January 1

William Dennis Townsend

was my 5th great-grandfather. He was born on January 1, 1770 in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, England. 

His full life story is still proving to be quite elusive, but William seems to be the link that brought our branch of the Townsend family to North America. The town of Campden, where he was born, is a market town in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire. The official name is "Chipping" Campden; the term "chipping" is an Old English word meaning "market". 

As a wool trading center in the Middle Ages, Chipping Campden enjoyed the patronage of wealthy wool merchants. It's High Street is lined with buildings built from local limestone known as Cotswold stone, and much of the town center is a designated conservation area. 

One of the oldest buildings in the town is this Grade 1 listed Market Hall. It was built in 1627 as a shelter for merchants and farmers selling their wares. The arched side walls are open to allow light and customers to enter. It is still in use today. 

Our family lore notes that William had a brother Joshua, who was pressed into service aboard a Royal Navy ship, and eventually ended up living in the state of Massachusetts in the United States of America. 

By the late 1790s, William and his wife Mary Ann Gilbert (born in Cricklade, North Wiltshire, England) had found their way to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, at that time a town of 4,000 people living in 700 houses. It was very much a sailing center, with whaling boats, sloops and schooners coming and going daily. 

Their sons Boyle and Robert were born there in 1797 and 1799. The family moved to near Boston, Massachusetts around 1808. By the age of 15, Robert and Boyle had found jobs working on sailing vessels working on the Atlantic Ocean.