A great grandmother of automobile industrialist Henry Ford I, the one who was Henry's father's paternal grandmother. Rebecca Jennings-Ford and her husband, William Ford (1775-1818), are the earliest names on the Ford (Motor Co.) family tree and had 5 sons. They were believed to have lived as tenant farmers near Crohane, Cork County, Ireland, until c. 1829. Rebecca & son John's family were forced off their leased land during the potato famine &, although poverty-stricken, managed to emigrate via steerage in 1847. The small children (including the auto magnate's father, William Ford [1826-1905]) are said to have had no shoes until they reached Dearborn, MI, but were able to read, as tutored in Ireland. Arriving at age 71, she was to live just 4 more years. It was said that there was no Protestant minister immediately available for her funeral & that she was buried in a shallow grave at the Ford Cemetery (Joy Rd., W. of Greenfield Rd., Detroit, MI) with a passing priest administering rites later. The low-lying cemetery was filled in around the grave, but she was later moved to Grand Lawn, as part of a group of 10 re-burials by Northrop Funeral Home, as recorded 10/16/1919. The new plot was purchased by a Henry I 1st cousin once-removed, George Ford, Jr. (1845-1925), a grandson of the deceased, on 7/3/1919. A yarn heard much later by great-great-grandchildren of Samuel Ford (1792-1842) was that a derelict named "Bismark" was buried in the small, private Ford Cemetery by automotive Henry Ford so that it was not considered desirable and it was thought it might be abandoned. Unlinked children: male infant (1795-1795), John (1799-1864), Robert (1803-1877) & Stephen (c. 1815-? in Ireland).
A great grandmother of automobile industrialist Henry Ford I, the one who was Henry's father's paternal grandmother. Rebecca Jennings-Ford and her husband, William Ford (1775-1818), are the earliest names on the Ford (Motor Co.) family tree and had 5 sons. They were believed to have lived as tenant farmers near Crohane, Cork County, Ireland, until c. 1829. Rebecca & son John's family were forced off their leased land during the potato famine &, although poverty-stricken, managed to emigrate via steerage in 1847. The small children (including the auto magnate's father, William Ford [1826-1905]) are said to have had no shoes until they reached Dearborn, MI, but were able to read, as tutored in Ireland. Arriving at age 71, she was to live just 4 more years. It was said that there was no Protestant minister immediately available for her funeral & that she was buried in a shallow grave at the Ford Cemetery (Joy Rd., W. of Greenfield Rd., Detroit, MI) with a passing priest administering rites later. The low-lying cemetery was filled in around the grave, but she was later moved to Grand Lawn, as part of a group of 10 re-burials by Northrop Funeral Home, as recorded 10/16/1919. The new plot was purchased by a Henry I 1st cousin once-removed, George Ford, Jr. (1845-1925), a grandson of the deceased, on 7/3/1919. A yarn heard much later by great-great-grandchildren of Samuel Ford (1792-1842) was that a derelict named "Bismark" was buried in the small, private Ford Cemetery by automotive Henry Ford so that it was not considered desirable and it was thought it might be abandoned. Unlinked children: male infant (1795-1795), John (1799-1864), Robert (1803-1877) & Stephen (c. 1815-? in Ireland).
Family Members
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
