William Smith
4 November 1802–
Rigside, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom
The Life of William
When William Smith was born on 4 November 1802, in Rigside, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, his father, James Smith, was 35 and his mother, Christian Gold, was 31. He lived in Douglas, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom in 1802.
Photos & Memories (0)
Do you know this person? Do you have a story about him you would like to share? Sign in or Create a FREE Account
Family Time Line
James Smith
1767–
Christian Gold
1771–
John Smith
1793–
William Smith
1795–1802
Mary Smith
1798–1863
Robert Smith
1801–
William Smith
1802–
Christian Smith
1807–
Parents and Siblings
1767–Male
1771–Female
siblings
(6)
1793–Male
1795–1802Male
1798–1863Female
1801–Male
1802–Male
+1 More Child
World Events (8)
1811 · The Tron Riot
Age 9
The Tron riot was a riot which occurred in Edinburgh, Scotland on New Year's Eve. A group of young men attacked and robbed wealthier passers-by. One police officer was killed in the riot. Though the total count of participants is unknown, sixty-eight youths were arrested, with five sentenced to death for their actions during the riot.
1815
Age 13
The defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo marks the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon defeated and exiled to St. Helena.
1838 · Jenners Department Store Opens its doors
Age 36
Jenners was founded by Charles Jenner as a department store for the community. The original building was destroyed by a fire in 1892 but, with a new design in mind, the store was reopened in 1895 with new features. It was named Harrods of the North after it was given Royal Warrant in 1911 and was visited by Queen Elizabeth II on its 150th anniversary. It was sold to the House of Fraser in 2005, which in 2008, made much needed improvements to the store.
Name Meaning
English: occupational name for a worker in metal, from Middle English smith (Old English smið, probably a derivative of smītan ‘to strike, hammer’). Metalworking was one of the earliest occupations for which specialist skills were required, and its importance ensured that this term and its equivalents were perhaps the most widespread of all occupational surnames in Europe. Medieval smiths were important not only in making horseshoes, plowshares, and other domestic articles, but above all for their skill in forging swords, other weapons, and armor. This is the most frequent of all American surnames; it has also absorbed, by assimilation and translation, cognates and equivalents from many other languages (for forms, see Hanks and Hodges 1988 ).
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
Sources (1)
- William Smith, "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950"
Find more of your family story
Find more of your family story
As a non-profit, we offer free help to anyone looking to learn the details of their family story.
