William Ford (businessman)
William Ford | |
---|---|
Born |
December 10, 1826 Ballinascarthy, County Cork, Ireland |
Died |
March 8, 1905 (aged 78) Sacramento, California, US |
Nationality | Irish-American |
Other names |
William "Bill" Ford Billy Ford Bill Ford |
Occupation | Business |
Spouse(s) | Mary Litogot Ford |
Children |
Henry Ford John Ford Margaret Ford Jane Ford William Ford, Jr. Robert Ford |
William Ford (December 10, 1826 – March 8, 1905) was an Irish-Canadian-American businessman and was the father of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford.
Life and career
William was born in Ballinascarthy near Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland and was the son of Thomasine (née Smith) and Jonathan "John" Ford.[1] Ford's ancestors were originally from Somerset, England,[2] and migrated to Ireland as the English created plantations. Ford was an Anglican and attended a local Episcopal Church. The surname Ford is an English surname that dates back to Anglo-Saxon England,[3] although the surname "Forde" is sometimes found in Ireland as an Anglicised version of a number of indigenous Gaelic names.[4] Another Irish surname anglicised Ford is Ó Fuartháin, a name meaning "descendant of Fuarthán". The personal name Fuartháin, derived from the Irish fuar ("cold"), was once taken to represent the Irish fuarathán ("cold little ford"), which led the name to be erroneously translated "ford". The former two Irish surnames were borne by septs centred in the province of Connacht, whilst the latter was borne by a sept centred in County Cork (in the province of Munster).[5]
William attended St. Joseph's High School, had six siblings, and emigrated to the United States in 1846.[6]
On April 21, 1861, William married Mary Litogot in Wayne County, Michigan, daughter of Belgian immigrants. He and Mary had eight children, six of whom survived into adulthood. They moved to Detroit, Michigan.
William retired in 1879. He died of natural causes on March 8, 1905 in his home and was buried in the Ford Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan, USA, Plot: St. Martha's Episcopal Church yard.
Family
William married Belgian-American Mary Litogot
, together they had six children:
Name | Birth/Death | Information |
---|---|---|
Henry Ford | 1863–1947 | Henry was the first child of William and Mary Ford. He is the founder of the Ford Motor Company |
John Robert Ford | 1865–1927 | John was the second child of William and Mary Ford. |
Margaret Ford | 1867–1960 | Margaret was the third child of William and Mary Ford. |
Jane Ford | 1869–1906 | Jane was the fourth child of William and Mary Ford. |
William Ford, Jr. | 1871–1959 | William was the fifth child of William and Mary Ford. |
Robert Ford | 1873–1934 | Robert was the sixth and last child of William and Mary Ford |
William had 6 siblings — 4 sisters, and 2 brothers:
Name | Birth/Death |
---|---|
Rebecca Ford | 1824–1895 |
Jane Ford | 1829–1851 |
Mary Ford | ca. 1832–1882 |
Nancy Ford | 1834–1920 |
Henry Ford | 1840–1901 |
Samuel Ford | 1837–1889 |
See also
References
- ↑ "Ford Family Tree". Answers.com. Retrieved 2000-03-28. Check date values in:
|access-date=
(help) - ↑ "The history of Ford in Ireland Family Crest and Name History".
- ↑ "Ford Family Crest and Name History".
- ↑ MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families, Dublin, 1980 http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=History&Surname=ford&UserID=
- ↑ Grehan 1997 pp. 124–125; O'Laughlin 1992 p. 114; The Great Families of Ireland p. 145; MacLysaght 1972 pp. 150–151
- ↑ United States Census, 1900, Detroit city, Wayne, Michigan, page 6A