William was the 4th child born of Benjamin and Catherine Ewing Worrilow and may have been born in February between 1853 and 1856.  Nevertheless, he was born on a farm in the area of Booths Corner in Bethel Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Not much is known of William’s early life but he was found on the 1860 census between his sisters Arabella 8 and Hannah 4 but his age is not clear but looks to be 7.  On the 1870 census he is listed between the same two sisters and his age is 16 and clearly written which would make is birth year 1854.  The 1900 census shows his age as 44 and born February 1856.

In the Chester City Directories of 1880, 1885, and 1889 he is listed as a Laborer, Millwright, and Policeman respectively.   It is believed he was a City of Chester policeman at one time based on one of the few photos of him wearing a uniform.

William Worrilow and Mary Ellen Slevin were married on May 1, 1879 based on Mary’s bible records.  Mary Ellen Slevin was the daughter of Lawrence and Ellen Slevin. No other information has been found on the specifics of the wedding.  William and Mary Ellen had 6 children between 1878 and 1896.

On February 17, 1882 William sustained injuries to his left shoulder and left side of his body in one of the worse explosions of the time.  The explosion occurred at 7:30 in the morning at the Jackson Pyrotechnic Works at Second and Welsh Streets which left 16 dead and scores injured.  It was one of the worse disasters in the city of Chester up until that time, leaving many firemen dead or severely injured.  It is not clear why William was in that location on that fateful morning but he may have gathered there as many others or was just in the wrong place at the right time.

The quote from the newspaper on Saturday, February 18, 1882 says, “William Worrilow, living on Kerlin street near the railroad, suffers severe wounds in the shoulder and left side.  The whole left side of his body from the shoulder to his feet is very much swollen.  He is very cheerful, and will probably recover.”  Subsequent reports show that he wasn’t injured as badly as first reported.

Mary Ellen died about two months short of her 46th birthday on December 31, 1899.  According to a news article from Tuesday, November 14, 1899, Mary would die a horrible death after being burned in a fire.  On November 13, 1899 she arose early in the morning and while dressing one of her children for school her dress caught fire from the kitchen stove.  Her husband, William smothered the flames but not before Mary had been terribly burned.  Mary Ellen died on December 31, 1899 and was buried January 4, 1900 in Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Cemetery, Linwood, Delaware, Pennsylvania.  Her grave is unmarked.

Some accounts say that after Mary’s death the children were split up into different homes, but I can find no evidence to support this claim.  The 1900 Census dated June 15, 1900, William and all 6 of the children are found living together in Chester 6 months after Mary’s death.

Nothing more is found of William until his name was found on the Orphan’s Court of Philadelphia Marriage License Index (1885 to 1916).  A license was issued to William G Worrilow and Margaret F Pierce in 1906.

The maiden name for Margaret F. Pierce has not been found but it is known that Margaret was married to James H. Pierce.  James was a fisherman and lived in Chester and fathering three children with Margaret.  James and his brother were accused of killing George B. Eyre on December 21, 1899 and both were arrested for the crime the following year.  However, 2 days before the trial was to commence, James Pierce took his own life by hanging himself with a net in his cell.  James professed his innocence of the crime up until the end and sometime later his brother was acquitted of the offense.

No record of the marriage of William and Margaret Pierce has been found and as far as can be determined they had no children between them.  Margaret F. Worrilow died on May 21, 1913 and was buried in a plot owned by her former father-in-law, James F. Pierce.  She is buried next to her former husband James H. Pierce.

William G. Worrilow died some time before March 21, 1918 the date of his burial in Lawn Croft Cemetery.  He was found dead in this bed at the home of his son Lawrence Worrilow.  The funeral took place from the residence of his son-in-law James Stevenson, of 2325 West Fourth Street.  The services were conducted by Rev. A. L. Lathem, pastor of the Third Presbyterian Church and were largely attended.  His grave is unmarked and cannot be found by the Cemetery.

Children of William and Mary Slevin Worrilow:

Nellie Worrilow – Born August 1878 in Chester, Pennsylvania.  She was married to Eugene Herman Taylor.  She died on July 20, 1934 Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania.

William Charles Worrilow – Born August 29, 1881 in Chester, Pennsylvania.  He was married to Catherine A Foley in 1913.  He died on June 12, 1946 in Chester, Pennsylvania.

James Worrilow – Born August 1884 in Chester, Pennsylvania.  He died at the age of 18 on December 9, 1902.

Edward A. Worrilow – Born January 4, 1887 in Chester, Pennsylvania.  He married Mae M Criblez and they lived in Lima Ohio.  He died April 1, 1944 in Lima, Ohio.

Catherine Josephine Worrilow – Born March 1, 1892 in Chester, Pennsylvania.  She married James Stevenson on March 9, 1908.  She died September 18, 1974 in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Lawrence Leo Worrilow – Born February 22, 1896 in Chester, Pennsylvania.  He married Gertrude Elenore Weir on October 14, 1914 in Morton, Pennsylvania.  He died April 4, 1946 in Upper Chichester, Pennsylvania.