William Ford was an Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

-born American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 businessman. He was the father of Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

 founder Henry Ford

Henry Ford

Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...

.

Biography

William was born in County Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

; the son of Thomasine (née

Married and maiden names

A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....

 Smith), and Jonathan "John" Ford. William had six siblings. The family was originally from western England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, who were among migrants to Ireland as the English created plantations. William attended St. Joseph's High School. He immigrated to the United States in 1846.

On April 21, 1861, William married Mary Litogot in Wayne County, Michigan

Wayne County, Michigan

-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...

, daughter of Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 immigrants. He and Mary had five children. They moved to Detroit, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

.

William retired in 1879 and lived out the rest of his years in Sacramento, California

Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

. He died of natural causes on March 8, 1905 in his home, and was buried at Sacramento City Cemetery.

Marriage, Children, and Siblings

William married Belgian-American

Belgian-American

Belgian Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Belgian ancestry. 'Belgian' is not considered an ethnic term...

, Mary Litogot, together they had five children:

Name	Birth/Death	Information
Henry Ford Henry Ford Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...	1863–1947	Henry was the first child of William and Mary Ford. He is the founder of the Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
Margaret Ford	1867–1960	Margaret was the second child of William and Mary Ford.
Jane Ford	1868–1945	Jane was the third child of William and Mary Ford.
William Ford, Jr.	1871–1917	William, Jr. was the fourth child of William and Mary Ford
Robert Ford	1873–1934	Robert was the fifth and last child of William and Mary Ford

William had six siblings, 4 sisters, and 2 brothers:

Name	Birth/Death
Rebecca Ford	1824–1895
Jane Ford	1829–1851
Mary Ford	ca. 1832–1882
Nancy Ford	1834–1920
Henry Ford	ca. 1835–1901
Samuel Ford	1837–1889