Parents, Brothers and Sisters
Henry was the son of Thomas Williams (Gosport, England, 27 May 1753 – Nottingham 6 January 1804) and Mary Marsh (10 April 1756 – 7 November 1831). They married at Gosport on 17 April 1783.
Thomas Williams was a supplier of uniforms to the Royal Navy, in Gosport. In 1796 Thomas and Mary and their six children moved to Nottingham, then the thriving centre of the East Midlands industrial revolution. Thomas invested in a lace-making machine. The family prospered. In 1802-03 Thomas was one of the city's two chamberlains and in 1803–04 he was one of the two sheriffs. In 1804 he died of typhus at the age of 50, leaving Mary with five sons and three daughters to look after.
Thomas and Mary Williams had nine children, six (including Henry) who were born in Gosport, and three (including William) in Nottingham:
- Mary (Gosport, England, 2 March 1784 – Gosport, England, 19 April 1786)
- Thomas Sydney (Gosport, England, 11 February 1786 – Altona, Germany, 12 February 1869)
- Lydia (Gosport, England, 17 January 1788 – 13 December 1859), married (7 July 1813) Edward Garrard Marsh (8 February 1783 – 20 September 1862)
- John (Gosport, England, 22 March 1789 – New Zealand, 9 March 1855)
- Henry (Gosport, England, 11 February 1792 – Pakaraka, Bay of Islands, New Zealand 16 July 1867)
- Joseph William (Gosport, England, 27 October 1793 – Gosport, England, August 1799)
- Mary Rebecca (Nottingham, England, 3 June 1795 – Bethlehem, Palestine 17 December 1858)
- Catherine (Nottingham, England, 28 July 1797 – Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England, 11 July 1881)
- William (Nottingham, England, 18 July 1800 – Napier, New Zealand, 9 February 1878)
Thomas Williams died when Henry was 11 years old. William was only three years old then.
Read more about this topic: Henry Williams (missionary)
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