I am descended from a certain John William Depear, who emigrated from England to the USA in the 1880s, and am having a hard time pinning down his English roots with any certainty. Here is the information I have on him so far.
CertainDeath certificate:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2MZ-WBPN (born abt. 1870)
State of Colorado, Division of Vital Statistics
County: Denver
No. 14772
Husband's Name: Depear, John W.
Wife's Name: Revels, Johanna
Place of Marriage: Denver, CO
Date: 4/26/1893 (American format, obviously)
Official who Performed Ceremony: J. H. Brinker
Title: MIN (Minister?)
Address: Denver, CO
1900 US Census
Name: William Depear
Age (inferred): 38
Birth Date: Apr 1862
Birthplace: England
Home: Chicago Ward 24, Cook, Illinois
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Johanna Depear
Marriage Year: 1893
Years Married: 7
Father's Birthplace: France
Mother's Birthplace: France
Years in US: 15
Naturalization: Na
1910 US Census
Name: William De Pear
Age: 45
Estimated Birth Year: abt. 1865
Birthplace: England
Home: Chicago Ward 20, Cook, Illinois
Spouse's Name Johanna De Pear
Father's Birthplace: France
Mother's Birthplace: Ireland
Native Tongue: English
Occupation: Proprietor
Industry: Restaurant
Naturalization Status: Naturalized
1920 US Census
Name: Wm Du Pear
Age: 50
Estimated Birth Year: abt. 1870
Birthplace: England
Home in 1920: Chicago Ward 18, Cook (Chicago), Illinois
Spouse's Name: Johanna Du Pear
Father's Birthplace: England
Mother's Birthplace: England
Occupation: Electrician
Industry: Construction
Naturalization Status: Naturalized
Candidate (John James William Depear, born 1864, Holbeach, Lincolnshire)Birth registration:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2XMZ-T2V1871 England Census
Name: William Depear
Age: 6
Estimated Birth Year: abt. 1865
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Matthew Depear (age 45)
Mother's Name: Ann Depear (age 45)
Where born: Holbeach, Lincolnshire, England
Civil parish: Holbeach
Ecclesiastical parish: All Saints
County/Island: Lincolnshire
Country: England
1881 England Census
Name: John J.W. Depear
Age: 17
Estimated Birth Year: abt. 1864
Relationship to Head: Servant
Where born: Holbeach, Lincoln, England
Civil parish: Holbeach
County/Island: Lincolnshire
Country: England
Street Address: Washway Rd
Occupation: Ag Lab
As you can see, a good deal of conflict in the data! The only thing I can be fairly sure of is that his full name was "John William Depear" (possibly with another middle name too), and that he was later known only by "William". There is also variation between "Depear" and "De Pear". Furthermore, he seems either unsure where his parents originated, or to be lying about it (they vary between France and England). Perhaps there is a French / Huguenot origin to the family, though?
Anyway, what do you think of this candidate? If it's not him, any other suggestions? It's the only reasonable one I could find up to now. (There's a John William Depear born in Greenwich, London in 1851, but this seems too early, and there's also a John William Depear born in 1870, but he died in 1904, Salford, Lancashire. So I've ruled out these two candidates on pretty clear bases.)