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My ASHWORTH ancestors were firmly established in the village/town of WHITTLESEY in Cambridgeshire for many generations, and almost all bore the middle name of SMITH.
The possible reason for this is a suspicion that the earliest known ~ JOHN SMITH ASHWORTH was possibly illegitimate, but this is unproven at this point in time.
JOHN SMITH ASHWORTH born in about 1770, married MARGARET TAYLOR on 30th October, 1798 at St. Mary's Church.
They had one known child, who was:
JOHN SMITH ASHWORTH, born 1804, married ELIZABETH ANN HAYES
on 4th November, 1828
There are 5 known children of this marriage:
1) ELIZA SMITH ASHWORTH born 1831 married JOSEPH GRAY
22nd September, 1847
2) GEORGE SMITH ASHWORTH born 1833 married MARY ANN GRAY
Rotherhithe, South London, 24th December, 1854
3) ANNE ASHWORTH born and died 1834
4) JOHN SMITH ASHWORTH born 1837
5) WILLIAM SMITH ASHWORTH born 1841
George Smith Ashworth also had 5 known children, and these were:
1) GEORGE SMITH ASHWORTH, born Whittlesey 1856
2) ELIZA SMITH ASHWORTH, born Whittlesey 1857 married
WILLIAM GARDNER 14th October, 1877, Limehouse
3) JOHN ASHWORTH born 1858 Whittlesey
4) WALTER S. (presumably SMITH) ASHWORTH, born Whittlesey
1861
5) JOSEPHINE ASHWORTH born 1871, St. George's Middlesex
If anyone else out there is tracing this family I would love to hear from them.
Diana in Tropical Far North Queensland, Australia
