William Blake

Brief Life History of William

When William Blake was born on 1 January 1806, in North Molton, Devon, England, United Kingdom, his father, Henry Davy, was 30 and his mother, Joanna Blake, was 36. He married Sarah Barrow on 5 March 1838, in North Molton, Devon, England, United Kingdom. They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 4 daughters. He lived in North Molton, Devon, England in 1861. He died on 9 October 1864, in Wyoming, United States, at the age of 58, and was buried in Wyoming, United States.

Photos and Memories (8)

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Family Time Line

William Blake
1806–1864
Sarah Barrow
1818–1896
Marriage: 5 March 1838
Mary Jane Blake
1839–1914
Catherine Blake
1841–1931
Johanna Blake
1843–1918
James Blake
1845–1850
William Blake
1848–1933
Sarah Blake
1854–1864

Sources (33)

  • William Blake, "England and Wales Census, 1861"
  • William Blake, "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975"
  • William Blake and Sarah Barrow, "England Marriages, 1538–1973"

World Events (8)

1808

Atlantic slave trade abolished.

1815

The defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo marks the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon defeated and exiled to St. Helena.

1823

Rugby Football 'invented' at Rugby School.

Name Meaning

English and Scottish (England and central Scotland): variant of Black 1, meaning ‘swarthy’ or ‘dark-haired’, from a byform of the Old English adjective blæc, blac ‘black’, with change of vowel length.

English: nickname from Middle English blak(e) (Old English blāc) ‘wan, pale, white, fair’. In Middle English the two words blac and blāc, with opposite meanings, fell together as Middle English blake. In the absence of independent evidence as to whether the person referred to was dark or fair, it is now impossible to tell which sense was originally meant.

English (Norfolk): nickname from Middle English bleik, blaik>, blek(e) (Old Norse bleikr) ‘pale or sallow’ (in complexion).

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

Possible Related Names

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