SMURTHWAITE FAMILY HISTORY

This page is dedicated to the history of the Smurthwaite family in County Durham

A number of branches of the Smurthwaite family flourished in County Durham, and it is hoped to gradually incorporate a broader overview of the various branches into this page.

I am happy to gradually add new interests, links and summary material to this web page, but am unable to provide any additional material on the Durham Smurthwaite families beyond that presented here. Please bear this in mind if e-mailing.

Robert Smurthwaite was born in Sunderland around 1819 (son of George Smurthwaite, ship's master), and his descendants flourished in the area throughout the 19th century. His son George appears to have moved to York with his family in the 1870's and initiated a number of descendant lines there. This line apparently links into an earlier County Durham tree researched by Dorothy Ferguson which extends back into the 1600's. It is being researched by Vanessa Walker, Lin Pannell and Viv Hawley.

Another Durham line begins with Peter Smurthwaite and Mary Newton, whose son George (1820) married Sarah Richardson in 1845 and Mary Corner in 1874. George and Sarah's son John was born in East Rainton in 1852, lived in Houghton le Spring, and died in West Hartlepool in 1927. Descendants of this line later spread to Australia, and the line is being researched by Christine McLean.

One branch of the Durham Smurthwaites which emigrated to Ohio is summarised on Kay Schaney's Smurthwaite page.

Anyone interested in further details of this branch of the Smurthwaite family, or who is able to provide additional relevant information, is invited to contact the coordinator for this page Ian Hall.

This page was last updated 30 July 2007