William Watson

The following information contributed by Alan + Tina Bennet.....

William Watson, father of James Watson, was born about 1803 in Lear, Claudy Co Derry? He died about 1873 at Londonderry.

William Watson was recorded in Freeholders Records held by PRONI as a freeholder of Lear. These records were not dated but are all pre 1840. It is presumed he is James's Father. His yearly value was 10 pounds sterling. He is confirmed as the father of James in the wedding certificate of James and Mary Anne of 9th March 1853.

Further correspondence on the net revealed that there was a description of a family the 'Watsons of Learmount'. They must have been in the area for some generations as they were, of course, planters from England or Scotland.
A John Watson of Canada, looking for his ancestry, uncovered a newspaper article about an Alex Watson, police Officer in Newfoundland Canada who had died in the early 1900s who was the longest serving PC. This Alexander was born in 1833. This article stated he had a brother called Robert. Perhaps James who was also born c 1833 was from the same family as he was from Lear which is in Learmount.

A death cert of a William Watson recorded in Civil Reg Indexes on the Family Search Website as follows:
Born c 1803, died 1873, recorded in Londonderry.