Person Page - 91

     William Heppleston was born in 1855 at Batley. He was the son of Robert Preston Heppleston and Lydia Hobbet. In the census of 7 April 1861 he was listed as as a scholar the son of Robert Preston Heppleston at Providence Street, Batley.¹
William Heppleston married Lois Blakeley, daughter of Reuben Blakeley and Jane Blakeley, in 1875.²
William Heppleston is said to have emigrated to New Zealand in 1882.

     David Blakeley was born in 1769. He was the son of Joshua Blakeley. David Blakeley married Mary Dixon, daughter of William Dixon, on 14 February 1790 at Batley.¹
David Blakeley married Mary Bentley on 2 December 1804 at Rothwell.
David Blakeley died on 31 March 1845.²
He was buried on 3 April 1845 at Batley.¹
A memorial Inscription gives the following:-
David Blakeley Batley d. 31 Mar 1845 aged 78.
Mary his wife d.4 Feb 1804 age 35.
Also Mary 2nd wife d. 11 June 1829 age 46. at Churchyard, Batley.³

     Sarah Sheard was born on 23 May 1800. She was the daughter of George Sheard and Elizabeth Firth. Sarah Sheard was baptized on 6 July 1800 at Batley.¹

     Matilda Blakeley was born circa 1850. She was the daughter of Samuel Blakeley and Sarah Berry.

     Lois Blakeley mentioned in will of grandfather Abraham. She was born in 1856. She was the daughter of Reuben Blakeley and Jane Blakeley. In the census of 7 April 1861 se was listed as a scholar aged 5 the granddaughter of Abraham Blakeley.¹ In the census of 2 April 1871 she was listed as aged 15 the daughter of Reuben Blakeley at Russell St, Batley.²
Lois Blakeley married William Heppleston, son of Robert Preston Heppleston and Lydia Hobbet, in 1875.³

     Mary Bentley was born in 1781 at Batley. She married David Blakeley, son of Joshua Blakeley, on 2 December 1804 at Rothwell.
Mary Bentley died on 11 June 1829 at Batley.¹

     Mary Dixon was born in 1770. She was the daughter of William Dixon. Mary Dixon was baptized on 4 June 1770 at Batley.¹
She married David Blakeley, son of Joshua Blakeley, on 14 February 1790 at Batley.¹
Mary Dixon died on 4 February 1804 at Batley.²

     William Dixon lived at Morley.

     Sarah (?) married Joseph Law, son of Benjamin Law and Lydia Sheard.

     Thomas Law was born circa 1833. He was the son of Joseph Law and Sarah (?). Thomas Law married Jane Heppleston, daughter of John Heppleston and Ellen Preston, in 1855 at Batley.

     Samuel Law was born circa 1836. He was the son of Joseph Law and Sarah (?). Samuel Law was baptized on 3 June 1836 at Batley.¹

     Ann Greenwood was born in 1813. She was the daughter of Christopher Richard Greenwood and Susanna Blakeley. Ann Greenwood was baptized on 18 April 1813 at Batley.¹
She died in 1827. She was buried on 25 December 1827 at Batley ; aged 14.¹

     Frank Greenwood was born in 1815 at Batley. He was the son of Christopher Richard Greenwood and Susanna Blakeley. Frank Greenwood was baptized on 18 June 1815 at Batley.¹
He died in 1816. He was buried on 28 May 1816 at Batley ; aged 1.¹

     Mary Greenwood was born in 1817. She was the daughter of Christopher Richard Greenwood and Susanna Blakeley. Mary Greenwood was baptized on 23 March 1817 at Batley.¹
She died in 1831. She was buried on 30 July 1841 at Batley ; aged 14.¹

     Sarah Greenwood was born in 1820. She was the daughter of Christopher Richard Greenwood and Susanna Blakeley. Sarah Greenwood was baptized on 9 April 1820 at Batley.¹
She married Michael Butterworth in January 1841.²

     Elizabeth Greenwood was born in 1825. She was the daughter of Christopher Richard Greenwood and Susanna Blakeley. Elizabeth Greenwood was baptized on 13 February 1825 at Batley.¹
In the census of 6 June 1841 she was listed as the daughter of Christopher Richard Greenwood at Union Mill, Soothill.²
Elizabeth Greenwood married Benjamin Mayman in 1849.³
In the census of 7 April 1861 she was listed as a rag sorter aged 34 the sister-in-law of George Hepworth at Havercroft Lane, Batley.⁴

     James Ibberson was born in 1817. He was the son of William Ibberson and Hannah Blakeley. James Ibberson was baptized on 17 September 1817 at Batley.¹
In the census of 6 June 1841 he was listed as the son of Hannah Ibberson at Havercroft, Batley.²
In the census of 30 March 1851 he was listed as a woollen rag dealer the son of Hannah Ibberson at J Ward's Hill, Batley.³

     Jane Talbot Ibberson was born in 1820. She was the daughter of William Ibberson and Hannah Blakeley. Jane Talbot Ibberson was baptized on 21 May 1820 at Batley.¹
In the census of 6 June 1841 she was listed as the daughter of Hannah Ibberson at Havercroft, Batley.²
Jane Talbot Ibberson married Samuel Ward, son of Charles Ward and Ann Birkby, on 31 March 1845 at Batley.¹
Jane Talbot Ibberson married John Furness, son of William Furness, on 3 July 1856 at Batley.¹
In the census of 2 April 1871 she was listed as the head of household at Havercroft, Batley, as a widow.³
Jane Talbot Ibberson died on 15 March 1887 at Camwood Villa, Rutland Road, Batley.⁴

     John Ibberson was born in 1823. He was the son of William Ibberson and Hannah Blakeley. John Ibberson was baptized on 19 January 1823 at Batley.¹
In the census of 6 June 1841 he was listed as the son of Hannah Ibberson at Havercroft, Batley.²

     Robert Sunderland Talbot was born in 1866. He was the son of Robert Talbot and Ellen Preston. Robert Sunderland Talbot was baptized on 19 August 1866 at Batley.¹
He died on 19 January 1927.

     George Sheard was the son of John Sheard. George Sheard married Elizabeth Firth, daughter of Cornelius Firth, on 16 September 1798 at Batley witnesses Mark and Jeremiah Pyrah.¹

     Elizabeth Firth was baptized on 1 February 1782 at Birstall.¹
She was the daughter of Cornelius Firth. Elizabeth Firth married George Sheard, son of John Sheard, on 16 September 1798 at Batley witnesses Mark and Jeremiah Pyrah.²
Elizabeth Firth died.

     Charles Sheard was born in 1854 at Bristol. He was the son of Charles Sheard and Elizabeth (?).
In the census of 7 April 1861 he was listed as the son of Charles Sheard at 24 Castle Green, Bristol.¹
In the census of 2 April 1871 he was listed as as a cloth finisher aged 16 the son of Charles Sheard at Ward's Hill, Batley.²
Charles Sheard emigrated to America in 1877 , according to his son Charles sailing from Edinburgh.³ He attended Pennington Seminary, New Jersey, to train for the Methodist Ministry.⁴
He was listed in the census of 18 June 1880 at Brookfield, Madison, New York, lodging with a Mr and Mrs Gardner, and by now a Minister.⁵
He married Frances Elizabeth Scatcherd, daughter of George Scatcherd, on 7 May 1882 at Batley.⁶
Charles Sheard witnessed the marriage of Wallace Hose and Edith Sheard on 7 January 1885 at The Methodist Church, Little Falls.⁷ Between 1895 and 1900 Charles Sheard was Pastor of the United Methodist Church, at Canton, St Lawrence, New York.

Charles Sheard was regarded as an authority on parliamentary Law, and wrote several books, including:-
"Pointers for Parliamentarians"
"Civil Law in the Ecclesiastical World"
and "the Minister Himself" a guide for Ministers which he described as "- not for ministers of any one religious cult or denomination, but rather for ministers of the general church of God in the Earth."

He died on 25 April 1900
; whilst returning from Troy, where he had just been appointed Presiding Elder of the New York Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.^8,9 He was buried in 1900 at Fairview Cemetery, Canton, St Lawrence, New York.¹⁰

     The Eagle Mill later became part of the Rex Knitting Company.
Titus Sheard was born on 5 October 1841 at Batley. He was the son of George Sheard and Martha Talbot. Titus Sheard was baptized on 14 November 1841 at Batley.¹
He was the only child of George and Martha, and soon left motherless by Martha's death in 1842. However, he had a number of half brothers and sisters from his father's previous marriage to Rebecca Blakeley and his mother's to David Sheard, a cousin of her second husband.

In the census of 30 March 1851 he was listed as as an errand boy the son of George Sheard at N Side Commercial St, Havercroft, Batley.²

Titus Sheard was a pupil at Zion Sunday School, and is said to have treasured a bible given him there by Robert Shackleton all his life.³

Emigration to America

on 18 August 1856 Titus Sheard emigrated with his brother-in-law Francis Senior and sister Mary Senior,sailing on the Ontario from Liverpool with their two children and Mary's half-brother.³ He seems to have gone first to Syracuse, but then learned that family friends/relatives had moved to Little Falls, so moved there and found work as a spinner.⁴
It may well have been Francis's sister Isabella and her husband Jeremiah Mitchell, who had emigrated the previous year, that he hoped to meet, for we find him associated with Jeremiah later.
Titus Sheard would soon have met Frank's other sister Ellen and her husband Charles Bailey when they arrived in Little Falls, New York in 1857.⁵ In the census of 7 July 1860 he was listed as aged 18, at school, in the household of Francis Senior at Little Falls, Herkimer, New York.⁶
In 1863 Titus Sheard married Helen M Waite.

Titus as Manufacturer

By about 1864 Titus was engaged in shoddy manufacture, that recycling process which he would have been aware had brought prosperity to some of his family connections in Batley.
Titus Sheard purchased an interest in the the knitting mill owned by Charles Bailey and William Butcher but this was burnt to the ground in 1866.^7,4

In June 1865 Titus Sheard was listed in the New York State census under an entry for industry other than agricultural in Little Falls, as engaged in the Shoddy trade. This was recorded as a water-powered concern employing 2 men, 14 women, 2 girls and 2 boys. At that time no other textile concerns are listed in Little Falls.
In the census of 13 June 1870 he was listed as the head of household at Little Falls, Herkimer, New York, as a Shoddy Manufacturer. The value of his real and personal estates are each given as $5,000.⁸
In that year he is said to have taken possession of an old yarn factory on Loomis Island, which he operated successfully for some years.⁹
In 1875 Titus Sheard was prosperous enough to build a substantial house in Little Falls. This has now gone, but Charles Nicholson was fortunate enough to see it in its final days, and indeed lent support to a campaign to save it. Sadly this did not succeed, but has perhaps given impetus to the Little Falls community to preserve other buildings which form part of their heritage.⁴
In 1879 Titus Sheard formed the Titus Sheard Company and built his own knitting mill, The Eagle Mill.⁴

In the census of 1880 he was listed as the head of household at Herkimer, Little Falls, New York, a manufacturer of knit goods.¹⁰

Titus Sheard in Politics

Titus Sheard was a Republican, and he became involved in local politics, and in 1877 was elected to the New York State Assembly.^3,4
In 1884 Titus Sheard was elected speaker of the Assembly, beating Theodore Roosevelt, later to be American President from 1901-1909, in the caucus.⁴
He was elected to the New York State Senate in 1889.
In the census of 9 June 1900 he was listed as the head of household at Little Falls as a manufacturer of knit goods.¹¹
The success of Titus's business ventures had brought connections from Batley such as his relative Isaac Sheardto find work there.
Titus Sheard died on 13 April 1904 at age 62; of heart disease.¹² He was buried on 14 April 1904 at The cemetery, Little Falls.