The Ancestry of John Atkinson

THE ANCESTRY OF JOHN ATKINSON

John Atkinson (1856-1912) of Wortley and Holbeck was the first husband of Sarah Jane Greenwood. He is recorded as the father on the birth certificate of Sarah Jane’s daughter Nellie, my great-grandmother, who was born in 1885.

John and Sarah Jane separated within a few years of Nellie’s birth, probably between 1887 (when John Atkinson was the informant for the birth of a child recorded as his and Sarah Jane’s) and 1891 (when the census returns show Sarah Jane as a visitor in the household of her brother Albert Greenwood), and definitely by 1894 (when Sarah Jane, then “of no occupation”, gave birth to a daughter Gladys Williamson). Thereafter, Sarah lived with Edward Williamson as his wife although they were not married until shortly after John died in 1912.

DNA test results eliminate any reasonable possibility that John Atkinson was Nellie’s biological father and they give some support to her true father being Edward Williamson. Indeed, Nellie is shown as a daughter of Edward Williamson in the 1901 census returns for Armley, and the will of Edward Williamson describes Nellie as his daughter. I thank John Kitchen for sharing DNA test information which helped to establish the identity of Nellie’s father.

Having carried out a significant amount of research on the ancestry of John Atkinson, I retain the results here for those who may be interested in these families.

I welcome comments on this page. My e-mail address is on my home page.

Edward J. Davies

Detailed accounts of families ancestral to John Atkinson:

Atkinson of Gildersome and Wortley, Yorkshire

Dalmer of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, and Leeds, Yorkshire
Dickinson of Holbeck, Yorkshire

Gilpin of Gildersome, Yorkshire
Hooper of Trowbridge, Wiltshire
Newsome of Gildersome, Yorkshire

Stephenson of Gildersome, Yorkshire

Ancestor Table

1 John Atkinson of 13 Ellis Row, Wortley, Yorkshire, teasel setter

b 22 Jan 1856, Crosland Street, Holbeck

d 13 Oct 1912, 9 Wortley Lane, New Wortley

m 8 Jul 1877, Hunslet Moor, Sarah Jane Greenwood (see here)

Parents

2 Samuel Atkinson of 4 Ellis Buildings, New Wortley, handle setter

b 18 Jul 1832, Gildersome

d 23 Apr 1891, 2 Blackburn Yard, Holbeck

m 10 Feb 1855, St Peter, Leeds

3 Elizabeth Dickinson, cloth dresser

b ca 1835, Leeds

d 10 May 1896, Blackburn Yard, Holbeck

Grandparents

4 Randall Atkinson of Gildersome, of Lee County, Illinois, and of Primitive Street, Leeds, teasel setter and handle setter

b ca 1805, Gildersome

d 28 Mar 1894, 10 Primitive Street, Leeds

m 25 Feb 1827, St Peter, Leeds

5 Grace Stephenson, mangle woman

b 14 Jun 1805, Gildersome

d 6 Nov 1862, Kilburn Street, New Wortley

6 John Dickinson of Leylands, Leeds and Whitehall Road, Wortley, woollen cloth dresser

b ca 1812, Leeds

d 21 Mar 1873, Braithwaite Street, Holbeck

m 28 Jul 1832, St Peter, Leeds

7 Mary Ann Dalmer, grocer’s shopkeeper

bap 2 Aug 1812, Trowbridge, Wiltshire

d 30 Oct 1887, 4 Braithwaite Street, Holbeck

Great-grandparents

8 William Atkinson of Gildersome, engineman

b ca 1773, Gildersome

d 26 Nov 1852, Town Gate, Gildersome

m 28 Mar 1802, Bradford

9 Susannah Ball

bap 2 Nov 1777, Birstall

d 4 Jun 1843, Cherry Street, Leeds

10 Matthew Stephenson of Gildersome, clothier

bap 26 Mar 1769, Batley

d 19 Mar 1845, Gildersome

m 18 Aug 1791, Batley

11 Sarah Newsome

b 12 Sep 1770, Gildersome

d 9 Dec 1864, Gildersome

12-13 Unknown

14 Richard Dalmer of 23 New Park Street, Leeds, clothier, commission agent and grocer

bap 11 Jan 1790, Holt, Wiltshire

d 20 Jun 1872, 1 West Street, Leeds

m 19 May 1812, Trowbridge

15 Elizabeth Hooper

bap 18 Mar 1795, Trowbridge

d 12 Oct 1853, 23 New Park Street, Leeds

Great-great-grandparents

16-17 Unknown

18 Randalph Ball of Birstall

bap 8 May 1737, Birstall

bur 27 May 1801, Birstall

m 27 Feb 1774, Birstall

19 Ann Hemmingway

b ca 1748

bur 5 Sep 1830, Birstall

20 John Stephenson of Gildersome, clothier

bap 18 Feb 1738/39, Batley

m 7 Jan 1759, Batley

21 Mary Gilpin

22 James Newsome of Gildersome, clothier

m 16 May 1770, Batley

23 Susanna Benn

24-27 Unknown
28 Richard Dalmer, weaver

m 2 Jan 1789, Hilperton, Wiltshire

29 Sarah Davis

30 Thomas Hooper of Trowbridge, cloth dresser

m 18 Feb 1792, Trowbridge

31 Ann May

bap 27 Apr 1760, Semington, Wiltshire

bur 13 Oct 1815, Trowbridge

Great-great-great-grandparents

32-35 Unknown

36 Randalph Ball of Birkenshaw, clothier

bap 19 Aug 1708, Birstall

bur 2 Oct 1769, Birstall

m 25 Jun 1732, Tong

37 Hannah Crosley

bur 1 Nov 1783, Birstall

38-39 Unknown

40 Matthew Stephenson of Gildersome, tailor

bur 18 Feb 1769, Batley

m 29 Mar 1725, Batley

41 Hannah Hutchinson

bur 1 Nov 1783, Birstall

42 George Gilpin of Gildersome, clothier

bap 28 Sep 1712, Batley

bur 23 Mar 1800, Gildersome

m 22 Apr 1734, Batley

43 Mary Brogden

44-61 Unknown

62 Francis May

m 3 Jun 1740, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire

63 Sarah Brownjohn

bap 20 Jul 1718, Steeple Ashton, Wiltshire

Great-great-great-great-grandparents

64-71 Unknown

72 Joseph Ball of Great Gomersal, Yorkshire

bap 7 Apr 1667, Birstall

bur 19 Apr 1728, Birstall

73-83 Unknown

84 Samuel Gilpin of Gildersome, labourer

bur 4 Jul 1761, Batley

85 (prob) Sarah

bur 25 Apr 1750, Batley

86-125 Unknown

126 Charles Brownjohn

m 23 Apr 1717, Semington

127 Sarah Simbes

Seventh Generation

128-143 Unknown

144 William Ball of Great Gomersal

bap 13 Feb 1641/42, Birstall

bur 24 Mar 1723/24, Birstall

m 28 Aug 1666, Halifax

145 Mary Crowther

bur 19 Mar 1713/14, Birstall

146-255 Unknown

Eighth Generation

256-287 Unknown

288 Randall Ball of Great Gomersal

bap 14 Feb 1599/1600, Birstall

bur 2 Mar 1665/66, Birstall

m 10 Feb 1638/39, Birstall

289 Susannah Birkhead

bap 11 Jan 1606/07, Birstall

bur 31 Aug 1643, Birstall

290-511 Unknown

Ninth Generation

512-575 Unknown

576 William Ball of Gomersal

bur 2 Mar 1601/02, Birstall

m 25 Feb 1594/95, Birstall

577 Isabel Tetlow

bap 29 Feb 1567/68, Birstall

bur 4 Apr 1623, Birstall

578 John Birkhead of Birstall

m 26 Jun 1604, Birstall

579 Isabel Taylor

580-1023 Unknown

Tenth Generation

1024-1153 Unknown

1154 George Tetlow of Gomersal

bur 4 Jun 1616, Birstall

m 31 Aug 1563, Birstall

1155 Joan Nettleton

bur 8 Jan 1614/15, Birstall

1156-2047 Unknown