Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, Marquess Of Brackley, Earl of Bridgewater, Viscount Brackley, Baron Of Ellesmere.
His father, who was created duke in 1720, was the great-great-grandson of Lord Chancellor Ellesmere. Francis Egerton succeeded to the dukedom on the death of his brother, the 2nd duke, in 1748. Retiring to Worsley after a broken engagement, he instructed the engineer James Brindley to construct the canal for the transport of coal obtained on his estates. This, with the exception of the Sankey Canal from the River Mersey to St. Helen's, was the first canal of its kind to be built in modern Britain. Bridgewater also obtained parliamentary powers (1762) to provide a canal between Manchester and Liverpool.
On his death the dukedom and marquessate became extinct; the earldom and other titles devolved on a cousin.
BRIDGEWATER HOUSE.
Cleveland Row, by the Green Park, is one of the pleasantest situations in all London for a town house, and here, at the western end, is Bridgewater House, the Earl of Ellesmere's mansion. This house, of which Sir Charles Barry was architect, was built in 1847-50, and it is nearly square. The whole of the first floor on the north side is given up to the display of pictures, of which there is no finer private collection in London. It was formed by the Duke of Bridgewater, who died in 1803, and the treasures even then were valued at £150,000. Some of the best pictures - Raphael's Madonna and Child, Titian's Holy Family, Palma Vecchio's Three Periods of Life, for example - are not shown to strangers but many masterpieces may he inspected by those who have been able to obtain influential introduction
When the surname Bridgewater imigrated to the US. Has not yet been established. There are however many place names along the East coast, specifically in the area of the original 13 colonies with the Bridgewater name. The Bridgewater surname is unusual enough that I would suspect that these extended families are connected somewhere in the past. It just has yet to be found. I am searching for the original imigrant who are I on one of the many ships from England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland.
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Sometime between the 1870 and 1880 census, the records indicates that Levi and Febee were seperated and she was living with her father by the time of the 1880 Census.
NOTES on Febee [Bridgewater] Hardcastle [age 32] and her children was living with her father at the time of the 1880 US Census.
NOTES on Charles and Alice Bridgewater: KINSEY CEMETERY of BUTLER COUNTY MISSOURI, tombstones: BRIDGEWATER, Charley, 25 Jan 1874 - 5 Dec 1957, Husband of Alice BRIDGEWATER, Alice 24 Sep 1884 - 16 Apr 1966. Wife of Charley
NOTE: Sam Mahan was Alice Belle Dehart's [a minor - she was 18] guardian at the time of her marriage to Charlie Bridgewater.
Ester Bridgewater, born Sept. 8, 1895, Emenince, MO., died Jun. 14, 1940, buried Williams Cemetary, AR. Married to James Mahan, born [?], died Jun 14, 1940 buried Williams Cemetary, AR.
NOTES on Lynn Bridgewater:Lived at Taft, CA at time of death.
NOTES on Elmer Paul Bridgewater: During WWII, and the Battle of the Pacific, he was wounded on the Island of Guam, he died on a hospital ship in the South Pacific, and was buried on Mariana Island, later disenterened and reburied on Jul 23, 1949 at Corning, AR.
NOTES on Charles Bridgewater: According to the 1880 US Census for Shannon County, Missouri, Blairs Creek Township. It indicates that Febee [Bridgewater] Hardcastle, William Hardcastles daughter. She along with her son's and daughter. Charles' brother William Hardcastle and sister Edith Hardcastle. Charles was 9 years old and was living with his grandfather, William Hardcastle.