Blakey (27-28); . . .

1875 MN State Census: Edward and Henry BLAKEY's Families

Detail from 1875 MN State Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Edward Blakey 70 M
Martha Blakey 37 F
Martha E. Blakey 2 F
Ernest E. Blakey 0 M

Henry Blakey 46 M
Jemima Blakey 46 F
James Blakey 18 M
George E. Blakey 11 M
Wm H. Blakey 5 M

Source Information: Ancestry.com. Minnesota Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Minnesota Historical Society. Minnesota State Population Census Schedules, 1865-1905. St. Paul, MN, USA: Minnesota Historical Society, 1977. Microfilm. Reels 1-47 and 107-164.

Minnesota. Minnesota Territorial Census Schedules, 1849-1855. St. Paul, MN, USA: Minnesota Historical Society, 2000. Microfilm.

Minnesota. Minnesota 1857 Territorial Census. Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, MN, USA.

1880 US Federal Census: Edward and Henry BLAKEY's Families

Detail from 1880 US Federal Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Blakey, Edward 75 M
Blakey, Martha 42 F
Blakey, Martha E. 7 F
Blakey, Ernest E. 5 M
Blakey, Alma J. 3 F
Blakey, Albert H. 1 M

Blakey, Henry 52 M
Blakey, Jemima 52 F
Blakey, George E. 17 M
Blakey, Wm. H. 9 M

Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: Des Moines, Jackson, Minnesota; Roll T9_624; Family History Film: 1254624; Page: 511.3000; Enumeration District: 122; Image: 0265.

Source Information: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. All use is subject to the limited use license and other terms and conditions applicable to this site. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1880. T9, 1,454 rolls.

1885 MN State Census: Henry BLAKEY's Family

Detail of 1885 MN State Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Henry Blakey 54 M
Jemima Blakey 53 F
George Blakey 22 M
Willie H. Blakey 14 M

Source Information: Ancestry.com. Minnesota Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Minnesota Historical Society. Minnesota State Population Census Schedules, 1865-1905. St. Paul, MN, USA: Minnesota Historical Society, 1977. Microfilm. Reels 1-47 and 107-164.

Minnesota. Minnesota Territorial Census Schedules, 1849-1855. St. Paul, MN, USA: Minnesota Historical Society, 2000. Microfilm.

Minnesota. Minnesota 1857 Territorial Census. Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, MN, USA.

1895 MN State Census: Henry and Jemima BLAKEY

Detail of 1895 MN State Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Blakey, Henry 64 M
Blakey, Jemima 65 F

Source Information: Ancestry.com. Minnesota Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Minnesota Historical Society. Minnesota State Population Census Schedules, 1865-1905. St. Paul, MN, USA: Minnesota Historical Society, 1977. Microfilm. Reels 1-47 and 107-164.

Minnesota. Minnesota Territorial Census Schedules, 1849-1855. St. Paul, MN, USA: Minnesota Historical Society, 2000. Microfilm.

Minnesota. Minnesota 1857 Territorial Census. Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, MN, USA.

1900 US Federal Census: Henry and Jemima BLAKEY

Detail of 1900 US Federal Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Blakey, Henry 71 M
Blakey, Jemima 72 F

Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Jackson, Jackson, Minnesota; Roll T623_771; Page: 17B; Enumeration District: 111.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.

Affidavit of Henry and "Sarah" BLAKEY (22 Oct 1904)

Affidavit of Henry and "Sarah" BLAKEY (Jackson Co., MN: 22 Oct 1904). Image courtesy of Verla Williams.

State of Minnesota
SS.
County of Jackson

Before me, A. W. Quinn, a notary public in and for the County of Jackson, State of Minnesota, personally appeared Henry Blakey and Sarah Blakey, both of Jackson County, Minnesota, who, being by me duly sworn according to law, deposes and says that they and each of them are personally acquainted, and have been for the past thirty years, with Martha Blakey; that they and each of them were during his life time personally acquainted with Edward Blakey and that the said Edward Blakey and Martha Blakey were husband and wife and that they were married in 1874 and lived together as husband and wife for seven years thereafter, and that they then parted and have never lived together since; that the said Edward blakey [sic] went to England in 1882 and lived there until 1889 when he died and that the said Martha Blakey is still living.

Partners A. W. Quinn Henry Blakey
H. H. Berge Sarah her x mark Blakey

Subscribed and sworn to before me this the 22nd day October, 1904.

A. W. Quinn
Notary public
Jackson County, Minnesota

Death of Henry BLAKEY (18 Dec 1904)

Obituary. Henry BLAKEY (18 Dec 1904). Jackson Republic, Jackson, MN.

Death of Henry Blakey

Henry Blakey, one of the early pioneers of Jackson county, died at his home in this city last Sunday morning at four o'clock, after an illness of several weeks. The funeral was held from the residence on Monday, Rev. Wilkinson, pastor of the M. E. church, conducting the services.

Henry Blakey was born at Bradford, England, April 15, 1829, and at the time of his death was 75 years, 8 months and 4 days old. He came to this country in 1856, settling in Wisconsin where he remained for a year, when he moved to Jackson county where he has resided ever since.

He leaves a wife and three sons, James the eldest, of Hayward, Wisconsin, and George and William of this city.

Mr. Blakey was a quiet, unassuming gentleman, and was highly esteemed by all who knew him. On the 24th of September, three months ago, Mr. and Mrs. Blakey were tendered a public reception at the Presbyterian church parlors, the occasion being their golden wedding, the fiftieth anniversary of their married life.

Mr. Blakey was a continuous subscriber of the JACKSON REPUBLIC from its first issue, over thirty-five years ago to the day of his death. Upon looking up his account on the subscription books it was discovered that his subscription was paid to Dec. 18th, 1904, the very day upon which he died.

Henry BLAKEY Pall

Pall. Henry BLAKEY (Jackson, MN: Anderson, c. 1904). Image courtesy of Verla Williams.