Quite a few Oakman families and individuals left Northern Ireland to settle in North America. The information found about these folk has been gleaned from a variety of sources - shipping records, census records, newspaper clippings, death registers, marriage registers, and even army records.
Walter was the son of Walter Oakman and Christina of Darraghmore. Walter was among the first settlers of Ypsilanti in Washtenaw County, Michigan. On 6 September 1824 Walter purchased 123 acres of land but sadly did not live to enjoy whatever dreams he may have had for it. Walter succumbed to Malaria and was the first recorded person to die in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on 19 September 1824. His was the first burial service at Woodruff Grove (now Ypsilanti). With no preacher to offer any prayers, a Mrs Grant read a chapter from the Bible, a hymn was sung and he was buried. His grave can be found at Highland Cemetery in Ypsilanti — the oldest gravesite in the cemetery. His headstone reads:
In
Memory of
WALTER OAKMAN
from Glenavy Ireland
who died Sept 19th 1824
aged 20 years
[two lines below this are unreadable]
Margaret Oakman - arrived 1828
Margaret Oakman is found arriving in Philadelphia from St Johns, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, on 19 May 1828. She was 18 years of age and arrived aboard the Eliza Jane.
Margaret appears to have remained in Philadelphia - she is found working as a servant for Owen Kelly, a grocer, and his family in New Market Ward, Philadelphia County in Pennsylvania. I've not been able to trace Margaret beyond the 1850 Census.
Robert Oakman - arrived 1828
Interestingly, we find a Robert Oakman also arriving on the Eliza Jane from St Johns, New Brunswick, just over a month later. The passenger list states Robert was 42 year old Weaver who intended to become an inhabitant of the United States. What happened to Robert after his arrival in America is still a mystery. Where did he live, work, die?
Another question I have about Robert - what was his relationship with Margaret (above)? From their ages I would guess they may have been father and daughter, though this may not have been the case. They could quite as easily have been brother and sister, uncle and niece, or simply cousins. There must surely have been a family connection though, for them to have such similar travelling patterns.
James Oakman - before 1832
James Oakman was born about 1803 in Ireland and died in 1882 in Poultney, Rutland, Vermont. Poultney is a small town in the State of Vermont, situated between the foothills of the Green and Taconic Mountain Ranges. Vermont is located in the northeast corner of America.
James' wife, Eleanor (Elenor/Ellen) was born about 1810 in Ireland and died in the late 1850s. Their children - Ellen, Julia, Margaret, Mary, James, Martha, Robert, John, Charles and William - were all born in Vermont, USA.
John Oakman arrived on the Independence in 1834. John initially settled in Philadelphia - the 1850 US Census shows him working as a Merchant in Germantown. He later moved to Paterson in New Jersey, where he owned a cotton mill. A biographical note found in an 1892 publication provides the following details about John:
John Oakman, 1835 - Was born in or near Belfast, Ireland, between 1810 and 1815. His father, a linen manufacturer, died while his son was still attending school. On attaining his majority he came to America and travelling in the United States, returned to Ireland, settled his affairs there and came to Philadelphia and established himself in business, dealing largely in Irish linens. In 1856 he bought the Hope Mills in Paterson, N.J., of which he had been commission agent, and was engaged in cotton spinning until within a few years of his death. He died at Paterson, N.J., in June, 1876, and was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia. He married in 1841 Harriet Sykes Campbell, daughter of Thomas Campbell. She was a niece of John Gill, Jr. (1818), and a sister of Archibald Campbell (1834). One of his sons, T.C. Oakman, is connected with the Marietta and North Georgia Railway Company.
Source: John H Campbell, "History of the Friendly Sons of St Patrick and of the Hibernian Society for the Relief of Emigrants from Ireland : March 17, 1771 - March 17, 1892", Philadelphia, Hibernian Society, 1892.
Harriet died in 1853 - the headstone on her grave is a tall pillar. John's headstone lies alongside Harriet's. The headstones contain the following inscriptions :
HARRIET S
wife of
John Oakman
died March 28, 1853 Blessed are the pure in heart
for they shall see God
JOHN OAKMAN
died June 28th, 1876
John and Harriet had at least four children. Two died in infancy. Their eldest son, Thomas Campbell Oakman, became an Architect, and it was Thomas' son, John Oakman, who became famous in the US for designing such buildings as the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse, as well as other prominent buildings and residences in Manhattan and Massachusetts.
John and Harriet's other son, Walter George Oakman, became a prominent New York businessman. An engineer and banker, he was President of the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad Company, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Guaranty Trust Company, and involved in numerous engineering projects, including the Hudson Tunnel.
After serving with the British Army for 21 years, Private John Oakman received an Army Pension and appears to have left India for North America.
Born in County Armagh about January 1797, John enlisted with the British Army "Sappers & Miners" in 1816. In 1819 he was transferred to the 48th Regiment of Foot and served as a convict guard in Australia (Sydney, Port Dalrymple and Port Macquarie) from 1820 to 1824. In May 1824 the regiment were moved out of Australia to serve in the East Indies. 1834 sees John transferring to the 48th Regiment of Foot and remaining in the East Indies. Ill health later finds John, at 36 years of age, seeking discharge from the Army. This was granted in August 1837. Army Pension records of 1838 give John's place of residence as North America.
I am awaiting documents from the Public Record Office in Kew, England which will hopefully tell me exactly where John settled in the US. I will include the details here as soon as these have been received.
1840 Mississippi Naturalisation Records exist (not yet sighted) for a Robert Oakman of Ireland and Louisiana Land Records show a Robert Oakman purchasing 475.8 acres of land at the Ouachita Land Office in 1845.
In 1850, in the Parish of Concordia, Louisiana, Irish-born Robert Oakman is a Cotton Planter with $11,000 worth of real estate. Robert was born about 1815 and arrived in the US sometime before 1850. The Census of that year shows Robert "owns" 12 slaves (5 males, 4 females and 3 children). Robert's overseer is a man named John Roles who was born in Great Britain.
In 1860, the value of Robert's property is not listed. Still in Concordia, Louisiana, Robert now has 36 slaves (13 males, 15 females and 8 children). Sometime prior to 1860, Robert's niece from Ireland — 35 year old H Shubridge — and Watchmaker J Cooper, living with him.
It was finding Miss Shubridge living with Robert that enabled me to connect Robert back to his Northern Ireland family. Miss Shubridge was the daughter of Susannah Oakman and her husband James Shubridge (or Shawbridge/Shoebridge). Susannah's father, and therefore Robert's too, was William Oakman of Pigeontown, Ballyvollen Townland, in the Parish of Glenavy, County Antrim. Miss Shubridge's brother, David Shubridge also ventured to the US. He was working as a Labourer in Concordia, Louisiana in 1860.
According to the "Daily Advocate", Baton Rouge, LA, Miss Shubridge organised the "Great Democratic Barbecue at Coffee Point" which took place on 11 October 1860. Read the article.
1870 finds Robert with new housemates - Miss Amanda Johnston (born in Ireland abt 1835 and blind), and Lucy Nelson (16 year old house servant). Robert's property value has increased to $75,000 — quite a hefty sum! According to the Belfast Newsletter of 20 February 1875, Robert, formerly of Pigeontown, Co Antrim, died on 22 January 1875 at "The Glen" near Natchez, Mississippi.
It is possible that Robert is related to George Oakman who settled in Canada in 1844 — a link yet to be proven.
Seventeen year old Walter Oakman left Belfast on the Mertome which arrived in New York on 4 June 1845. Walter was naturalised on 28 October 1851 and his Naturalisation Certificate gives his address as 186 Monroe St, New York County, witnessed by Clements Oakman of the same address. Walter and Clements were related in some way - brothers perhaps?
Walter was working as a Cooper at Saugerties, NY in 1850 and boarding at the home of Sarah Du Bois - as was Robert Oakman who arrived in New York in 1848. What was their relationship to one another, and to Clement Oakman?
Walter married Roseanna about 1858 and the couple had at least four children - Eliza, John B, Annie and William.
Clement Oakman was born about 1828 in Ireland and sailed to the US on the Sir C Campbell which arrived at the Port of New York on 7 July 1846. In 1851, Clement was living at 186 Monroe St, New York County when he witnessed the naturalisation of his relative Walter Oakman. On 28 October 1858 Clement was Naturalised and the witness to his Naturalisation was Catherine Davison (the mother of William Oakman) of 7 Munro St, NYC. Were Clement and Walter brothers to William?
Clement worked as a Boiler Maker, and Railway Employee in Amboy, Illinois. He and his wife, Ellen, had four children - William, Mary, Clements G and Richard. The oldest two children became School Teachers, while Clements Jr had a varied career as a Machinist, Furniture Merchant, Undertaker and Real Estate Agent, living most of his adult life in Clintonia, Illinois. Richard worked on the railroads and also lived in Clintonia, DeWitt County with his wife and family.
Eighteen year old Margaret arrived in New York on 29 August 1848 aboard the Sea King. There's a Robert Oakman on the same ship - brother or husband or some other relative? Margaret went to live with relatives Eliza and Ann Oakman in Rensselaer (north of New York City). I've found no trace of her beyond 1850 - she may have married and therefore changed her surname - or was she the wife of Robert and are they in fact the Robert and Margaret found in Philadelphia in the 1860 Census?
The two girls Margaret was living with in 1850 are found living with their parents Walter and Eliza in the 1860 Census.
Robert was only 16 years old when he arrived in New York with Margaret, on the Sea King on 29 August 1848. His occupation is given as "Cultivator/Farmer" on shipping records. He found work as a Cooper in little town called Saugerties (about half-way between New York City and Rensselaer where Margaret was living). Robert was one of nine Coopers who were living in the home of Sarah Du Bois in the town of Saugerties. This included a Walter Oakman (25 yrs) - a brother of Robert perhaps?
William, aged 24, along with his widowed mother, Catherine Davidson and his two half-sisters, Jane and Catherine, arrived in New York from Belfast aboard the Chenango on 3 July 1849.
William married soon after arriving in New York - the Census taken on 6 August 1850 lists William, his wife Martha (also from Ireland) and two-month-old daughter, Ellen. William worked as a Seaman throughout the 1850s and 1860s, but by 1870, when he was in his mid-40s, he was working as a Painter in New York. Martha appears to have died sometime in the 1860s as the Census taken on 29 June 1870 shows William living with 46 year old Mary J Oakman, along with his children Ellen (20), Walter (17), and 4-month-old George. The census shows Mary J as having been born in "New Foundland" (Canada) and "keeping house".
By 19 January 1871, William is living in an apartment building at 46 Forsyth Road, New York (close to present-day Chinatown and the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge). Living with him are 38 year old Jane who was born "At Sea", another Jane (21 yrs - this could be William's eldest child, Ellen, or even a daughter of the woman living with him), Walter (17 yrs), William (12 yrs), and George (1 yr).
I've found no trace of William in the 1880 Census - he would have been about 57 years old - but I have found Mary J Oakman (47 yrs, born Nova Scotia) keeping house for James Hamilton and his boarders. Living with her were children George (10 yrs) and Emma (5 yrs). She is listed as widowed so William must have died between 1875-1880.
In the 1850 US Census, Eliza Oakman, born Ireland about 1819, is living in the City of Troy, NY with Ann Oakman (sister?) and Margaret Oakman.
By 1860 we find Eliza working as a Wash Woman, still living in Troy, NY, but now living with Walter and Eliza Oakman and Jane Oakman. In 1870 Eliza is Keeping House for her father and younger sister, as well as as nephew and niece. I've not been able to find Eliza in the 1880 Census - she may have married or died by this time.
John Oakman, a Blacksmith living in Detroit, Michigan in 1850 may have been the soldier who left India in 1838 — documents which I hope to receive soon from the Public Records Office in Kew, London, should verify whether this is so. This Detroit John married Elizabeth Normile in 1851 and they had 9 children — William (abt 1852), Margaret (abt 1854), John (abt 1855), Joseph (abt 1857), Robert (abt 1860), Elizabeth (abt 1863), Charles H (abt 1865), Emma (abt 1866), and James M (abt 1870).
John was also a Finisher and later a Grocer, remaining in Detroit until his death in 1875. His parents were William and Mary but no information has yet been found about where in Ireland John came from.
Many of their children became prominent citizens of the Detroit community. Charles became a dentist. William went into the Printing trade. Robert became a real estate agent and prosperous land developer as well as playing a major role in the Michigan Republican Party. Daughter Elizabeth travelled to Australia where married Joseph Bayliss in Sydney, and died there in 1955.
Elizabeth, born in Ireland in about 1832, died 10 years after her husband in 1885.
Margaret (born c1831) and her sisters, Mary and Lucy left County Armagh in Northern Ireland and arrived in New York City sometime before 1850. Their mother, Margaret also emigrated to the US, but I have found no proof that their father, Robert Oakman, ever joined them. He was a medical doctor, deceased by the time Margaret married husband John Newman in November 1859. Whether he had died prior to them emigrating or whether he died in New York is not known.
Margaret and John Newman had the following children: Mary, Ella, John and Robert. John was a Typesetter/Compositor and the family lived mostly in the Brooklyn area of New York City.
For more information on this family, please
Mary J Oakman - arrived before 1850
Mary Oakman, sister of Margaret (above), was born in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, about 1836. She arrived in New York City with her mother and sisters in the late 1840s. The US Censuses of 1860 and 1880 list her occupation as Bookfolder and in 1910 she was living with her nephew Robert - she had never married. Mary died sometime between 1910-1920.
Lucy C Oakman - arrived before 1850
The above Margaret and Mary had a younger sister, Lucy, who was also born in County Armagh (c1838). Lucy worked as a Bookfolder until her marriage to James Lloyd Evans on 24 August 1863 (source: New York Times). She and James were living in New York City in 1870 with their two children Ann and Thomas but I've found no trace of them beyond this date. James Lloyd Evans was a Block and Pump Manufacturer.
From William G. Cutler's "History of the State of Kansas", published in 1883:
W. G. OAKMAN, of the firm of Oakman & Clover, dealers in real estate. The present firm was organized in 1878. The junior partner, Mr. S. S. Clover, has been in business at Paola in the same line since 1864. Mr. Oakman is a native of Canada, and was born March 30, 1837. He came to the United States in 1850 and made his home at Lockport, N. Y. about two years, then removed to Detroit, Mich., where he remained nine years. He next moved to Western Michigan and in 1868 came to Kansas. He was back and forth between Michigan and Kansas for several years and in 1875 engaged in farming in Miami County. In 1878 he formed a partnership with Mr. Clover in his present business.
In the 1870 and 1880 US Censuses, William stated he was born in Canada, but the 1900 Census reveals he was born in Ireland. He had obviously spent some time in Canada prior to settling in the US, which raises the question of whether William's family had emigrated to Canada, or whether he may have been visiting other family there. As he was only about 13 years of age when he first came to the US, it seems likely he had indeed travelled to Canada with his family.
William married at Berrien, Michigan in January 1868. His wife's name was Mary A Hooper (or Laselle) and the couple were living at Three Oaks Village in Michigan by the time of the 1870 US Census. They had at least one child, Willie, who was born c1868 but died of Infant Cholera the following year. William was a widow by 1900, but where and when he died is not yet known.
I have found a Robert Oakman, who was born in Ireland, is working as a Bricklayer in Philadelphia in 1860. He is living with wife Margaret and children Robert, Margaret, Mary and Martha. Their eldest child, who was 9 in 1860, was born in Pennsylvania so Robert must have arrived in the US prior to 1851.
What happened to this family beyond 1860 is a mystery! They don't turn up in any of the later US Censuses. Perhaps they returned to Ireland, or moved on to some other country entirely. If you are related to this family and know where they were beyond 1860, please
.
At first I thought this was the Robert who arrived on the Sea King in 1848, but as there is a 10 year discrepancy in ages this is unlikely ... though not impossible. Both Margarets were born in Ireland and they were both the same age. I'm keeping an open mind on this possibility…
Walter (born abt 1790) and his wife Eliza are first found in the 1860 US Census, living and working in the City of Troy, Renssalaer, New York. Troy was a prosperous city and famous for its iron foundries in the mid-1800s. Walter was a Laundryman, and living with him were his wife and daughters Eliza O Oakman (38 yrs) and Jane Oakman (23 yrs).
By 1870, Walter's wife appears to have died. Walter is now 87 years old and no longer working, while daughter Eliza is Keeping House for him. Living with them is 33 year old Jane Church and two young children - Robert 6 yrs and Annie 3 yrs - both of whom were born in New York.
This family would have been in Troy at the time of the Civil War (1861-64) and The Great Troy Fire of 1862. Walter had died by 1880 and I have found no trace of daughter Eliza. Jane's first husband had died and she had remarried (see Jane Oakman - before 1860 for more on Jane.
NOTE: It is very likely that Walter and Eliza were also the parents of Margaret, Robert, and Walter. They were living relatively close to each other, with Margaret living with Ann and Eliza soon after her arrival in the US. If they were all sisters then surely Robert must be a brother? Then there's Robert and Walter boarding in the same house in Saugerties. Add one more family connection — Clement — he was living with Walter in 1851 when Walter was naturalised. They must all be connected somehow!
Jane Oakman is found in the 1860 US Census living in the City of Troy, Rensselaer, New York, with Walter and Eliza Oakman. The was 23 years of age (born c1837) and working as a Wash Woman. She married unknown Church a few years later and at the time of the 1870 Census she was living with her father and sister, Eliza, with her two children - Robert and Annie.
By 1880 Jane has remarried to Michael O'Neil and they have three children together - Michael, Eliza and Margaret. Her son Robert is now about 15 years old and living with his mother and step-father. As for Annie - perhaps she died?
There is a George Oakman listed in the 1860 US Census. He was 15 years of age and had been born in Ireland. He was attending school in Philadelphia City and living in the home of John Miller, Gentleman, and his family. There were a number of Irish women also living in the Miller home. These women were likely to have been housemaids. I can't help but wonder whether George might have been the son of one of these women. No trace of George has been found after 1860.
John was born in June 1875 in Ballymoney Parish, County Antrim, Northern Ireland (IGI Batch #C701588). His parents were William Oakman and Elizabeth McCauley (or McAuley). He had at least one sibling - a brother, Robert (born 29 March 1879). John's family were Roman Catholics. In the 1900 US Census John stated he had arrived in the US in 1888, but the only arrival I've been able to find close to that time is for a John Oakman who travelled on the Devonia from Glasgow to the Port of New York, arriving on 6 August 1890. This passenger's stated destination was New Jersey so it is likely to be one and the same John.
According to the Paterson, New Jersey Directories of 1890-93, John was a Boxmaker living at 128 Clay Street, Paterson City. At the time of the 1900 US Census (6 June 1900) John was a Silk Weaver living in Lewis St, Paterson City, had married in 1896 to Annie (Dorn), and had a son named Leonard who was born in September 1898.
According to William Meyer's family tree on Rootsweb's WorldConnect, John died in 1900 and was buried at Fairlawn Cemetery, Fairlawn, New Jersey. Annie married again, in about 1905 to Abraham Stohls, and had two more children. Annie and John's son, Leonard, died in 1950 in Clifton, NJ and was buried at the Cedar Lawn Cemetary in Paterson. Annie and John also had a daughter, Elizabeth, who was born around the time that John died.
Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1880 to parents Robert Oakman and Margaret McClarnon, Charles Yates Oakman was a Chemist. He arrived at the Port of Philadelphia in April 1903 intending to stay with his cousin in New York City. The cousin's surname was Sam McFarland, and he or she lived at 354 or 554 West 43rd Street in New York City.
Charles returned to Belfast not long after his arrival in the US. He and his younger brother, Joseph Albert, then travelled back to New York together on the Teutonic which arrived at the Port of New York on 14 September 1904. They both intended staying with Charles' friend Dixon Charleson who lived at 435 West 40th Street in New York City.
Charles returned to Belfast again, this time to marry Margaret Boland. The ceremony took place on 5 September 1906 at Grange Church of Ireland, in Grange, County Armagh. On 29 September Charles and his bride boarded S S Campania and sailed for New York.
Charles and Margaret had at least three children — Harold (born c1907), Eileen (born c1911), and Walter (born c1923).
Charles fought in WWI and returned to New York after the War, working as an Inspector on the Railroads. He died in July 1941.
Charles Yates Oakman's younger brother, Joseph, was born in Ireland in May 1885. He was an Engineer and arrived in the US aboard the Teutonic on 22 September 1904. In 1910 he was boarding with his sister Annie Mulligan and her husband, William at West 134th Street, NYC. Annie and William had emigrated from Ireland to the US in 1906. Joseph was working as a Motorman for Surface Rail Road.
A short time later, Joseph moved to Canada where he married Annie (surname unknown). They lived in Hamilton, Ontario, and their two sons, Albert and Leslie were born there. In April 1912, Joseph and Annie travelled with their 9 month old son, Albert, to visit Joseph's sister Annie at Bayshore, Long Island.
Two and a half years later (December 1914), Joseph and Annie and two young sons travelled from Canada to New York City to visit Joseph's brother Charles. Joseph was still working as a Motorman, but now in Hamilton, Ontario. In 1917 Joseph enlisted in WWI and noted his next-of-kin as Annie Mulligan, NYC.
By 1920 Joseph was living in East 65th St, Manhattan, NYC with his sister, Annie and his two boys (Albert and Leslie). In 1921 he became a US Citizen and gave his address as 416 East 65th Street.
1930 finds Joseph remarried to Elizabeth, working for a Trolley Co as a Motorman. His son Albert works for N Y Edison Co as a Motorman. The family are still living at 416 East 65th Street, Manhattan, New York City.
Robert John Oakman was born in Tipperary, Ireland. His WWI Draft Registration Card states his date of birth as 2 April 1892. According to the 1930 US Census, Robert emigrated to America in 1913. Robert married Mary Moran c1918 and they had at least four children — Robert, Alice, James and Mary.
Robert was working as a Trackman at the Brooklyn Navy Base in 1920 and by 1930 he was a Foreman at the Brooklyn Edison Company. Robert was still working for Brooklyn Edison Co in 1942 when he enlisted for service in WWII.
Walter was the son of Walter Oakman and Christina of 