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| William Marsh 1826 - 1912 Image from Find A Grave |
The Most Un-famous, Famous Man In Bentley
William Marsh should be the most famous man in Bentley, but few have even heard of him. His captivating story starts in the humble surroundings of a Bentley corn mill, before rising to the dizzying heights of U.S. politics and a close friendship with Abraham Lincoln. Then on to Denmark and life as a diplomat, and a meeting with the King of Prussia, before returning to Bentley and taking a position as a land agent for Sir William R C Cooke. William was also a published poet, an entrepreneur and a photographer.
William wasn't the only member of the Marsh family to seek an alternative life abroad, and as we shall see, mixed fortunes befell them all, but their sheer determination to break away from the backwaters of a Bentley corn mill makes for fascinating reading.
Contents
- A Mystery Grave
- Unlocking The Mystery
- John Marsh Of Marsh's Mill
- John's Elder Children Move On
- Adin Marsh
- Tom Cockin Marsh Inherits The Mill
- William Marsh
- The Move To America
- Photographing The Future President
- Working For President Lincoln
- The Move To Altona
- Returning To Bentley
- Land Agent For Sir William Cooke
- Leaving Bentley Again
- Final Years In Bentley
- Finding The Marsh's Graves
- Marsh Memorabilia
- Poems
- Assorted Cuttings
- Diplomatic List 1868
- John Windle Marsh
- William Dawson Marsh
- Adin Marsh's Family Photos
A Mystery Grave
As part of my work for my other blog, Arksey Village, A History (sister site to this blog), I took a great interest in recording all the memorials in Arksey churchyard and putting the photos and transcriptions on my blog. One memorial in particular sparked a bit more interest than others. Found under a tree near the main gate the memorial had references to Washington in the U.S. and Altona, Denmark. The memorial, to a grandmother and her grandson were in the name of Marsh, but other than that, there was little else about them.
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| The Marsh memorial, centre front. Photographed by myself in 2015 |
Transcription of the grave above.
Sacred to the memory of Hannah MARSH who departed this life August 4th A. D. 1844, aged 48 years. In The Full Hope Of A Glorious Resurrection.
Also of Lincoln Bennet MARSH, grandchild of the above, born in Washington, U. S. America September 4th A. D. 1861, and died at the United States Consulate Altona Denmark, January 2nd A. D. 1863. Sleep, Sleep Thou Sweet One, Quietly Sleep. Softly As On Thy Mother's Breast. 'Tis Vain To Mourn And Sin To Weep, for Thou Enjoy'st Eternal Rest.
This portion is on a separate stone at the foot of the one above.
In memorium John MARSH of Bentley, who died March 16th A.D. 1880, aged 85 years.Also Hannah, wife of the above, who died March 16th A.D 1892, aged 86 years.
The memorial was added to the blog along with all the others I had recorded and that was that, or so it seemed, until the day I was contacted by a Mr David Marsh from Nottinghamshire.
David had seen a photo of the Marsh grave and he was prompted to contact me. David, it turned out, was a descendant of the Marsh family named on the memorial and he had a story for me, and boy, what a story it turned out to be!
Unlocking The Mystery
David Marsh became the key to unlocking the mystery of the grave. He had an extensive collection of records, stories, and references about his ancestor and his connection to the grave, which he was kind enough to share with me.
As William Marsh's extraordinary life unfolded before me, I couldn't believe his story had remained hidden from the people of Bentley for so long.
So, with the material kindly passed on to me by David, I can now tell the story of this incredible man, beginning with his father, John Marsh of Marsh's Mill.
John Marsh Of Marsh's Mill
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| Marsh's Mill, Finkle Street, Bentley |
The story begins with William's father John Marsh, who lived and worked at the Finkle Street corn mill in Bentley.
There were only ever two corn mills at Bentley, the oldest being Bentley Watermill, which stood on Millgate. Deeds relating to this mill go back to 1332.
There were only ever two corn mills at Bentley, the oldest being Bentley Watermill, which stood on Millgate. Deeds relating to this mill go back to 1332.
The mill which became known as Marsh's Mill was steam driven and situated on Finkle Street. However, it had a much shorter history.
Just when the mill came into existence is not clear. Baine's Directory of Yorkshire for 1822 lists only the mill at Millgate. It isn't until 1849 that the Finkle Street mill gets a mention in a detailed publication by the Doncaster Gazette, which was called 'Village Sketches, or Hints to Pedestrians'. However, by examining other records, such as parish records and the census, we can come close to pinning down the date of this mill, to the early 1820's.
We know this because the first miller to take up residence in the Finkle Street premises was William's father, John Marsh.
John was born in Scarcliffe, Derbyshire around 1794, the son of William and Amelia Marsh. The Marshes were a poor agricultural family, and John was either the second or third child of at least eleven.
Just why or when John left the family home in Scarcliffe is not known. But the next reference we have for him is in the Arksey (and Bentley) parish registers, when he married Hannah Windle on the 22nd of May 1820. This was the Hannah named on the memorial in Arksey churchyard.
The first reference to John's occupation as a miller is seen in the baptism record of their first son, also called John, which took place on the 17th of March 1822. A previous daughter, Mary Ann had died in infancy. There is no reference to the mill in Baine's Directory of 1822, so whether the Finkle Street mill did not exist then, or was just missed out of the directory, we don't know. What is probably true is that the Windle's had money, and if so, it looks likely that it was Hannah's dowry which enabled John to set up the mill in the first place.
The next reference to the mill comes in the 1841 census, where the Marsh family are positively identified in Finkle Street, with John listing his occupation as 'miller'. By now John and Hannah's family was complete; they had raised five of their seven children (two died in infancy) and were well established at the mill. Hannah's parents, John and Sarah Windle were also living there in their old age.
John and Hannah's children are listed below:
John and Hannah's children are listed below:
- Mary Ann 1820 - 1820
- John 1822 - 1899
- Eliza 1824 - 1886
- William 1826 - 1912 (the main subject of this article)
- Adin Samuel 1830 - 1905
- Jesse Windle 1832 - 1836
- Samuel 1836 - 1914
Two years later on the 16th of February 1846 John remarried in Armthorpe. He married another Hannah, Hannah Addy (nee Cockin), who was the widow of George Addy, whom she had married in 1828 in Arksey; with him she had one son, William. Ten years younger than John, and still within childbearing years, Hannah gave birth to another son, Thomas Cockin Marsh in 1847.
In 1845 John's eldest son married and left the mill. As the eldest, one would have expected John junior to stay at the mill and eventually inherit it, however, John and his new wife Martha took up residence elsewhere in Bentley and raised seven children. John did become a miller, after his father, but appeared to travel with the work as subsequent census returns find him in places such as Conisbrough, Holbeck and Barnsley, before he returned to Bentley in his late 60's.
John's eldest daughter Eliza married in 1857 and just one month later, she and her new husband George Falkingham, arrived in New York, USA, where they settled in Towanda, Illinios, and raised three children.
Eliza's two younger brothers, William and Adin had already left England for the U.S., Adin first in 1851, followed by William in 1855 (William's story to follow).
After a move to Springfield, where they remained until 1872, they joined a wagon train to Kansas, during which their tenth child was born. They had 13 children altogether, although four of them died young. Adin died in 1905, followed by Susanna in 1912, in Florence, Alabama.
Adin and Susanna's children are listed below:
The draw to America must have been strong, because in 1856, Adin's younger brother Samuel was also lured across the water at the age of 22. Samuel settled in Towanda, Illinois, where he married Kitura Wheeler in 1868, and had five children.
Back in Bentley, and by 1871 John Marsh had retired from the mill, although he was still head of the household there. The business had passed to his youngest son, Tom, who was aged 22 in 1871.
John died on the 16th of March 1880, leaving Tom to inherit the mill. His mother Hannah lived out her remaining years at the mill, dying in 1892.
Tom married twice, firstly to Sarah Ann Pigott. It appears they were married in Essex in the spring of 1882, even though Sarah was from Bentley. One explanation for the Essex marriage is that Sarah was already pregnant and they left the area to get married; Sarah had a brother, Henry, who was a Wesleyan Minister in Clacton, Essex at the time, so the marriage may have been conducted by him.
Their son, Thomas Pigott Marsh was born early in 1883, but the birth took the lives of both mother and son and they are buried together in Arksey churchyard (see below).
Transcription of the grave above.
Tom's second wife was Mary Barbara Baker, whom he married in 1884, in Bakewell, Derbyshire. They had two children, John Bertram in 1889, and Constance Baker in 1895. Mary died in 1907 at the age of 54. In 1911 Tom was aged 63 and still working the mill, now with his son John, while 16 year old Constance remained at the family home, which now employed a housekeeper.
Tom died in 1936, aged 88. What happened to the mill after that isn't clear, but it may have passed to his son John Bertram, however he did not remain in Bentley, but died in 1969 in Ipswich, Suffolk.
The photo below shows quite a few members of the Marsh family. The occasion was the wedding of John Bertram (Bert) Marsh to Alice Nicholson on the 29th of December 1913, probably at the Bentley Wesleyan Church on High Street. From left to right (standing) are - Tom Cockin Marsh, Ernest Goodridge*(family friend), Miss Cliff (Grand daughter of Tom's elder brother John), John Goodridge (brother of Ernest), Mrs Mary Beverley (of Arksey Marsh Lane gate house), John Bertram, Alice (his bride), Emily Trippett (housekeeper to Tom C Marsh), Charlotte Marsh (widow of William Marsh, main subject of this article), Miss Bielby (family friend); and seated, left to right - Flo Peace (family friend), Constance (Connie) Marsh and 'Master Marsh' (an unidentified family member).
*Ernest Goodridge was a good friend of Bert Marsh and is the subject of another article on this blog. For more on Ernest Goodridge go to When Bentley Stars Shine.
We now pick up the fascinating story of William Marsh, and his extraordinary life in America and the Danish Duchies.
As we have already seen, William was the fourth child of John and Hannah Marsh. He was born on February 24th 1826 at the Finkle Street mill, and baptised at Arksey church.
After an education at either Arksey School or Bentley National School, William attended Agricultural College at nearby Marr, before moving on to a manufacturing chemical works at Deepcar, near Sheffield.
In the 1840's William worked in the coal trade, taking advantage of the new extension to the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire railway.
On the 24th of February 1853 (his 27th birthday), William married Charlotte Jennings Dawson (b.1833, daughter of a wealthy Hatfield farming family) in Thorne, near Doncaster. Later that same day they left Ling's House, Hatfield for Grantham. William had been appointed a position in the Mineral Department of The Great Northern Railway Company by Mr Beckett Denison (who later became Sir Edmund Beckett).
William soon left the railway industry and went into a wine and beer partnership in Hull. Shipping out large quantities of bottled beer to the Crimean War (1853-1856), they made a considerable loss due to failure of their agents.
In 1860 Lincoln was nominated for the Presidency. William Marsh assisted in the campaign when he was invited by the Republican Press and party to form an English, Irish and Scottish club. Their votes represented the number of votes cast by naturalised citizens, and therefore led to Lincoln defeating Democrat, Stephen Douglas.
William came into contact with Horace Greeley, editor and owner of the Chicago 'Tribune', the leading Republican journal. He became his agent and correspondent during the Presidential election, and this gave William entry to the White House. As a newspaper correspondent, this was of great value, as he was able to send telegrams each night to the 'Tribune'. It was also a privileged position to be in, and he witnessed many rousing events leading up to the War Between the States (1861 - 1865). William was also acquainted with all the Senators, at their popular rendezvous, 'Willard's Hotel', and kept in constant touch with Lincoln's secretary, John Hay and assistant secretary John George Nicolay.
Following Lincoln's nomination for President in May 1860, William Marsh took five photographs of the candidate between the 20th and the 24th of May. These are pictured below:
In July 1862 it was approved by the Senate and Department of State, for Abraham Lincoln to send William Marsh to the Danish Duchies of Schleswig-Holstein, to take charge of the Consulate of Altona. Mr Marsh was presented with a gold-headed ebony cane as a mark of respect from his last post at the Census Bureau, before he left.
Mr Marsh was sent out to solve a difficulty in the region with the Kingdom of Denmark; this was a very important commission for him.
William, Charlotte and baby Lincoln sailed on the steamship 'Bremen' from New York to Bremen, via Southampton on the 5th of July 1862.
Sadly, Lincoln Bennet Marsh died on the 2nd of January 1863, and although he is buried in Denmark a memorial was added to his Grandmother's grave at Arksey.
Schleswig-Holstein lies on the Jutland Peninsula, between Denmark in the north, and Germany in the south. Its very location gave rise to many struggles for control of the region by the two countries, and William Marsh was faced with another of these 'difficulties'.
In a Consular letter sent to the publication - 'Prairie Farmer', of Illinois in September 1863, Mr Marsh states how he perceived the state of the nation at the time. He stated:
On Christmas Eve 1863 war did break out between Denmark and the German Kingdom of Prussia, and lasted until 1867. William Marsh maintained his office at Altona throughout the duration. As America sided with Denmark, William smuggled a dispatch through Prussian-Austrian lines to President Brestrop in Copenhagen, which, had it got into the allies hands, would have led to the cancelling of his post.
In 1865, Charlotte gave birth to another son, William Dawson Marsh.
While in Altona, Mr Marsh published a book in 1866, under the name 'Wegweiser fur Auswanderer nach Vereinigten Staaten' (Guide for Emigrants to the United States). The book was a guidebook of America for German and Scandinavian emigrants, and ran to four editions. He also published books entitled 'Songs and Poetical Dottings Dedicated to the Ladies of America', and 'Songs and Poems' in 1867.
During his consular career, William Marsh met the Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck, and King William I of Prussia. He also earned the praise of the British Consul-General at Hamburg, Mr Ward, for keeping a watchful eye on blockade runners. Mr Ward remarked that if the service which Mr Marsh had given the American Government had been rendered to the British Government, it would have earned him a CB (one of the ranks of 'The Most Honourable Order of the Bath).
By the late 1860's, and following a long connection with the United States, the eleventh district of Illinois offered to send William to represent them in congress, if he would return to the U.S. However, Mrs Marsh's health was a cause for concern and therefore, in 1869, they left Altona to reside in England for a time.
William bought the Old Hall at Bentley, situated in Mill Street. The Hall had belonged to Godfrey Copley of Sprotborough Hall in the 1600's, and subsequently, the Wheatley Estate, who finally put this former one-time workhouse on the market in 1868. After extensive repairs, costing £500, William, Charlotte and their son went to live there.
Mr Marsh was agent for Sir William Cooke for twelve years. During that time he served the Parish of Bentley and Arksey as Guardian, he also was an elected member of the Bentley School Board, following his securing of a site for the New Board School from Sir William Cooke for £100; this was built on the village green in 1877.
By 1877 the agricultural depression was being felt in the area. Farms were being handed back to owners and values were depreciating. Sir William appealed to Mr Marsh for advice, whose answer was simple, - "sell the property".
Sir William had been told by his lawyers he could not sell an acre more than he already had to discharge a mortgage left on it by his father, Sir William Bryan Cooke. Mr Marsh studied the will and settlement of the estate and having come to a common-sense interpretation of it; they took the matter to the Court of Chancery and got an order to sell. Mr Marsh stated that the property had reached its highest agricultural value and was needed for building. The property was sold in 60 lots at Doncaster Guildhall, realising over £140,000 in return for the 1400 acres sold.
Mr Marsh had proved to be a good and faithful agent to Sir William R C Cooke, and had it not been for William Marsh's astute management, there would have been no houses on Bentley Road, no tramway to Bentley, and very few freeholders in the parish, where now there are many.
Mr Marsh suffered ill health while in Lancashire, and in 1886 Mr Edward Brook J.P., Laird of Hoddom, Kinmount and Glen Stewart, appointed him to his Hoddom Castle estate in Dumfries, Scotland. Their association began in their younger days at Marr Agricultural College.
William, Charlotte and their son spent the next nine years in Scotland, until William reached the age of sixty five and decided to return to Yorkshire. On leaving Hoddom, Mr Marsh was presented with a purse of sovereigns, as a mark of the high esteem he was held by the tenants on the estate.
The Marsh's returned to Bentley in October 1900; despite his important positions, William had not made any money of note and took up residence in the more modest surroundings of Bentley Road. On returning to Bentley he was invited by Mr W H Battie-Wrightson of Cusworth Park, to plant some landscape coverts in the north front of the Hall; work in which he was assisted by his son William Dawson Marsh.
Late in Mr Marsh's life, he wrote to Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Lloyd George, on the subject of old age pensions. He suggested insuring the lives of 20,000 of the oldest recipients of pensions in the sum of £25 per person, which he said would ultimately create a fund of £500,000, as the nucleus of an Old Age Pension Fund. He also suggested a tax of around £10 on every club with a membership of 200, to the same end. Mr Lloyd George acknowledged receipt of these suggestions.
The 1911 census is the last published record we have of the living William Marsh. Now aged 85, he was living at Bentley with Charlotte, now aged 79. He describes his occupation as an estate agent, although he was probably retired by now. Interestingly, this census reveals that the Marsh’s had four children altogether, three of them did not survive. Lincoln Bennet, we know about, but it seems there were two others we do not have birth records for. The only other clue to one of these children is in one of William poems, from his book ‘Songs and Poems’ (1867), where there is a poem entitled ‘In Memoriam, of our infant daughter Lena’ (see the 'Marsh Memorabilia' section below for the poem).
At the age of eighty six, William Marsh passed away at his home, 269 Bentley Road, on Good Friday, April the 11th 1912. His funeral took place at Arksey church, and he was buried in an unmarked grave in Arksey Old Cemetery, Charlotte died in 1922, followed by her son William Dawson in 1931. They lie in an unmarked grave beside William.
So ended the extraordinary life of this Bentley man, born the son of a miller, but held in the highest estimation by those in the upper echelons of public service.
In July 2015, due to the efforts of Marsh descendant, Mr Roderick Dawson Marsh, myself and Rose Hill Cemetery in Doncaster, the unmarked Marsh grave plots were discovered in the Old Cemetery, Arksey. The possibility of obtaining memorial stones for them now lies in the hands of the Marsh family, but if and when that does happen Arksey Village, A History will be reporting on it.
Pictured below is Roderick Dawson Marsh with the marked out grave plots. A19 is where William lies, and A20 is the grave of Charlotte and their son. The urn bears the inscription 'W Dawson Marsh' and is the only original memorial for the grave left in the cemetery.
Newspaper cuttings, photos and letters from the Marsh archive.
To read William Marsh's Bentley poem go to Bentley, Recollections of Home.
By William Marsh, published in his book 'Songs and Poems' of 1867.
Help For William Marsh
A full transcription follows.
Transcription of the full article:
The following is a letter written by William Marsh's son, William Dawson, to his cousin John Windle Marsh (son of Adin and Susanna Marsh) in the United States. The letter appears to have been written in 1919, although William is a little 'out' on some of the dates and ages he writes about.
A full transcription follows.
Transcription of the above letter:
Adin Marsh and his wife Susanna Apt had thirteen children (nine survived). The photo above from 1931, shows five of them. From left to right - John Windle Marsh (1861 - 1939, age 70), William Marsh (1866 - 1948, age 65), Hannah Marsh Cass (1854 - 1936, age 77), George Marsh (1877 - 1964, age 54), and Hayden Thomas Marsh (1874 - 1942, age 57).
Adin and Susanna's eldest son, Charles Hayden (1856 - 1940).
Cutting about Charles Hayden Marsh's 83rd birthday from 1939.
Adin and Susanna's youngest son, George Herbert (1876 - 1964).
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John's Elder Children Move On
John's eldest daughter Eliza married in 1857 and just one month later, she and her new husband George Falkingham, arrived in New York, USA, where they settled in Towanda, Illinios, and raised three children.
Eliza's two younger brothers, William and Adin had already left England for the U.S., Adin first in 1851, followed by William in 1855 (William's story to follow).
Adin Marsh
Adin became a stonemason and married Susanna Elizabeth Apt in 1853 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His name was sometimes spelled 'Aden', and he later changed his name to 'Hayden', but for the purposes of this article we shall stick with 'Adin'.After a move to Springfield, where they remained until 1872, they joined a wagon train to Kansas, during which their tenth child was born. They had 13 children altogether, although four of them died young. Adin died in 1905, followed by Susanna in 1912, in Florence, Alabama.
Adin and Susanna's children are listed below:
- Hannah Elizabeth 1854 - 1936
- Charles Hayden 1856 - 1940
- Samuel George 1859 - 1865
- John Windle 1861 - 1939
- Susanna Elizabeth 1863 - 1865
- Twin boy 1865 - 1865
- Twin boy 1865 - 1865
- William 1866 - 1948
- Harry Samuel 1869 - 1940
- Jesse Jacob 1872 - 1940
- Hayden Thomas 1874 - 1944
- George Herbert 1877 - 1964
- Luella Elizabeth 1879 - 1970
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| Adin and Susanna Marsh |
The draw to America must have been strong, because in 1856, Adin's younger brother Samuel was also lured across the water at the age of 22. Samuel settled in Towanda, Illinois, where he married Kitura Wheeler in 1868, and had five children.
Tom Cockin Marsh Inherits The Mill
John died on the 16th of March 1880, leaving Tom to inherit the mill. His mother Hannah lived out her remaining years at the mill, dying in 1892.
Tom married twice, firstly to Sarah Ann Pigott. It appears they were married in Essex in the spring of 1882, even though Sarah was from Bentley. One explanation for the Essex marriage is that Sarah was already pregnant and they left the area to get married; Sarah had a brother, Henry, who was a Wesleyan Minister in Clacton, Essex at the time, so the marriage may have been conducted by him.
Their son, Thomas Pigott Marsh was born early in 1883, but the birth took the lives of both mother and son and they are buried together in Arksey churchyard (see below).
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| Sarah Marsh grave |
Transcription of the grave above.
In Loving Memory of Sarah Ann, beloved wife of Tom Cockin MARSH, of Bentley, who died March 5th 1883, aged 30 years.
Also Thomas Pigott MARSH, infant son of the above.
'Within the veil'
Tom's second wife was Mary Barbara Baker, whom he married in 1884, in Bakewell, Derbyshire. They had two children, John Bertram in 1889, and Constance Baker in 1895. Mary died in 1907 at the age of 54. In 1911 Tom was aged 63 and still working the mill, now with his son John, while 16 year old Constance remained at the family home, which now employed a housekeeper.
Tom died in 1936, aged 88. What happened to the mill after that isn't clear, but it may have passed to his son John Bertram, however he did not remain in Bentley, but died in 1969 in Ipswich, Suffolk.
The photo below shows quite a few members of the Marsh family. The occasion was the wedding of John Bertram (Bert) Marsh to Alice Nicholson on the 29th of December 1913, probably at the Bentley Wesleyan Church on High Street. From left to right (standing) are - Tom Cockin Marsh, Ernest Goodridge*(family friend), Miss Cliff (Grand daughter of Tom's elder brother John), John Goodridge (brother of Ernest), Mrs Mary Beverley (of Arksey Marsh Lane gate house), John Bertram, Alice (his bride), Emily Trippett (housekeeper to Tom C Marsh), Charlotte Marsh (widow of William Marsh, main subject of this article), Miss Bielby (family friend); and seated, left to right - Flo Peace (family friend), Constance (Connie) Marsh and 'Master Marsh' (an unidentified family member).
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| Marsh wedding in 1913 Photo courtesy of John A Goodridge, from the book 'The Same Stars Shine' by Ernest N and John A Goodridge. |
*Ernest Goodridge was a good friend of Bert Marsh and is the subject of another article on this blog. For more on Ernest Goodridge go to When Bentley Stars Shine.
William Marsh
As we have already seen, William was the fourth child of John and Hannah Marsh. He was born on February 24th 1826 at the Finkle Street mill, and baptised at Arksey church.
After an education at either Arksey School or Bentley National School, William attended Agricultural College at nearby Marr, before moving on to a manufacturing chemical works at Deepcar, near Sheffield.
In the 1840's William worked in the coal trade, taking advantage of the new extension to the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire railway.
On the 24th of February 1853 (his 27th birthday), William married Charlotte Jennings Dawson (b.1833, daughter of a wealthy Hatfield farming family) in Thorne, near Doncaster. Later that same day they left Ling's House, Hatfield for Grantham. William had been appointed a position in the Mineral Department of The Great Northern Railway Company by Mr Beckett Denison (who later became Sir Edmund Beckett).
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| Charlotte Marsh in 1913 |
William soon left the railway industry and went into a wine and beer partnership in Hull. Shipping out large quantities of bottled beer to the Crimean War (1853-1856), they made a considerable loss due to failure of their agents.
The Move To America
In April 1855 William and Charlotte sailed to the U.S., where they settled for three years in Towanda, Kansas. William managed a large landed estate, which belonged to an English gentleman (possibly Sir William Ridley Charles Cooke, Baronet of Wheatley). A keen poet, William was given his own corner in the Washington 'Home Journal'. His poem 'A Sigh' was given the following footnote by its editor N. P. Willis:"A beautiful embalming of the most fugitive thing in the world."When the agreement for the property agency expired William and Charlotte moved to Springfield, Illinois, and he began working in the grain trade. He wrote and published some political articles in the 'Springfield Journal', which brought him to the attention of Abraham Lincoln. Mr Lincoln thereafter became a frequent guest of the Marsh household, and Mrs Marsh also began teaching music to Mr Lincoln's children.
In 1860 Lincoln was nominated for the Presidency. William Marsh assisted in the campaign when he was invited by the Republican Press and party to form an English, Irish and Scottish club. Their votes represented the number of votes cast by naturalised citizens, and therefore led to Lincoln defeating Democrat, Stephen Douglas.
William came into contact with Horace Greeley, editor and owner of the Chicago 'Tribune', the leading Republican journal. He became his agent and correspondent during the Presidential election, and this gave William entry to the White House. As a newspaper correspondent, this was of great value, as he was able to send telegrams each night to the 'Tribune'. It was also a privileged position to be in, and he witnessed many rousing events leading up to the War Between the States (1861 - 1865). William was also acquainted with all the Senators, at their popular rendezvous, 'Willard's Hotel', and kept in constant touch with Lincoln's secretary, John Hay and assistant secretary John George Nicolay.
Photographing The Future President
On the 1860 Census for Springfield, William Marsh describes his occupation as 'artist', while the Springfield City Trade Directory for 1860 - 61 lists him as an ambrotype photographer (a photograph which produces a positive image on a sheet of glass). Photographers often described themselves as 'artists' at this time.Following Lincoln's nomination for President in May 1860, William Marsh took five photographs of the candidate between the 20th and the 24th of May. These are pictured below:
Working For President Lincoln
Following Lincoln's victory in the 1860 election, Lincoln's committee thanked William for his assistance, which was further enhanced by a personal visit from Mr Lincoln. He presented Mrs Marsh with his portrait and invited them to Washington. Once there William was given a first-class clerkship in the Census Bureau of the Interior Department of Washington, where he remained throughout the opening battles of the Civil War. |
| The first battle of Bull Run, July 1861 |
The Move To Altona
In September 1861 Charlotte Marsh gave birth to a son, named Lincoln Bennet Marsh, named in honour of the Marsh's good friend, the President no doubt.In July 1862 it was approved by the Senate and Department of State, for Abraham Lincoln to send William Marsh to the Danish Duchies of Schleswig-Holstein, to take charge of the Consulate of Altona. Mr Marsh was presented with a gold-headed ebony cane as a mark of respect from his last post at the Census Bureau, before he left.
Mr Marsh was sent out to solve a difficulty in the region with the Kingdom of Denmark; this was a very important commission for him.
William, Charlotte and baby Lincoln sailed on the steamship 'Bremen' from New York to Bremen, via Southampton on the 5th of July 1862.
Sadly, Lincoln Bennet Marsh died on the 2nd of January 1863, and although he is buried in Denmark a memorial was added to his Grandmother's grave at Arksey.
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The memorial to Lincoln Bennet Marsh and his Grandmother
(see image near top of page for transcription)
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Schleswig-Holstein lies on the Jutland Peninsula, between Denmark in the north, and Germany in the south. Its very location gave rise to many struggles for control of the region by the two countries, and William Marsh was faced with another of these 'difficulties'.
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| Map of the Schleswig-Holstein region |
In a Consular letter sent to the publication - 'Prairie Farmer', of Illinois in September 1863, Mr Marsh states how he perceived the state of the nation at the time. He stated:
"The political horizon of Germany has been darkened for a moment by rumours of war with Denmark - touching the difficulties in Schleswig-Holstein. But now I think it will blow over without there being recourse to hostilities. These Duchies are German states - Holstein having a population entirely German; Schleswig, mixed German and Scandinavian. Both states are appendages of the Danish Crown, but Schleswig rebels against Denmark enforcing the Danish language upon the German element, and are opposed to all such Scandinavian influences. This is a strange feature in Danish provincial policy, particularly, as Denmark is one of the most liberal governments in Europe, then as is now."
On Christmas Eve 1863 war did break out between Denmark and the German Kingdom of Prussia, and lasted until 1867. William Marsh maintained his office at Altona throughout the duration. As America sided with Denmark, William smuggled a dispatch through Prussian-Austrian lines to President Brestrop in Copenhagen, which, had it got into the allies hands, would have led to the cancelling of his post.
In 1865, Charlotte gave birth to another son, William Dawson Marsh.
While in Altona, Mr Marsh published a book in 1866, under the name 'Wegweiser fur Auswanderer nach Vereinigten Staaten' (Guide for Emigrants to the United States). The book was a guidebook of America for German and Scandinavian emigrants, and ran to four editions. He also published books entitled 'Songs and Poetical Dottings Dedicated to the Ladies of America', and 'Songs and Poems' in 1867.
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| Songs and Poems by William Marsh |
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| Otto von Bismarck |
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| William I of Prussia |
Returning To Bentley
Land Agent For Sir William Cooke
After only a month in residence at the Hall, Sir William Ridley Charles Cooke, Bart, of Wheatley Hall called on Mr Marsh to thank him for a favour carried out while abroad (this could have been the English gentleman mentioned earlier). Following that Sir William offered Mr Marsh his agency. After much consideration William took charge of the Wheatley Estate in January 1870. |
| Sir William R C Cooke |
Mr Marsh was agent for Sir William Cooke for twelve years. During that time he served the Parish of Bentley and Arksey as Guardian, he also was an elected member of the Bentley School Board, following his securing of a site for the New Board School from Sir William Cooke for £100; this was built on the village green in 1877.
By 1877 the agricultural depression was being felt in the area. Farms were being handed back to owners and values were depreciating. Sir William appealed to Mr Marsh for advice, whose answer was simple, - "sell the property".
Sir William had been told by his lawyers he could not sell an acre more than he already had to discharge a mortgage left on it by his father, Sir William Bryan Cooke. Mr Marsh studied the will and settlement of the estate and having come to a common-sense interpretation of it; they took the matter to the Court of Chancery and got an order to sell. Mr Marsh stated that the property had reached its highest agricultural value and was needed for building. The property was sold in 60 lots at Doncaster Guildhall, realising over £140,000 in return for the 1400 acres sold.
Mr Marsh had proved to be a good and faithful agent to Sir William R C Cooke, and had it not been for William Marsh's astute management, there would have been no houses on Bentley Road, no tramway to Bentley, and very few freeholders in the parish, where now there are many.
Leaving Bentley Again
In 1882 William left Bentley, and the estate of Sir William Cooke to take up a new position as estate steward at 'Longford Hall', and 'Stretford' in Lancashire, which was the property of John Rylands, multi-millionaire of Manchester, and owner of the largest textile manufacturing concern in the United Kingdom.Mr Marsh suffered ill health while in Lancashire, and in 1886 Mr Edward Brook J.P., Laird of Hoddom, Kinmount and Glen Stewart, appointed him to his Hoddom Castle estate in Dumfries, Scotland. Their association began in their younger days at Marr Agricultural College.
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| Hoddom Castle |
William, Charlotte and their son spent the next nine years in Scotland, until William reached the age of sixty five and decided to return to Yorkshire. On leaving Hoddom, Mr Marsh was presented with a purse of sovereigns, as a mark of the high esteem he was held by the tenants on the estate.
Final Years in Bentley
Late in Mr Marsh's life, he wrote to Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Lloyd George, on the subject of old age pensions. He suggested insuring the lives of 20,000 of the oldest recipients of pensions in the sum of £25 per person, which he said would ultimately create a fund of £500,000, as the nucleus of an Old Age Pension Fund. He also suggested a tax of around £10 on every club with a membership of 200, to the same end. Mr Lloyd George acknowledged receipt of these suggestions.
The 1911 census is the last published record we have of the living William Marsh. Now aged 85, he was living at Bentley with Charlotte, now aged 79. He describes his occupation as an estate agent, although he was probably retired by now. Interestingly, this census reveals that the Marsh’s had four children altogether, three of them did not survive. Lincoln Bennet, we know about, but it seems there were two others we do not have birth records for. The only other clue to one of these children is in one of William poems, from his book ‘Songs and Poems’ (1867), where there is a poem entitled ‘In Memoriam, of our infant daughter Lena’ (see the 'Marsh Memorabilia' section below for the poem).
At the age of eighty six, William Marsh passed away at his home, 269 Bentley Road, on Good Friday, April the 11th 1912. His funeral took place at Arksey church, and he was buried in an unmarked grave in Arksey Old Cemetery, Charlotte died in 1922, followed by her son William Dawson in 1931. They lie in an unmarked grave beside William.
So ended the extraordinary life of this Bentley man, born the son of a miller, but held in the highest estimation by those in the upper echelons of public service.
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Finding The Marsh's Graves
Pictured below is Roderick Dawson Marsh with the marked out grave plots. A19 is where William lies, and A20 is the grave of Charlotte and their son. The urn bears the inscription 'W Dawson Marsh' and is the only original memorial for the grave left in the cemetery.
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Marsh Memorabilia
Newspaper cuttings, photos and letters from the Marsh archive.
Poems
A poem written by William Marsh, in honour of Abraham Lincoln. |
| Published in the Freemantle Journal, 23 December 1864 |
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To read William Marsh's Bentley poem go to Bentley, Recollections of Home.
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In Memoriam
of our infant daughter Lena
Thou art gone to the shades of rest, sweet babe,
Thou art gone to the shades of rest;
This world possess'd no charms for thee;
Thou smil'dst, and then it set thee free
To join the blest.
Thou art gone to realms of peace, sweet babe,
Thou art gone to the realms of peace;
In that land, which is ever bright and fair,
There is no sorrow, pain, no care,
But endless peace.
Thou art gone to a Heaven of Love, sweet babe,
Thou art gone to a Heaven of Love;
Thy little bark will be toss'd no more,
There's no troubled sea, nor broken shore,
In the world above.
Thou art gone to thy long last home, sweet babe,
Thou art gone to thy lomg last home;
And we shall shortly follow thee there,
When our sun has set in this world of care,
We shall come.
By William Marsh, published in his book 'Songs and Poems' of 1867.
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| From The Daily National Republican, 22 June 1864 |
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Assorted Cuttings
'Wegweiser fur Auswanderer nach Vereinigten Staaten'
(Guide for Emigrants to the United States, By William Marsh).
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In Senate
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| Cutting from 8th January 1867 |
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Help For William Marsh
Published in The Sun, New York, 21 March 1912
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Diplomatic List 1868
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John Windle Marsh
A news article from 1931 featuring the son and daughter of Adin Marsh (William's brother), talking of their memories of their Uncle William and Abraham Lincoln.A full transcription follows.
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From all parts of the world today tenuous threads of memory will weave a web at the centre of which will be the tall, stooped, uncouth figure of the man whose birthday in 1809 the country today celebrates. These threads of memory grow more and more mellowed, more and more rare; each year finds them broken; more than four score years have passed since the stirring decades which preceded and followed the Civil War. Of the few who cherish personal memories of the Great Emancipator, two, at least, are residents of Long Beach.
One of these is Mrs. Elizabeth Reeve of 1490 Linden Avenue, the other John W. Marsh of 5427 Dairy Avenue, and his sister, Mrs. Hannah Cass, of San Francisco, now on a visit with her brother in this city.
While the personal reminiscences of Mrs. Reeve cover mostly the period before Lincoln’s election to the presidency in 1860, those of another Long Beach family cover the period immediately before and after that event. John W. Marsh of 5427 Dairy Avenue and his sister, Mrs. Hannah Cass, now visiting here from San Francisco, were children in a home which was a daily rendezvous of Lincoln in the years during which sentiment was being formed for his nomination, and during the campaign that resulted in his election. Mr. Marsh who was born in 1861, does not remember Lincoln clearly, except as a friend of the family, but recalls his father lifting him, a tiny boy, to look at the dead face, which he remembers clearly.
Mrs. Cass on the other hand who is 77, recalls clearly the tall, gaunt figure of a man who used to call at her mother’s house in Springfield to consult an uncle, William Marsh, a young Englishman who organised the “alien” vote in the district, (Scotch, English and Irish), giving Lincoln a majority over Douglas of 740 votes. Marsh was, in a sense, Lincoln’s campaign manager, and they had daily conferences. It is about these days Mrs. Cass’ memories cluster.
“He gave me the first china doll I ever had,” she relates of Lincoln. “It was a very beautiful doll, and of course all the children envied me. One day we saw a funeral pass the house and decided to have a funeral too. We buried my doll in a flower bed, but that night I cried so hard that early next morning mother went out to dig it up. The neighbour’s children had been there first and the doll was gone.”
Let the News Wait
“My mother was a seamstress and made shirts for Lincoln. I remember the black tie he used to wear never tied right, and how careless he was in his dress, and how it annoyed Mrs. Lincoln. I recall seeing him one time in a high hat, a long-tailed black coat, one trouser leg in his boot and the other one out.
When the telegram came announcing that Lincoln was elected, he was out in the lot behind our house with father and uncle and another man, playing cricket, an English game, but Mr. Lincoln wouldn’t come in to read the message until he’d finished the game. He was very fond of children and always noticed them. More than once he sat and talked to my father and uncle with a kiddie on each knee.”
Mr. Marsh’s father’s name was Aden Marsh. When he came to America from the English estate where his family has lived for more than 500 years the countrymen he met called him “Haden,” so he changed his name to Haden, and then they called him “Aden.” The uncle, William Marsh, after the election of Lincoln to the presidency, went with him to Washington where he became Washington correspondent for Mr. Greeley’s Paper, The New York Tribune. Having the “ear of the president,” of the President’s secretary, John Hay, and the assistant secretary, Nicolai, his news was always inside stuff and his services always valuable to the papers: and, as he lived at the old Willard Hotel, he dined with the prominent figures in the politics of the day. Later, Lincoln appointed Marsh U.S. Consul to Altona, Hamburg, where he had many thrilling experiences, as indeed his life was filled with them, but that is another story. In his later years he devoted his time to forestry in which he was an authority.
Calls Masters “Nut”
The Marsh family is one of long and prolific lives, several living almost a century. Mr. John Marsh has six children living, with 13 grand-children, and two great grand-children. Of his own memories of the great American, Mr. Marsh says:
“I think Edgar Lee Masters not only a “nut,” but a coward as well.
“I am the son of a man who was an intimate friend of Lincoln. My older sister and brother and myself have sat on Lincoln’s lap often. And what I know of Lincoln’s life has been told me so often by my father, mother and older sister that I came to know him as the best, kindest friend a boy could have. I have always remembered him and taught my children to so remember him as the greatest American.
My father’s brother, William Marsh, who was an Englishman, was a politician in Springfield and we organised the alien vote, and formed the English, Irish and Scottish club. And so thoroughly was it organised that the precinct was carried for Lincoln, and Lincoln never forgot him, offering him anything he wanted in his cabinet, and finally induced to take the consulate at Altona, Hamburg.
My aunt was music teacher to two of Mr. Lincoln’s children, and he presented her one of his pictures which she in turn gave to my mother and mother gave to me before her death, and I still have it. I have been told that there are but two of these pictures in existence, but I have the third one that history does not know about.”
“I think we are all foolish to let Masters work us all up so much over Lincoln. Why, not only we Americans think Lincoln the greatest man, but also England thinks the same. I have clippings out of the Gazette, a paper from Bentley, England, praising Lincoln as “the greatest of American presidents’.”
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William Dawson Marsh
A letter to his Cousin, John Windle Marsh.The following is a letter written by William Marsh's son, William Dawson, to his cousin John Windle Marsh (son of Adin and Susanna Marsh) in the United States. The letter appears to have been written in 1919, although William is a little 'out' on some of the dates and ages he writes about.
A full transcription follows.
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| Image does not show the whole letter. |
Transcription of the above letter:
Tweed House
Bentley Road
Doncaster
Yorkshire
England
29/10/19
John Windle Marsh Esq.
Dear Cousin,
I have just come across a letter addressed to my mother, your Aunt Charlotte Marsh. I am the only son of your Uncle William Marsh late U.S. Consul and it gives me great pleasure to write you, as I had lost sight of the Marsh Family in the United States. Of course I have been away from Bentley for some years and this accounts for my not being in touch with the family. However, I am back again as you see. I am a land agent and Engineer. I have been married 22 years and have only one son William Seton Dawson Marsh, aged 20 years. He has been all through the Great War and is still in the army of occupation as a Company Sergeant Major, stationed at Dunkirk, Belgium. I am expecting him home for Xmas.
I see by your letter dated 1916 that you are 54 years of age, I am 54 years of age so there is not much between us. My mother is still alive and lives with us. She will be 90 years old next June. I have often wondered which one of you [rest of sentence illegible].
You must all of you [have] made a pile of money. My father died April 5th 1913 aged 86 years. I consider he made a great mistake when he left the States, as he did not do so well in this country although he held some important positions as a land agent he never made money. The war and strikes has ruined this old country of England and now it is not worth living in.
I have made up my mind that when my mother dies, I and my wife and son will try a new country and we may come over to the States or Canada, so as to give my son a chance to make his pile.
I shall be pleased to hear what California is like and what are the prospects for a newcomer.
I would like you to write full particulars relating to yourself and family and let me know what you are all doing.
I suppose my Uncle Sam is also dead. What family did he leave, if you put them into communication with me, I shall be very pleased to write them.
I enclose you my photo and my son’s, as far as I know my son has been the only Marsh in the war and has seen some hard fighting, but I am thankful to say God has spared him and he has been at home on leave three times.
I will send you my Father's Poem's when I hear from you and I have only two copies left, [illegible] poems sold at 50 dollars each [illegible].
My father had one sister Eliza; I take it she is Mrs. Falkingham? and pleased to hear her three sons are doing well, remember us to them.
I am pleased to hear you are building a house for yourself and hope someday I shall be able to see it. Your son looks to be a fine young man and about the age of my boy. All the photos are very good and I am very pleased to have them. You yourself are a Marsh and have great likeness of my father.
It is very kind of you to offer to send me some stamps. I am sending you my father’s book of poems. I have only one left for myself now. So you can let the others read it, the poems of Bentley are very interesting.
I have just received a letter from Mrs. Hayden Tom Marsh and was very pleased to hear from her and will answer it in due course.
My mother is still alive, but cannot leave her bedroom. She will be 90 in June.
My wife and self send you all the best wishes for the New Year.
Your afft Cousin
W. Dawson Marsh
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Adin Marsh's Family Photos
Adin Marsh and his wife Susanna Apt had thirteen children (nine survived). The photo above from 1931, shows five of them. From left to right - John Windle Marsh (1861 - 1939, age 70), William Marsh (1866 - 1948, age 65), Hannah Marsh Cass (1854 - 1936, age 77), George Marsh (1877 - 1964, age 54), and Hayden Thomas Marsh (1874 - 1942, age 57).
Adin and Susanna's eldest son, Charles Hayden (1856 - 1940).
Cutting about Charles Hayden Marsh's 83rd birthday from 1939.
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Adin and Susanna's youngest son, George Herbert (1876 - 1964).
Susannah (Apt) Marsh with two of George Herbert's children.
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Adin and Susanna's son, Jesse Jacob Marsh (1872 - 1940).
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Adin and Susanna's son, John Windle Marsh (1861 - 1939).
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Adin and Susanna's son Hayden Thomas (1874 - 1942)
Photo from Find A Grave
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Adin and Susanna's daughter, Luella Elizabeth (1879 - 1970) and her husband Marion Orlando Biggs.
Obituary for Luella Elizabeth (Marsh) Biggs, 1970
Photo from Find A Grave.
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Adin and Susanna's son William Marsh (1866 - 1948) and his wife Mary E Hart.
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Susannah (Apt) Marsh in mourning, probably following the death of Adin in 1905.
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Funeral paper for Adin Marsh 1905.
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Many thanks to Mr Fred Marsh for allowing me to use the Marsh family photos.
Many thanks to David K Marsh for records, photos, biographies and other material.
The life of William Marsh is taken from a biography by Roderick William Dawson-Marsh. My grateful thanks in allowing me to use it.
Alison Vainlo
First written 2014, updated 2020
