Ancestry of Alfred North Whitehead

1 Alfred North Whitehead; Author

Alfred North Whitehead was born in 1861 at Ramsgate, co Kent; the youngest of the four children of Alfred Whitehead and his wife Sarah Buckmaster. On 16 Dec 1890 at St Jude's, South Kensington, London, he married Evelyn Ada M R Willoughby-Wade, his brother Rev. Henry Whitehead officiating. (Evelyn appears under both Wade and Willoughby-Wade in the marriage index. In the marriage allegation she is called "Evelyn Ada Maud Rice Willoughby-Wade", which also tells us that she was then of the parish of St Peter on the Isle of Thanet, co Kent.) Evelyn had been born in Harfleur, Normandy, the youngest daughter of Arthur Robert "A R" Willoughby-Wade, Captain of the 72nd Highlanders. They had four children all born at Cambridge: Thomas North born 1891, Jessie Maria born 1893, an unnamed son who died at birth, and Eric Alfred born 1898 who was shot down March 1918 in World War I.

They lived at Cambridge in England for twenty years, part of this time living in the Mill House at Grantchester. They moved to London in 1910 and lived there until 1924. Their son North married a woman named Margaret "Margot" (d 1947) and had a son Eric who was born about 1920/1923, and also he had a daughter Sheila who is mentioned in 1936. In 1924 Alfred was invited to come to Harvard University and so they family moved to the United States, settling at Cambridge, Massachusetts.

North became a faculty member at Harvard as well. Jessie, his sister, was a colorful pipe-smoking Bohemian, as well as a friend of Gertrude Stein and her lesbian lover Alice B Toklas. In fact the female couple watched the procession after the Paris Peace Conference (1919) from the hotel room of Jessie who was there as secretary to one of the delegation. Jessie was also a mountain climber, and while ice climbing on Mount Washington she broke her neck, and was rescued by Archibald Callender and John Howell.

Alfred Whitehead died at his home 30 Dec 1947 from a cerebral hemorrhage, his obituary was printed in the New York Times, in which it also mentions that he had three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Primary documents for 1

- 1861 England Census - Ramsgate, co Kent - age 1 month, born Ramsgate
- 1871 England Census - Ramsgate, co Kent - age 10, born Ramsgate, co Kent; father Alfred 43, mother Maria S age 38
- 1881 England Census - St Peters, co Kent
- 1891 England Census - Ramsgate, St Peters, co Kent
- 1901 England Census - Grantchester, co Camb. - age 40, born Ramsgate, co Kent; wife Evelyn age 35, born Brit Suby, France

Secondary documents for 1

2 Alfred Whitehead

Alfred Whitehead was born in 1827 in Ramsgate, co Kent, the son of Thomas Whitehead and his wife Mary Williams. In 1851 he was a teacher and later that year on 20 Dec 1851 at Holy Trinity, Clapham, he married Maria Sarah Buckmaster. He and Maria had four children: Charles, Henry, Shirley and Alfred. In 1861 he was headmaster of Chatham House Academy which his father had founded. In 1871 he was Vicar of St Mary's in Ramsgate, and in 1881 and 1891 he was Vicar of St Peters. He died in 1898.

3 Maria Sarah Buckmaster

Maria Sarah Buckmaster was born 30 Oct 1832 at Turnham Green, co Mdx, the daughter of William Buckmaster and his wife Sarah Adams. On 20 Dec 1851 at Holy Trinity, Clapham, she married Alfred Whitehead a teacher. They had four children. He became the headmaster of Chatham House Academy, and later a vicar. Maria was living in 1881.

4 Thomas Whitehead

Thomas Whitehead was born at Eastchurch, co Kent. His parents have not yet been identified. He married Mary Williams. They lived in 1827 at Ramsgate, co Kent. He was the founder of Chatham House Academy in Ramsgate and when he became Deputy Mayor of Ramsgate, his son Alfred became the headmaster of that school in his place.

5 Mary Williams

Evelyn calls Mary, Alfred's "Welsh grandmother", but Mary Williams was born in Pimlico, London in 1787 or 1788.

6 William Buckmaster

William Buckmaster was baptised 28 Feb 1802 at St Gregory by St Paul, London, the son of John Buckmaster and his wife Mary. His father John was a shoemaker. William became free of the city of London. In 1828 at St James', Taunton, Somerset, he married Sarah Adams a native of Halford, Somerset. William died Jul/Sep 1848 at Kensington, London. His widow outlived him almost forty years.

7 Sarah Adams

Sarah Adams died 19 Feb 1886 at 81 Piccadilly, St George Hanover Square, London