Preserving the Ha(y)worth Family History for Future Generations, Part 1

In the summer of 1699, a young man from Gambleside, Lancashire, England, decided to leave his home and take the very long voyage across the ocean to America. Little did he know, when he made this fateful journey that his family, for many generations, would work diligently to preserve his story. I am so thankful that they did, because it has given me the opportunity to get to know this man, who is my 7th Great Grandfather, George "the Emigrant" Haworth.

George's home, Gambleside, was just a blip on a map back in the time he lived there and is now nothing but ruins.  It was located near Dunnockshaw, Lancashire, and there is now a reservoir right by the site where the home had been located.  He was born in 1676 to James and Isabelle (Isabella), whose last name has not been verified.  His baptismal records, dated 10 Sept 1676, were located in Haslingden, Lancashire, down the road a bit from Gambleside. 

The pink locator button is the approximate location of the
Haworth family home, in what used to be the town of Gambleside.
Haslingden is in lower left corner. (Click to make larger)

The church where George was baptized was St. James Church, in Haslingden.  The picture below is the church today.  The original church, from George's time, fell but was rebuilt with the same stones.  According to the church website, "Disaster struck after a long period of burying within the church so that the building became unstable and eventually fell down. In fact in 1772 an entry in the register of burials reads:-

‘February 17th, Mary, daughter of Robert Ashworth of Sabden, who had her grave made near the pillar which occasioned the church to fall before she was buried.’"

St. James Parrish Church, Haslingden

George, as a young man, became a Quaker.  At this time in England, Quaker's were being persecuted for their religious beliefs.   Also, around this same time, William Penn had accepted a land grant in America, which was a debt owed to his father by King Charles II, and which would eventually become Pennsylvania.  He believed it could be a religious refuge for the Quakers, so began a quest to get many in England to move over to the New World. Side note:  George Fox, one of the founder's of the "Religious Society of Friends"  or "Quakers", wrote in his autobiography that he was imprisoned for a year in Derby Prison and when brought before an English magistrate by the name of  Gervase Bennett, told him he should "tremble at the word of the Lord."  The magistrate, after hearing this, called him a “quaker”.  (Tremble - quake.)  At first this was thought to be a derogatory name but the Quakers embraced it and today that is how most of them refer to themselves.  

So George, along with his sister Alice Kenworthy (Kencerly) and her husband John, took Penn up on his offer and headed for Pennsylvania, America in 1699.  You won't want to miss out on all the adventures that take place during this journey, so come back for the next blog and and find out the rest of the story.

Today's Terri's Tidbit:  I have found a fun little website that is a great resource for those doing genealogy and family history.  It is called Genealogy Gophers and to see what it is all about, click here.  I have already found so much fun info on this site and will be returning to it often.