{genealogy} Durham/Derham ancestry part 3 - HENRY DERHAM (B. 1816)

Henry Derham (b. 1816)

Heather’s 3rd great grandfather

When Henry Derham was baptized on March 3, 1816, in Somerset, England, his father, William, was 48 and his mother, Elizabeth, was 43. He married Martha Jewell on May 21, 1835, in Bickenhall, Somerset, England. He arrived in the United States in 1847. They had six children in 11 years. He died on September 7, 1893, having lived a long life of 77 years, and was buried in Shiawassee, Michigan.

A baptismal record does exist, that shows his parents’ names and William and Betty Derham, his baptism date of 3 March 1816, in North Curry, Somerset County, England. This is all I have to go on regarding his parents, but the birth year and place are correct for him according to his son Alfred’s biography, so I am proceeding assuming that the baptism record is for our Henry.

Henry’s sister Ann was baptized the same day. A twin?

His father died when he was 3 years old, and his mother died when he was 12. I am not sure who raised him after that.

He married Martha Jewell in Bickenhall, Somerset County, England on 21 May 1835. I wrote much about Henry and Martha in Martha’s biography, so see her entry for more on the life of Henry.

Martha died in 1868. According to their son Alfred’s biography, Henry re-married 2 years later, a “Mrs. Marm”, whose first name was Lydia. I have not learned Lydia’s maiden name. Lydia died 18 Apr 1888.

Henry then married a 3^rd time, to Mary A. Weigle, who had previously been married to a Mr. Baker. I found this marriage return where he did indicate it was his 3^rd marriage. They were married 7 Nov 1888. Henry gives his mother’s name as “Elizabeth Jewell”. He seems to confuse his first wife’s maiden name with his mother’s maiden name. His mother is actually Elizabeth Bowyer...we think.

According to his gravestone, Henry died on 7 September 1893, and was buried in Wilkinson Cemetery in Shiawassee County, Michigan. He is buried next to his first wife Martha.