When the silk weaving industry declined in Macclesfield, many weavers moved to Paterson,NJ where their skills were needed.
My family name is Moorhouse. I am trying to locate other families who also settled in Paterson from Macclesfield of Cheshire .

Hi Patricia,

I know your post is from quite a while ago, but I only came across it now. Both my g-g-g-grandfather, Robert McDonald and his son Samuel MacDonald (not quite certain why the spelling changed) were silk weavers from Macclesfield who migrated to Paterson for work. I believe they arrived here sometime between 1870 and 1880.

Wow, I had forgotten about this posting. I haven't come upon any McDonald's in my searches. My great grandfather was Herbert Squire Moorhouse, my GF just Herbert. They were in Paterson during the silk strike. My family remained in the area until this generation.

What is your story? Are you from NJ?

I live in Mississippi right now (military husband), but I was born in NJ. I lived in Wayne and Hawthorne. My mother grew up in Paterson and my dad's family lived there when they first came to the US but eventually moved to Hawthorne. They also left Macclesfield for Paterson to follow the silk trade. Most of my family is still in NJ. I actually found a distant cousin on one of these boards a couple of months ago--gotta love the Internet. I'll check with my Dad and see if the name Moorhouse rings any bells.

Kimberly :)

We have a family member Edwin Macdonald who was a silk weaver in Macclesfield .He married Harriet Dawson .they had 5 children. Parents born around 1860 in Macclesfield

Hi Patricia,
I also just found this posting--I am working on researching my Macclesfield ancestors, also silk weavers who immigrated to Paterson, NJ. They were my great-great grandfather, William JANES b. 1824/5 and his children Charles b. 1850 and Caroline b. 1856 (my great-grandmother). All are in the US by 1880 and are all listed as silk weavers in the Census. I am very interested in communicating with others who have a similar heritage as I know very little about my JANES/Cheshire ancestry--and I've never even been to NJ except for the airport!

Kathy

Hi All......can anyone tell me just when the Silk Industry declined in Macclesfield? I have an idea that my family moved to Paterson NJ in around 1895 and wonder whether this would have been within the time range? Their name was Moore and they appear to have settled in Passaic NJ.

Hello all, try: www.macclesfield.silk.museum/Visitor/Section/Default.asp?

Loads of info re the Macclesfield Silk Weavers! Both my Gt and Gt Gt grandfathers were silk weavers in Macclesfield however they didn't venture as far afield as yours! My Gt Grandfather Henry Hawkins b Macclesfield 1845 went to Ireland sometime before 1873 and then returned to England between 1882 and 1885 and settled in Bethnal Green East London. I have medals he won for his silk weaving in the East End.

Good hunting
Lesley

Hi, My grandfather, Herbert Moorhouse, moved to Paterson in 1882 from Skipton. Mecchlesfield is also mentioned in various sites. He was born 4-2-1880. His father was Squire Moorhouse his mother Louise Lockwood. The worked in the silk industry in Paterson.

If you are interested in the silk industry in Paterson, try the Botto House Labor Museum,Paterson. They have info regarding rise of that industry, labor unrest, strikes and finally decline of the plants.

I have very little info about the family in England so if you have any contacts, I will appreciate being steered in that direction. The spelling varies from Moorhouse, Morehouse, Moorehouse
Pat Leonard

Hi Patricia, my name is Margaret Weston and I also have an ancestor who came to Patterson from Macclesfield involved with the silk industry. In fact he died leaving a patent for an invention he made in regards to the silk weaving.
His name was Buckley Rowbothom Weston. He spent quite a few years travelling from his native Macclesfield coming here to Australia and the goldfields, then to New Zealand and back to Macclesfield and then the final Journey to Patterson.

Regards,

Margaret