Henry James Ford

At the time of the 1861 census, Henry James Ford (aged 9), my great grandfather, was living at 14 James Street, adjacent to Covent Garden, London, with his father, James Ford, a General Dealer, his mother Ann and three brothers, Christopher (aged 14), Alexander (aged 6) and Archer (aged 1). Henry James Ford sailed alone to New Zealand at the age of sixteen, according to his daughter Sarah Ann in a ship named London but according to the shipping records as a paid, steerage passenger in the Light Brigade that left London on 19 May 1868 and arrived in Lyttleton on 26 August 1868. Henry subsequently lost touch with his family, although it is understood that he may have had as many as eight brothers and a sister, and that several of his brothers may have emigrated to America. It is of interest to note that his daughter, Sarah Ann (Pat), genuinely believed her father was the uncle of Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, apparently because of their uncanny facial likeness, and was in the process of composing a letter to Henry just before her death (see transcription in Appendix 5). From the information I have obtained on the background of Henry Ford, the car man, it is clear that this supposition was incorrect. Source: Bob Anderson http://www.bobanderson.co.uk/mccauleyfull/?rq=sarah%20ann%20ford