The Hodgson Family:
From England to Athens, Georgia
Our branch of the Hodgsons came from Newcastle-on-Tyne in Northumberland county in northeastern England. There is a scholarly debate whether the name is originally Scandinavian (meaning son of Od) or Germanic (from the Hrodgar which became Roger which became Hodge).
The Hodgson crest is
traditionally three martletts (small birds) on a blue and yellow shield.
The family motto translates as "Learn to Succor the Wretched".
Our first known ancestor was Robert Hodgson who was born in 1762
(click here for family tree). The Hodgsons were
reportedly in the Newcastle area as far back as the time of Edward I
(1200s). Richard Hodgson was mayor of Newcastle in 1555 and 1556.
Robert's son Edward was a carriage maker. Edward with his family emigrated to the U.S. in 1836 after some great but unspecified misfortune or injustice in England. They sailed on the Harriett out of Liverpool. The trip to New York took 31 days. (A log of the voyage, presumably written by Edward, is interesting from a nautical perspective and early letters back to England are a fascinating look at New York at the time.)
The family settled in Troy, New York and Edward ventured West to Carlinville, Illinois to start a carriage and wagon business and build a home. After getting established, the family joined him only to find misfortune again. Edward died shortly after they arrived and a tornado wiped out their carriage shop. They went back to Troy and, in 1839, Edward's young son Edward Reginald left for Athens, Georgia because his asthma was exacerbated by the cold and damp of New York. He loved Athens and urged the rest of the family to join him. They agreed and arrived on the very first "train" into Athens (the train was drawn by mules).
The family prospered in Athens and in 1842, Edward Reginald married Anne Bishop. Edward and Anne had twelve children. The family was profiled in the Athens Banner newspaper in 1913. The article included the picture below.
(1) Elizabeth Preston, (2) William, (3) Edward Reginald (Prince), (4) Robert Bishop, (5) Asbury Hull, (6) Thomas Alexander, (7) Albon Chase, (8) Joseph Marshall, (9) George Tyndall, (10) Charles, (11) Frederick Grady, (12) Francis Marion (Guy)
The Hodgson family history is well documented in Hugh Gordon's booklet The Family of Edward Reginald Hodgson and Mary Virginia Strahan.
Hodgson & Ends (architecture, authors, etc.)
If there are any questions about the information contained in this account, please email me -- Chris McKinnon