Events
Date of Birth: unknown.
Place of Birth: unknown.
Date of Death: unknown.
Place of Death: unknown.
Relationships
Father: unknown.
Mother: unknown.
Spouse: Sarah Peake. Married 8 January 1797, or shortly after. Banns read at Eccleshall, Staffordshire.
The name Sarah is given in the baptism records of William’s children. See the Commentary section on Sarah’s page for the line of reasoning which identifies her as Sarah Peake.
Children:
(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)
(Probably) Abraham Harper (buried 9 August 1871 in Madeley) married (1) Ann Harding 22 January 1818 in Madeley; married (2) Jane Steele 11 August 1845 in Wolstanton, Staffordshire.
William Harper (baptized 10 June 1802 in Whitmore, Staffordshire - buried 14 March 1878 in Fenton, Staffordshire) married (1) Sarah Bradshaw 22 February 1829 in Fulford, Staffordshire; married (2) Ellen Alcock in 1840.
Thomas Harper (baptized 20 April 1806 in Whitmore - died 1878) married Elizabeth Cope 19 July 1829 in Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire.
Sarah Harper (born 28 February 1808, baptized 9 March 1808 in Madeley, Staffordshire - buried 22 August 1860 in Stoke-upon-Trent) probably married Thomas Vernon.
John Harper (baptized 21 June 1810 in Whitmore).
Elizabeth Harper (possibly born about 1810 and buried 10 December 1832 in Stoke upon Trent) married Richard Woodfield 20 July 1830 in Stoke upon Trent, Staffordshire. Elizabeth had a daughter Ann, possibly with Richard, in 1824.
Jane Harper (or Ann) (born about 1817 or 1819 in Stoke upon Trent) married George Dawson 31 May 1846 in Bucknall, St Mary, Staffordshire. (Jane’s father is recorded as William in her marriage record.) The name on the marriage record and in the 1841 census is "Jane". "Ann" is recorded in the the 1851 census and probably as a witness to her brother William's 1829 marriage.
Evidence
Baptisms of Children:
Whitmore, Staffordshire (1802):
William S. of William & Sarah Harper Baptized June 10th
Whitmore, Staffordshire (1806):
Tho.s S. of Wm & Sarah Harper Baptized April 20.
Madeley, Staffordshire (1808):
March 9th Sarah, Daug: of Wm Harpur of Madeley Park Lab.r By Sarah his Wife. Born Feb: 28.th 1808.
Whitmore, Staffordshire (1810):
John S of William and Sarah Harper Bapt: June 21st 1810
A William Harper is listed in an 1835 Electoral Register as living in Madeley, possessing a house and land there.
Commentary
These sources name William:
The marriage banns at Eccleshall in December 1796-January 1797.
The baptism records of the children William (1802, Whitmore), Thomas (1806, Whitmore), Sarah (1808, Madeley), and John (1810, Whitmore).
The 1835 electoral register for Madeley (if this is the same man).
The marriage record of Jane Harper and George Dawson (1846, Bucknall):
“Father’s Name and Surname. William Harper. Rank or Profession of Father. Labourer.
These sources appear to refer to the same man as John Harper:
The 1851 death registration of Sarah Harper, which records her as the widow of “John Harper, labourer”. It seems fairly clear that Sarah was William’s widow: the 1851 census records her birthplace as Eccleshall. The 1841 census shows her as the (probable) mother of Jane Harper and the 1851 census records her as the mother-in-law of the George Dawson whose wife’s mother was recorded as William Harper in 1846. The informant for the death registration was Sarah’s neighbour Thomas Vernon, who was very likely married to William and Sarah’s daughter Sarah: the 1851 census shows that Thomas's wife was born in about 1808 in Madeley, as was William and Sarah’s daughter Sarah. The birth registration for Thomas and Sarah Vernon’s younger son records the mother’s maiden name as “Elson”, but this same son gave the middle name “Harper” to one of his sons. There is an 11-year gap between the birth of Thomas Vernon’s two sons, so it is possible that both Thomas and Sarah were widowed when they married, and that “Elson” was the name of Sarah’s first husband. (The elder son was born before birth registrations were instituted, and I can find no other evidence for his mother’s maiden name.)
The marriage record for Abraham Harper’s second marriage records his father as “John Harper, joiner”. I have not located Abraham’s baptism, so it is not certain that he belongs with the family of this page, but circumstantial evidence makes it seem likely.
Perhaps the most likely explanation for the discrepancy in names is that William Harper was also known as “John”. The variation in names can also be seen with his daughter Jane, who is called “Ann” in the 1851 census.
References
Eccleshall, Staffordshire, parish registers. [Digital images on Findmypast.co.uk, accessed 7 November 2015]
Madeley, Staffordshire, parish registers. [Digital images on Findmypast.co.uk, accessed 7 November 2015]
UK, Poll Books and Electoral Registers, 1538 - 1893. Digital images at Ancestry.com.
Whitmore, Staffordshire, parish registers. [Digital images on Findmypast.co.uk, accessed 7 November 2015]