Talk:William Blacker

Burke's citation
As is often the case with pseudonymous authors, there may have been some misattribution. Burke gives St. John Blacker as father of five sons (and four daughters, though I'll just list sons): Full entry (public domain): William, of Armagh, b. 1776; M.R.I.A.; d.s.p. 20 October 1850." MRIA is Member of the Royal Irish Academy. d.s.p. is decessit sine prole (died without children). Source: John Burke, Bernard Burke, Peter Townend, ed. (1875). Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry. H. Colburn (p. 103). On this evidence I have set up a separate article for William and will now sort out who wrote what. Jokestress (talk) 22:25, 1 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Samuel (born 1771)
 * Maxwell (born 1773)
 * William (born 1776)
 * Valentine (born 1778, died 1823)
 * St. John (1786)

Oliver's advice
Sources conflict on the authorship of the poem "Oliver's Advice." It was published in 1834 and is sometimes attributed to Col. Blacker, which some have taken to be Valentine Blacker (both brothers were lieutenant colonels, with Valentine the more famous for his military work). However, Valentine died in 1826. Also, the poem is considered a classic example of pro-Orangemen Irish minstrelsy, and William was involved in early Orange strategy. Based on this, and the published sources, I am attributing Oliver's Advice to William, with notes at both biographies about the conflation. Jokestress (talk) 03:54, 10 October 2012 (UTC)

Valentine Blacker, brother vs. distant relative
This "Colonel Blacker" attribution is a complicated and confusing mystery that has bothered me for years. Based on further research, it appears that while Valentine Blacker had a brother named William Blacker, the William Blacker who published some popular writings was in fact his distant relative - their grandfathers were half-brothers. This is laid out in Burke's Peerage, pages 103 and 104. For our purposes, the key info is:
 * Valentine Blacker (born 1597) had two sons:
 * GEORGE Blacker
 * Robert Blacker
 * WILLIAM Blacker = Elizabeth (1st wife) - not the author - see below
 * Stewart Blacker (born 1671) = Elizabeth
 * William (born 1709) - not the author - see below
 * Stewart (born 1740)
 * William Blacker (1777 - 1855) this is the author
 * George
 * Stewart
 * James-Stewart
 * Letitia
 * Sophia
 * Eliza
 * Louisa
 * Caroline
 * William - not the author - see above
 * Henry
 * George
 * Eliza
 * Barbara
 * Martha
 * Alicia
 * Jane
 * Letitia
 * Lucinda
 * Latham
 * Henry
 * George
 * Barbara
 * WILLIAM Blacker = Theodosia (2nd wife) - not the author - see below
 * Samuel Blacker
 * St. John Blacker (born 1743) = Grace (1st wife)
 * Samuel Blacker (born 1771)
 * Maxwell Blacker (born 1773)
 * William Blacker (born 1773) - not the author - see below
 * Valentine Blacker (born 1778) our author and namesake of the founder of their ancestral home
 * St. John Blacker (born 1786)
 * Mary
 * Catherine
 * Grace
 * Charlotte

I have updated both articles accordingly. I encourage others to check my work. Jokestress (talk) 10:13, 10 October 2012 (UTC)