Nesbit Family at Ford Forge 1825-1859
Ford Forge (Ford Mill), Northumberland, England shown in an 1866 ordnance map
Ford Forge is in Ford Parish, one mile Northwest of Ford Village. Buildings housing a water-powered forge were constructed at this site on the river Till by 1770. Throughout the 19th century, the forge was used to manufacture shovels for Northumberland collieries.
Family History
James Nesbit and Ann Black were probably married in about 1815. Ann's father, believed to be an accountant, was born in Scotland. Other members of her family, perhaps her brothers, leased buildings at Ford Forge where they ran the shovel factory. James and Ann moved to Ford Forge sometime between 1825 and 1830, presumably so that James could work in the Black's factory. James Sr. died in 1839 at the age of 56. By 1841 the three oldest sons were working in the factory and the two daughters were working as dress makers.
In 1841, the Nesbits were among 22 blacksmiths and 7 joiners working at the forge. Most of the workers lived on the forge side of the Till river, but the Nesbits and several others lived on the Ford Mill side and crossed the river every day to work. Also living in the community were millers, farm laborers, dress makers, clerks, drapers, woollen dyers, servants and a shopkeeper.
Ann Sr. probably died in 1842. Apparently, her daughter Ann, her son Robert and his wife Alice, all died in 1844 while still in their 20s. One can speculate that their deaths were due to smallpox, which was epidemic in Northern England at about that time. The younger daughter, Margaret, married someone named Dodds. She died in 1847 soon after giving birth to a daughter, Agnes. Agnes appears to have been raised by the oldest remaining son, John, under the care of a nanny (Jane Cuthbert).
John's first wife died sometime before 1851. He married Margaret Trotter in 1852. John and Margaret had two sons born at Ford Forge before they moved to Spittal in the late 1850s.
John's younger brother James married in about 1850. He moved to Wolsingham, Durham to work in another shovel factory where he eventually became a shop foreman. Many years later he helped his nephew, John's son James, find a job in the same factory in Wolsingham.
The 1861 census shows no members of the Nesbit family remaining at Ford Forge.
People
James Nesbit (1783-1839) was born in Alwinton (pronounced and sometimes spelled "Allenton"), a remote farming community nestled in the Cheviot hills. He moved to Ford Forge with his wife, Ann Black, and their children.
Ann Black (~1790-1842) was perhaps the daughter of John Black, a Scottish accountant. Her place of birth is unknown. She died at Ford Forge.
Robert Nesbit (~1821-1844) was born in Alwinton. He worked as a blacksmith at Ford Forge. He married Alice Oliver in 1840. They apparently both died at Ford Forge in 1844.
Ann Nesbit (~1821-1844) was born in Alwinton. She worked as a dress maker in Ford Forge, where she died while still in her twenties.
John Nesbit (1819-1877) was born in Alwinton. He worked as a blacksmith in Ford Forge. After his first wife died he married Margaret Trotter. They moved to Spittal in the late 1850s.
Margaret Nesbit (~1821-1847) was born in Alwinton. She worked as a dress maker in Ford Forge. Apparently she married someone named Dodds and died shortly after the birth of her first child, Agnes.
George Nesbit (~1826-????) was likely born at Alwinton. His trajectory is unknown, but there is a family story that has one brother moving to Massachusetts.
James Nesbit (~1826-????) was born at Alwinton. He worked as a blacksmith at Ford Forge where he married in about 1850. He moved his family to Wolsingham, Durham, where he became the shop foreman in another shovel factory.
Thomas Nesbit (1831-1908) was born at Ford Forge. He worked for most of his life as a farm laborer, perhaps first at nearby Hay Farm, and later at farms throughout Northumberland. By the age of 50 he was head of a large family living at a farm in Belford parish.
Thomas Black (1788-1856) was born in Scotland. He may have been the brother of Ann Black and the son of John Black. Thomas was an entrepreneur whose enterprises at Ford Forge were the mainstay of the local economy. In the 142 businesses listed for Ford Parish in the 1827 Parson White Trade Directory, "Black Thos. James & Co." is listed three times, denoting lines of business as "iron founders & wrought iron manufacturers," corn millers, grocers and drapers.
Sources
1841 Census (adult ages rounded to nearest 5 years)
| Place | Name | Age | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Mills | |||
| Ann Nesbit | 50 | Independent | |
| Ann Nesbit | 20 | Dress Maker | |
| John Nesbit | 20 | Blacksmith | |
| Margaret Nesbit | 20 | Dress Maker | |
| George Nesbit | 15 | M***** Man | |
| James Nesbit | 15 | Blacksmith | |
| Thomas Nesbit | 11 | ||
| Ford Mills | |||
| Robert Nesbit | 20 | Blacksmith | |
| Alice Nesbit | 20 | ||
| Ford Forge | |||
| Thomas Black | 53 | Merchant | |
| Margaret Black | 20 | ||
| John Black | 18 | ||
| Agnes Black | 16 | ||
| Jane Black | 14 | ||
| George Black | 12 | ||
| Thomas Black | 10 | ||
| Ford Forge | |||
| Thomas Tindle | 40 | Blacksmith | |
| Sarah Tindle | 40 | ||
| James tindle | 10 | ||
| Margaret Tindle | 8 | ||
| Sarah Tindle | 7 | ||
| Thomas Tindle | 4 | ||
| George Tindle | 9 months | ||
| John Black | 21 | Landsurveyor | |
| Alexander Black | 20 | Blacksmith | |
| Alice Brown | 17 | F. S. |
1851 Census
| Place | Last name | First name | Relation | Marital Status | Age | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Mills | |||||||
| Nesbit | John | Head | Wdr | 32 | Blacksmith | Alinton | |
| " | Thomas | Bro | M | 29* | Farm labr | Ford | |
| Dods | Agnes | Niece | 3 | Ford | |||
| Cuthbert | Jane | Svt | 20 | House Svt | Ford | ||
| Ford Mills | |||||||
| Nesbit | James | Head | M | 26 | Blacksmith | Alinton | |
| " | Margaret | Wife | M | 29 | Bamburgh | ||
| " | James | Son | 1 | Ford | |||
| " | Isabella | Dtr | 9 mth | Ford | |||
| Ford Forge | |||||||
| Black | Thomas | Head | Wdr | 63 | Toolmaker | Scotland | |
| " | Agnes | Dtr | UNM | 26 | Ford | ||
| " | Jane | Dtr | " | 24 | " | ||
| " | George | Son | " | 22 | Clerk | " | |
| " | Thomas | " | 20 | " | " | ||
| Purves | John | Svt | 20 | Carter | Scotland | ||
| Alexander | Adam | " | 16 | Farm labr | " | ||
| Turnbull | Catherine | " | 19 | House Servant | Ford | ||
| Ford Forge | |||||||
| Black | George | Head | UNM | 22 | Clerk | Ford | |
| Black | Thomas | Bro | 20 | " | " | ||
| Turnbull | Catherine | Svt | UNM | 39 | House Servant | " |
* Transcription error. Thomas Nesbit was born in 1831.
Marriages: General Register Office (GRO)
| Date | Surname | First name(s) | District | Vol | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1840 | Nesbit | Robert | Glendale | 25 | 307 |
| Oliver | Alice | Glendale | 25 | 307 | |
| Dec 1852 | Nesbit | John | Glendale | 10b | 365 |
| Trotter | Margaret | Glendale | 10b | 365 |
Marriages: FamilySearch™ International Genealogical Index
| Date | Names | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Oct 1852 | Margaret Trotter John Nesbit | Parish Records And Dissenters, Ford, NBL |
Births: General Register Office (GRO)
| Date | Surname | First name(s) | District | Vol | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1847 | Dodds | Agnes | Glendale | 25 | 280 |
| Jun 1847 | Nesbit | James | Glendale | 25 | 303 |
| Mar 1853 | Nesbit | James | Glendale | 10b | 279 |
Deaths: General Register Office (GRO)
| Date | Surname | First name(s) | Age | District | Vol | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1839 | Nesbit | James | Glendale | XXV | 164 | |
| Jun 1842 | Nesbit | Ann | Glendale | 25 | 176 | |
| Jun 1844 | Nesbit | Ann | Glendale | 25 | 178 | |
| Sep 1844 | Nesbit | Robert | Glendale | 25 | 162 | |
| Sep 1844 | Nesbit | Alice | Glendale | 25 | 176 | |
| Jun 1847 | Dodds | Margaret | Glendale | 25 | 267 | |
| Mar 1856 | Black | Thomas | Glendale | 10b | 184 | |
| Mar 1908 | Nesbit | Thomas | 77 | Belford | 10b | 318 |
John C. Nesbit 2005.03.29