Editing William Colgate (section)

==Early life==
William Colgate was born in [[Hollingbourne]], [[Kent]], [[England]], on January 25, 1783,<ref name="George Thomas Kurian 2016, p. 613">George Thomas Kurian, Mark A. Lamport, ''Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, Volume 5'', Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2016, p. 613</ref><ref name="BaptistEnc">{{cite book|editor1-last=Cathcart|editor1-first=William|title=The Baptist Encyclopaedia, Volume 1|date=2001|publisher=The Baptist Standard Bearer, Inc.|isbn=9781579789091|pages=249–250|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7-zWuEM-qHMC}}</ref> He was the son of Robert Colgate (1758–1826), a farmer and politician, and his wife Sarah (née Bowles). The family moved to a farm near [[Shoreham, Kent|Shoreham]] when William was six years old.<ref name=Everts/>

His father was a sympathizer with both the [[American Revolutionary War|American]] and [[French Revolution]]s, whose republican ideals impelled him to leave their farm in March 1798 and emigrate to [[Baltimore, Maryland]], in the [[United States|United States of America]], after which the family settled on a farm in [[Harford County, Maryland|Harford County]]. Robert formed a partnership with Ralph Maher to manufacture soap and candles, and teenage William helped out, but the partnership dissolved after two years. The family later settled in [[Delaware County, New York]].<ref name=Everts>[https://archive.org/stream/williamcolgatech00ever#page/36/mode/2up Everts, W.W., ''William Colgate: The Christian Gentleman'', Philadelphia. American Baptist Publication Society, 1881]{{PD-notice}}</ref>