William Bolton Research Notes

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: County Wexford, Ireland
Surnames/tags: Bolton Davis

Research into the lineage of William Bolton, who was married to Deborah Redmond, has raised some intriguing questions about whether he may also have been married to Dorathea Davis. Much of the information pertinent to this investigation has been collated by Elizabeth Nichols, who, in her thoroughly referenced book, utilizes numerous records from the Church of Ireland to build a convincing case.

Nichols believes that William Bolton mentioned in an 1808 baptism record, is the same man who later married Deborah Redmond in 1829.

William and Deborah Bolton, shopkeepers from Killena, are noted to have had several children, according to the transcribed baptism records Nichols provided. Records retrieved by archivists in Dublin confirm most of these records. The last child born to William and Deborah, shopkeepers in Killena, was Mary, born on October 17, 1839.

Nichols found the death record of a woman named Deborah Bolton, of the right age to be this William's wife, recorded in a nearby parish in 1848.

However, the plot thickens with the baptism records of three children born to William and Dolly Bolton, also shopkeepers from Killena.

Anne Eliza, born May 17, 1941 William Joseph, born October 17, 1842 Dorathea Kate, born April 12, 1844

Meanwhile, Nichols lists no more baptism records for children born to William and Dorothea Bolton, nor could archivists find additional records with those parents.

The 1851 census records show that Anne Bolton, aged 11, and William Bolton, aged 9, resided in Catherine Davis's household in Augusta, within Canada West's Grenville County. Concurrently, Dorothy Cate Boulton, who was 6, lived with Joseph Davis in the adjacent Elizabethtown, situated in Leeds County.

Fast forward to 1871, the same census recorded that Anne Eliza, now 26, William J, now 24, and Dority Kate, aged 20, all cohabitated in Elizabethtown. They were part of the household of William Bolton, aged 60, and Dorothy Bolton, aged 56.

These details align well with the baptism records from County Wexford, which also list the three children and their parent's names. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that these records are congruent, and they likely refer to the same individuals.

In further support of this hypothesis, the death record from 1881 for William Bolton suggests he was born around 1808. George Davis, son of Joseph Davis, reported his death. Additionally, Ebenezer George Bolton, who resided with William and Dorothy in 1871, named his parents William J Bolton and Dorothy Davis on his marriage certificate. While direct evidence is yet to be found, numerous online genealogies have recorded his middle name as Johnston or Johnson. The estimated birth year of William J. Bolton of 1808 fits well with the baptism record and suggests he could be old enough to have been in a second marriage with Dorothy.

Additionally, genetic evidence bolsters the theory. A descendant of Richard Bolton, son of William Bolton and Deborah Redmond, has strong autosomal DNA matches with numerous descendants of Joseph Davis and Sarah Bolton. This DNA connection further corroborates the links between the Bolton and Davis families and adds a layer of modern validation to the historical records.