William HUNSLEY

Bef 1814 - 1861  (46 years)

• Name	William HUNSLEY
  Birth	Bef 16 Oct 1814	Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lincolnshire
  Christening	16 Oct 1814	Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lincolnshire   [1]
  Gender	Male
  _UID	387636D0FE844BD39A5E4B97E1C40C44231E
  Death	15 Aug 1861	Sangamon County, Illinois, USA   [2]
  Burial	Mechanicsburg Cemetery, Sangamon County, Illinois, USA   [2]
  Notes	Stephen Hunsley in his work on the Hunsley family has William as the son of Stephen Hunsley and Mary Lawman but gives his name as John William Hunsley and birth as 21 Dec 1817 in Scotter, Lincs. However, I think this is wrong: a John Hunsley was certainly baptised in Scotter on 21 Dec 1817, son of Stephen and Mary Hunsley, but he died within a few days and was buried on 1 Jan 1818. There is no real doubt that William was just William, not John William, as explained below. There is conflicting evidence of when William was born. When he married in 1840 his age was entered in the marriage register as 24. In the 1841 census of Ulceby, Lincs, his age was entered as 25 (but adults were only required to state their age within 5 years). In the 1860 census of District 16, Sangamon County, Illinois William's age was entered as 45. I have examined the relevant baptismal registers of Kirton-in-Lindsey and Scotter and there is no William Hunsley baptism between 1815 and 1817. There was however a William, son of Stephen and Mary Hunsley, baptised in Kirton-in-Lindsey on 16 October 1814 and I think this was probably this William. William's sisters Sarah and Elizabeth was also apparently baptised in Kirton. The only real evidence, which is by no means conclusive, that William was the son of Stephen Hunsley and Mary Lawman is that he gave his father's name as Stephen when he married in 1840. I can't find any other Stephen Hunsley in the area round Scotter who might have been William's father, but it's possible that this Stephen Hunsley was from an altogether different part of Lincolnshire. I say this because William was married in Kirmington, which is about 20 miles from Scotter and at the time, he was from nearby Ulceby. Ulceby was where William and his wife and daughter were counted in the 1841 census. Despite all these uncertainties, and until further evidence comes to light, William Hunsley appears here as Stephen and Mary Hunsley's son. William, Jane and their first child emigrated to America. Stephen Husley has them leaving England on the 'St George' on 1 June 1850 and arriving in the US on 4 July 1850. I haven't seen the evidence for this. Only two census records have been found featuring William: 1841 UK census (indexed as HAMLOW by Ancestry: in Northfield, Ulceby, Lincs (all recorded as HUNSLOW), William (25, ag lab), Jane (26) and Ann (16 weeks). All born in Lincs. 1860 US Federal Census: in District 16, Sangamon County, Illinois (all Hunsley), W (45, farmer), Jane (43), Anna (19), Thomas (18), Steven (sic) (15), Barker (12), Sarah (5), Jane (10), Charles (2) and Rebecca (5 months). Everyone is shown as born England but in fact Sarah, Jane, Charles and Rebecca were born in America. William died on 15 Aug 1861 in Sangamon County. A record at findagrave.com indicates that he was buried in Mechanicsburg Cemetery, Sangamon Co. and says "It is reported by family that a road was built over his gravesite". William's widow married again in 1866 to William B FRANKLIN and appeared in the 1870 US Census - see Jane's Notes.
  Person ID	I655	Hunsley
  Last Modified	14 Apr 2021

  
  

  Father	Stephen HUNSLEY,   b. Abt 1790, Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lincolnshire d. Bef 8 May 1869, Scotter, Lincolnshire (Age 79 years)
  Mother	Mary LAWMAN,   b. Bef 3 Sep 1792, Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lincolnshire d. Bef 1 Nov 1860, Scotter, Lincolnshire (Age 68 years)
  Marriage	12 Dec 1811	Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lincolnshire   [3, 4]
  	Married by banns. Stephen Hunsley of this parish and Mary Lawman of this parish. He signed, she marked. Witnesses John Lawman and Robert Holliday.
  Family ID	F197	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Jane BARKER,   b. Feb 1818, Kirmington, Lincs d. 19 May 1880, Buckhart, Christian County, Illinois, USA (Age 62 years)
  Marriage	14 May 1840	St Helena, Kirmington, Lincolnshire   [5, 6]
  	Details from FreeREG.org.uk: William Hunsley, 24, bachelor servant of Ulceby. Jane Barker, 22, spinster servant of Kirmington. Groom's father Stephen Hunsley, labourer. Bride's father Thomas Barker, farmer. Winesses John Stoker and Mary Ann Ransom.
  Children	1. Ann HUNSLEY,   b. Mar 1841, Glanford Brigg RD d. 30 May 1890, USA (Age 49 years)   2. Thomas HUNSLEY,   b. 5 Aug 1842, Glanford Brigg RD d. 26 Apr 1933, Buckhart, Christian County, Illinois, USA (Age 90 years)   3. Stephen HUNSLEY,   b. Mar 1846, Glanford Brigg RD d. 19 Jul 1919, Clinton, Dewitt County, Illinois, USA (Age 73 years)   4. Barker HUNSLEY,   b. Bef 24 Oct 1847, Caistor RD d. 12 Oct 1919, Larned, Pawnee County, Kansas, USA (Age 71 years)   5. Jane HUNSLEY,   b. Jun 1850, Illinois, USA d. Yes, date unknown   6. Sarah HUNSLEY,   b. 10 Feb 1855, Illinois, USA d. Yes, date unknown   7. Charles Henry HUNSLEY,   b. 6 Nov 1857, Illinois, USA d. 12 Jan 1930, Buckhart, Christian County, Illinois, USA (Age 72 years)   8. Rebecca HUNSLEY,   b. Feb 1860, Illinois, USA d. 1915, Denver, Colorado, USA (Age 54 years)
  Family ID	F209	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	23 Dec 2013

  
  

• Sources

  [S27] Parish Register at lincstothepast.com, December 2013 and later, Kirton-in-Lindsey Baptisms 1813 - 1844. (Reliability: 3). [S3] findagrave.com, November 2013 and later. [S5] Stephen Hunsley, November 2013. [S27] Parish Register at lincstothepast.com, December 2013 and later, Kirton-in-Lindsey Marriage Register 1810 - 1812. (Reliability: 3). [S11] FreeREG.org.uk, Nov 2013. [S2] BMD index, Q2 1840 Glanford Brigg 14/577. (Reliability: 3).