Alfred’s father and grandfather were mariners, as were his six brothers. Together with three of his brothers, he took part in saving the crew of the Northern Belle. They were considered heroes and received a medals. But Alfred was to die a difficult death, aged just 45, in a mental asylum.
A Surplus of Williams
I wanted to identify William, the father of two sons, Peter Wootton Emptage (born in 1830) and Erasmus Sympson Emptage. It should have been relatively simple, shouldn’t it?
Then I discovered there were fifteen baptisms of William Emptage between 1793 and 1838….