Empire*, existed

Born & Died in:

United Kingdom*,

United Kingdom*,

United Kingdom*,

(1801–present)

Britain*, existed

3x-Great-grandparents of the von Trapp Children

Great-grandfather of the von Trapp children

Robert Whitehead (1823–1905)

British Engineer and Inventor of the Torpedo


Multi-National: Robert was born in 1823 in Bolton, England, United Kingdom. After he married, he and his wife, Francis Maria, left England to follow his uncle William Swift for engineering opportunities on the European continent. For two years the couple lived in Marseille and La Seyne, which was under the Kingdom of France July Monarchy (today France). They moved onto Milan, the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, under the Austrian Empire (today Milan, Italy) for about a year, and then spent several years in Trieste, the Austrian Empire (today Trieste, Italy). They finally settled in Fiume, the Austro-Hungarian Empire (today Rijeka, Croatia), where they raised their five children. Robert spent near 30 years in Fiume, before retiring to England.

Art/Music: 'Exquisite' draftsman

Historic Merits: Inventor of the first self-propelled, underwater torpedo and established the world's first torpedo manufacturing factory, the Whitehead Torpedo Factory, in Fiume, the Austro-Hungarian Empire (today Rijeka, Croatia).


Engineer

Robert studied engineering at a young age in Manchester, England and later moved to Europe to pursue work opportunities. In Marseille at La Seyne shipyards, he was a draftsman of ships and marine engines; in Milan, he patented machines for the weaving industry and later designed and supervised the pumping engines for draining the Lombardy marshes; in Trieste, he became a Technical Director for manufacturing marine steam engines and screw propulsion units; he finally settled in Fiume as the Manager of a technical factory. In Fiume during the 1860s, he designed marine engines for the Austrian Imperial Navy. At the same time, with the assistance of his teenage son, John, and trusted technical mechanic, Annibale Plöch, Robert began work on inventing the first self-propelled, underwater torpedo. He later established the world's first torpedo factory, the Whitehead Torpedo Factory. His intention for the torpedo was the hope of creating a world of mutual detente to bring about world peace, a widely held view by many at that time. Robert was recognized for his achievements by many nations, including honored by the Franz Joseph Order. He died in England in 1905, his tombstone reads,  "...His fame in all nations round about."

Kingdom of Great 

Crownland of

Born in:

Empire

(1804–1867)

2x-Great-grandparents of the von Trapp Children

Flag Key

Austrian Empire*,

Kingdom of 

​​Robert Whitehead

1752–1841 (m. 1785)

Born: Ringley, Lancashire, Kingdom of Great Britain (today Ringley, United Kingdom)

Career: Founder of bleach works (textile whitening) at Elton of Bury, England and calenderer company (textile steam pressing) on Bury St. in Bolton​, England


Marriages:

Margaret Barker (1st m.)

had seven children


Alice Lever (2nd m.)

1750–1835 (m. 1785)

Born: Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, Kingdom of Great Britain (today Bolton, United Kingdom

Mother of four: Alice Whitehead (died as infant), James Whitehead—Agathe's great-grandfather (m. Ellen Swift—Agathe's great-grandmother), John Whitehead, and Alice Whitehead (died as child)

Austro-Hungarian

1804–1867

Kingdom of Great

Kingdom of

Britain*, existed

Born in:

Lived about 1 yr in:

Lived 19 yrs in:

exists from

from 1707–1800

Photo: ©Georg & Agathe Foundation

*See Flag Key below  for details

Mother of five: James  Whitehead (died in infancy), Frances  Eleonor 'Ellen' Whitehead (1st m. Captain Louis Hassenphlug, 2nd m. Sir Charles Drury), Alice Whitehead (m. Count Georg von Hoyos), John Whitehead—Agathe's father (m. Countess Agathe Gobertina von Breunner—Agathe's mother), Sir James Beethom Whitehead (m. Honorable Cecilia Broderick), and Robert Jr. 'Bertie' Bovil Whitehead (m. Rosalie Emily Phelps)


Kingdom of Great 

Photo: Public Domain

United Kingdom*,

Great-grandparents of the von Trapp Children

United Kingdom*,


Honoring Agathe's Paternal Side, Great to 3x-Great-grandparents to the von Trapp Children

1801–present

July Monarchy*, 

July Monarchy

Austro-Hungarian

from 1707–1800

Austro-Hungarian

(1815–1866)

Both Died in:

from 1815–1866

United Kingdom

The lands within the United Kingdom of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland have existed in one form or another for over 1,000 years. The 1707 Acts of Union created The Kingdom of Great Britain, uniting the kingdoms of England and Scotland. In 1801, Ireland was added, forming the United Kingdom.​

Kingdom of France

from 1815–1866

United Kingdom*,

Great Britian

1801–present

1801–present

Both Born in:

from 1707–1800

exists from

Empire

1801–present

Kingdom of

1801–present

James Whitehead 

1788–1870 (m. 1813)

Born: Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, Kingdom of Great Britain (today Bolton, United Kingdom)
Career: Manager of a bleach works (textile whitening) in Rose Bank, Ainsworth; Owner of a Bolton calenderer company (textile steam pressing) on Bury St.; Owner of a Bolton wholesale brewery on All Saint's St.

(1707–1800)

Photo: Public Domain

Lived 2 yrs in:

Kingdom of France

July Monarchy

France has existed in many forms from the 800s to today. From 1830–1848, the July Monarchy was a liberal constitutional monarchy under Louis Philippe I. It  started with the July Revolution of 1830 (also known as the Three Glorious Days) and ended with the Revolution of 1848.

Lived about 1 yr in:

​​Georg & Agathe FOUNDATION

(Unknown) Johnson

Dates: Birth and death unknown

Born: Location unknown

Career: Unkown








(Unknown)

Dates: Unknown

Born: Location unknown

Motherof (unknown number):  James Johnson—Agathe's great-grandfather (m. Ann Boville—Agathe's great-grandmother)

Venetia*, existed

from 1707–1800

Britain*, existed

exists from

Kingdom of Great

Austrian Empire*,

TREE FAMILY: Whitehead / Johnson / Swift / Bovil

Austian Empire

1801–present

Lombardy-Venetia

Britain*, existed

1804–1867

from 1830–1848

Both Born in:

Empire*, existed

exists from

Died in:

(Unknown) Boville 

Dates: Birth and death unknown

Born: Location unknown

Career: Unkown








(Unknown)
Dates unknown
Born: Location unknown
​Mother of (unknown number): Ann Boville—Agathe's great-grandmother (m. James Johnson—Agathe's great-grandmother)​











(1804–1867)

Britain*, existed

o

July Monarchy*, 

*See Historical Figure and Flag Key below for details

United Kingdom*,

Austria
​​Austria has existed in many forms from 927 to present. From 1804–1867, it was ruled by the Austrian Empire and then the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1867–1918. At the end of WWI, their monarchy was dissolved and reduced to 1/5 of their lands. The remaining inland area became the Austrian First Republic. From 1938–1945 it was annexed by the German Reich. Ten years after WWII, in 1955, the modern Austrian Republic was established.

Historical Figure - Robert Whitehead

Died in:

Austrian

exists from

Kingdom of Lombardy-

(1830–1848)

from 1707–1800

Born in:

William Swift

1771–1836 (m. 1793)

Born: Walton-on-the-Hill, Liverpool, Lancashire, Kingdom of Great Britain (today Walton, Liverpool, United Kingdom)
Career: Partner at Bolton engineering works of Thompson, Swift & Cole; ​manufacturing machinery, including steam engines 


Elizabeth 'Betty' Greenhough

1773–1795 (m. 1793)

Born: Wibsey, Yorkshire, Kingdom of Great Britain [unconfirmed] (today Wibsey, United Kingdom)
Mother of seven: Ellen Swift—Agathe's great-grandmother (m. James Whitehead—Agathe's great-grandfather), Elizabeth 'Betty' Swift, Alice Swift, William Swift, Maria Swift, James Swift, and Catharine Swift

Born in:

Lived 18 yrs in:

Died in:

Lived 19 yrs in:

1801–present

Photo: ©Georg & Agathe Foundation

United Kingdom*,

Whitehead Torpedo Factory, late 1800s

Austro-Hungarian Empire

Today Rijeka, Croatia

United Kingdom

Francis Maria Johnson 

1821–1883 (m. 1846)

Born:  Mostly like born at Boville Manor, Darlington, Durham, United Kingdom [unconfirmed] ​


Lived 2 yrs in:

from 1830–1848

Kingdom of France

Britain*, existed

exists from

United Kingdom*,

Died in:

(1867–1918)

Died in:

Lived 18 yrs in:

1801–present

Kingdom of Great 

Born in:

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Whitehead Torpedo Mechanism

Engraved by Louis Poyet 

Dec 5, 1891 French Revue Magazine

exists from

from 1707–1800

Kingdom of Great 

Born in:

United Kingdom*,

Britain*, existed

1801–present

Both Died in:

Kingdom of Great

exists from

James Johnson 

1777–1851 (m. date unknown)

Born: Either Doncaster, South Yorkshire​ or Darlington, Durham, Kingdom of Great Britain [unconfirmed] (today Doncaster or Darlington, United Kingdom)

Career: Dry-salter (textile dyeing) in Ardwick, Lancashire in England 


FREE: Updates and history trivia

Kingdom of

Lombardy-Venetia

 After the collapse of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, in 1815, the area became part of the Austrian Empire. A key city of the Kingdom was Milan. The area was briefly under the Republic of San Marco with the 1848 revolution known as "Five Days of Milan". From 1848 to 1866, it was ruled once again by the Austrian Empire. In 1866, the area was handed over to the Kingdom of Italy after the Austro-Prussian War. ​​ 

from 1867–1918

from 1707–1800

1801–present

Died in:

Robert Whitehead

1823–1905 (m. 1846)

Born: Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, United Kingdom (today Bolton, United Kingdom)

Career: British Engineer Robert Whitehead invented 

CHAMPION THE ARTS      PROMOTE PEACE      ARCHIVE & EDUCATE

 Born & Died in:

Lombardy-Venetia*,

Ellen Swift 

1795–1870 (m. 1813)

Born: Lower Moor, Yorkshire, Kingdom of Great Britain (today Lower Moor, United Kingdom)

Mother of ten: James Whitehead (died as infant), Elizabeth Whitehead (died as infant), Ellen Whitehead, Alice Whitehead, William Whitehead, Robert Whitehead—Agathe's grandfather (m. Frances Maria Johnson —Agathe's grandmother), James Whitehead, John Whitehead, Elizabeth Whitehead, ​and Mary Whitehead​

exists from

exists from

Kingdom of Great 

Ann Boville 

1784–1852 (m. date unknown)

Born: Mostly like born at Boville Manor, Darlington, Durham, Kingdom of Great Britain [unconfirmed] (today Darlington, United Kingdom)

Mother of (unknown number): Francis Maria Johnson—Agathe's grandmother (m. Robert Whitehead—Agathe's grandfather)


existed from 

*See Flag Key below for details

o

from 1867–1918

Kingdom of France

from 1707–1800

Honoring the von Trapp 
​and Whitehead Heritage
​​​​

the self-propelled, underwater torpedo in the 1860s with the hopes of "ending wars". His 1905 obituary in The Engineers stated, "Paradoxical as it may seem, Mr Whitehead is reported to have considered [the torpedo] as a means for ensuring peace rather than bringing war... His idea, no doubt, was of the fearful effects of the torpedo, once realized, would be a sufficient deterrent to peoples and nations contemplating war." He established the world's first torpedo factory within the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Fiume (today Rijeka, Croatia). He was honored by many countries, including the Franz Joseph Order in 1868.

existed from 

Britain*, existed