July 2021

WIGHTMAN FAMILY TREE
This page is called 'Wightman Family Tree' because it began with Elizabeth Oldershaw (neé Wightman), Margaret Douglas's (neé Oldershaw) mother.

The purpose of this study is to help to find the date of birth of Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas, the (apparently adopted) daughter of Rev. James Douglas and Margaret Douglas neé Oldershaw. Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas appears to be the only credible identity of the aunt referred to in the 'Nephew's Letter' which describes the purchase of JMW Turner's first canvas and the production of his first oil painting at Rochester.

Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas appears to be the natural daughter of Margaret Douglas neé Oldershaw. However, her father, described as 'Whiteman' on the baptism record has not been identified. It is not clear exactly what this relationship was but this set of family trees show possible connections.

References (shown in red on the family tree):

• Nephew's Letter From 'Once a Week' magazine Feb 1st 1862
• James Oldershaw Marriage Settlement Shows the origin of the Wightman (Whiteman) name
• Obituary of Rev. James Douglas From 'Gentleman's Magazine'. Shows one surviving daughter in 1819.
• FreeReg 1 Baptism of Margaret Martha as 'Douglas' showing her father's name as 'Whiteman'
• FreeReg 2 Marriage of Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas to Mortimer Tucker in 1811
• FreeReg 3 Birth and Baptism of James Bruce Douglas in 1895 and the only document showing James Douglas as 'Reverend'
  In Info 1 this child is shown to have died in 1786 but there is no evidence for this.
• Info 1 Information about the birth of Richard William Glode ('Glover' on the baptism record) Douglas and his mother, Margaret, neé Oldershaw.
  Note that Info 1 shows seven children but we have found evidence for only four.
• FreeReg 4 Baptism of James Edward Moreton Douglas
• FreeReg 5 Marriage of (Rev.) James Douglas and Margaret Oldershaw - they adopted Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas
• FreeReg 6 Marriage of (surgeon) James (aka John, incorrectly) Odershaw and Elizabeth Wightman (note spelling). These are Margaret Oldershaw's parents and the link to the Whiteman or Wightman family name.
• FreeReg 7 The death of (surgeon) James Oldershaw. Registered in Rochester on 15th April 1782; this timing coincides with the (adoption and) baptism of Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas (on 29th June 1782) suggesting that Margaret Martha Whiteman (perhaps known as 'Wightman' or 'Oldershaw') was in the care of James Oldershaw (her grandfather) at that time. This coincidental timing of James Oldershaw's death, in Rochester, and the baptism of Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas, also in Rochester, has several implications.
  • Elizabeth Oldershaw neé Wightman did not continue (after James's death) as guardian of Margaret Martha (Whiteman Douglas); so Elizabeth was probably already deceased or incapacitated before 1782
  • Margaret Martha Wightman had been in John Oldershaw's care and was therefore not an infant in 1782. (Prior to 1782 John Oldershaw had been his daughter's child's legal guardian.)
  • The family, consisting of James Oldershaw, his daughter Martha (Margaret's twin), (Rev.) James Douglas and his wife (Margaret - twin of Martha) and Margaret Martha (known as; Wightman, Whiteman or Oldershaw, but not yet 'Douglas') were living in Rochester in early 1782. James Oldershaw's sons were aged 33 and 28 and were almost certainly not living in Rochester.
• Bibliotheca Topographica Brittannica Grave inscriptions for (an earlier) James Oldershaw(1684-1746), his wife, Sarah, and their daughter also Sarah.

More References

• Margaret Oldershaw and her Siblings Nichols, Illustrated History of the 18th Century (A sister 'Elizabeth' was found in some unreliable www sites - at the time of writing, Aug 2021, this looks like a red-herring; 'Elizabeth' does not feature in Nichols.)
  • James Oldershaw (1749-1796) []
    • History of Stamford pages 272 and 273 Show that James was MD at Stamford, Lincolnshire, born in Leicester and confirm his dates.
    • The Baronetage of England
    • Burke - Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary
  • John Oldershaw (1754-1847)To Confirm that John Oldershaw was the Archdeacon of Norfolk in 1802
    • Gentleman's Magazine 1847 pages 316 & 317 Confirms his dates and parentage
  • Martha Oldershaw (Lady Glode); Margaret Oldershaw's twin sister. Nichols (above) states that Margaret and Martha were twins.
    • Gentleman's Magazine 1804 page 984 col 2 obituary of Sir Richard Glode; confirms that Lady Glode is the sister of the Archdeacon of Norfolk.
    • Boyle's 1812 Lady Glode address 42 York St. Portman Sq., London (note: in 1811 Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas married Mortimer Tucker in St George, Hanover Sq.)
    • History and Topographical Survey of Kent by Edward Hasted Shows that Martha was Glode's second wife.
    • Unpublished papers of B J White (deceased some time after 2001) page 90 ref: 1144 & 1145. White found information suggesting that Martha died in 1823.
  • Margaret Oldershaw
• a
• a

James (John) Oldershaw
A search was made in Gentleman's Magazine for 1782 for a death notice but none found [Search Notes]. In Gentleman's magazine 1819 part 2 page 564 in the obituary for Rev. James Douglas: "In January 1780, he married Margaret, daughter of John Oldershaw esq. of Rochester (who had previously been an eminent surgeon in Leicester)". Thus together with his death registration as 'James' [FreeReg 7] shows that 'James' and 'John' Oldershaw are the same person and his marriage [FreeReg 6] provides a definitive link to the Wightman (Wrightman or Whiteman) family)

After the Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas marriage to Mortimer Tucker the record for these two disappears. In Boyles 1812 pages 79 and 390 there is a 'Mrs Tucker' living at 35, Manchester Street, London. At this time Boyles recorded a husband as principal occupant so if this Mrs Tucker was Margaret Martha then Mortimer may have died; We had recorded the death of Mortimer Tucker in 1853 by reference to a FreeReg entry [], however this now appears to be a different Mortimer [Wiltshire BMD]. The gift of 'Rochester Castle and the Adjacent Ground' to her Nephew (or neice) seems unlikely before her father's death in 1819.

The 1853 Mortimer Tucker death referred to above was a child aged 1 year. This could be an indication that a nephew of Mortimer (husband of Margaret Martha) had a child which he named after Mortimer.