Bio/genealogy research 03.16.2024 courtesy Debra Hart, great-grandniece of William Albert Stratton. Please retain original credits if copied; thank you.
BIO:
William Albert Stratton (1881–after 1918)
BIRTH: 21 MAY 1881 • Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
DEATH: AFT. 03 MAR 1918 • Saskatchewan, Canada OR Minnesota, USA
William Albert Stratton was the twin brother of my great-grandmother, Nellie Harriett "Lillian" (Stratton) Hart, and only surviving full sibling of 5. Their parents were:
JOHN W STRATTON
BIRTH: 29 APR 1850 • (Prob. near Pittsburgh or Storrington, Frontenac) Ontario, Canada
DEATH: 15 JUL 1885 • Ann Arbor, Fourth Ward, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
Married: 20 Apr 1880 in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
MARGARET "JANE" GRAHAM, KITSON/KITTSON
BIRTH: MAY 1848 • Brantford, Brant, Ontario, Canada
DEATH: UNKNOWN
John W Stratton and Jane Graham - and their children - have been extraordinarily difficult to research (18 years so far, lol). Suffice it to say that their lives were fraught with trauma and tragedy, and as far as I can discern, all of their children except the twins William and Lillian died young. The Hart family story has been that both parents died and the twins were taken in by a grandmother, but I have yet to find a death record for Jane (or a marriage record for her and a first husband with surname Kittson/Kitson, which is listed on the 1880 Michigan Marriage record to John Stratton).
What I have been able to confirm is that John's mother - Harriet (Smith) Stratton, Von Valkenburg - did indeed take the twins to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where they appear in the DeTour/Raber, Michigan area in 1899 (Raber is Lillian's residence at the time of her 1899 marriage), and 1900 (US Federal Census, where William is living as a boarder a few doors away from his grandmother Harriet in Raber). Due to the destruction of the 1890 US Federal Census records in the Washington DC fire - which would prove helpful in ascertaining when they arrived in the U.P. - my best guess is the move happened soon after John W Stratton died (1885).
WILLIAM'S SIBLINGS:
- James Stratton (1878–?) possible half-sibling
- John Stratton (1880– ?) possible half-sibling
- Wilford M. Stratton (1879–1883) d. young
- Nellie Harriett "Lillian" Stratton (1881–1958), his twin sister. She m. William Henry Hart, 10 ch.
- John Ernst Stratton (1883–1884) d. young
- Maud Stratton (1885–1886) d. young
There are likely 3 or more Kittson/Kitson half-siblings as well, but I'm still wrangling this part out.
William met and married MARTHA WHITEHEAD, whose parents (Henry "Harry" Whitehead 1843–1935, and Sarah Hayes 1847–1936) were English immigrants. The couple married in Goetzville (pronounced Gatesville), Chippewa, Michigan, a small town near Raber and DeTour on 01 Dec 1902.
William Albert and Martha Whitehead Stratton had the following children:
- Margaret Bell Stratton (1903–1903); died in infancy
- Villa Stratton (1905–1986) m. Thomas Russell Simpson (2 ch.)
- Myrtle M Stratton (1907–1992) m. James M Reid
- William John H "Jack" Stratton (1908–1944) m. Thelma Mae Reis (3 ch.)
- Albert Edward Stratton (1912–1971) m. Gladys Joan Hepburn (4/5 ch.)
- Infant Stratton (1918–1918); stillborn
TIMELINE:
Birth - 20 May 1881 • Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA. Multiple sources (I have an original death certificate for his twin sister Nellie Harriet "Lillian" Stratton)
Birth of (twin) sister Nellie Harriett "Lillian" Stratton*(1881–1958) - 20 May 1881 • Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
Death of brother Wilford M. Stratton (1879–1883) - 14 Feb 1883 • Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
Birth of brother John Ernst Stratton (1883–1884) - 14 Sep 1883 • Ann Arbor, Fourth Ward, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
18843
Death of brother John Ernst Stratton (1883–1884) - 01 Jul 1884 • Ann Arbor, Fourth Ward, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
18854
Death of Father - 15 Jul 1885 • Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA. NOTE: After the death of John Stratton, family tradition holds Jane also died and William and twin Lillian went to live with their Grandmother (Harriett Smith Stratton Von Valkenburg) in the U.P. of Michigan.
Birth of sister Maud Stratton (1885–1886) - 17 Aug 1885 • Ann Arbor, Fourth Ward, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA. This means that Maud was born about 6 weeks after her father's death.
Death of sister Maud Stratton(1885–1886) - Between January 1886-February 1886 • Washtenaw County, Michigan, USA
Possible death of mother Margaret "Jane" Graham, Kitson (Kittson), Stratton*(1848–1890?) - 25 Apr 1890 • Brantford, Brant, Ontario, Canada
Residence - 01 Jun 1900 • Raber, Chippewa, Michigan, USA. SOURCE: 1900 US Census. Age: 19, b. May 1881, MI, White, Male, Relation to Head of House: Boarder with Beckett family. Single. Parents both b. "Canada English" (Ontario). A few doors down from future wife, Martha Whitehead.
Residence - 30 Nov 1902 • Raber, Chippewa, Michigan, USA. SOURCE: Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952
Marriage - 01 Dec 1902 • Gatesville (Goetzville), Chippewa, Michigan, USA. SOURCE: Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925, (URL: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N381-F2Y). SHOWS: both parents, occupation (Albert: ENGINEER) to Martha Whitehead
(1884–1964)
Occupation: Engineer, about 1902 • Canadian National Railway or Canada Pacific Railway, Sault Sainte Marie, Chippewa, Michigan, USA. SOURCE(s): William & Martha's marriage record in 1902 shares ENGINEER as his occupation; likely RAILROAD ENGINEER, which appears as his occupation in Canadian records.
Birth of daughter Margaret Bell Stratton (1903–1903) - 03 Jul 1903 • (Prob. Goetzville or Raber), Chippewa, Michigan, USA
Death of daughter Margaret Bell Stratton(1903–1903) - 19 Dec 1903 • Raber, Chippewa, Michigan, USA
Naturalization Declaration - TO RESEARCH MORE - abt 1904 • Washington, USA. SOURCE: U.S., Naturalization Records, 1840-1957 for WILLIAM ALBERT STRATTON; Washington District Court, Declarations of Intention, 1898-1904
Birth of daughter Villa Stratton(1905–1986) - 18 Jan 1905 • Portal, Burke, North Dakota, USA
Residence - 26 Jun 1905 • Township 145, Cass County, Minnesota, USA. SOURCE(s): Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905; shows Elbert/Albert (smudged on original), b. abt 1881, age 24, Railroad Engineer, b. Canada, parents both b. Canada. Family is not listed with him on this record, which is odd.
Birth of daughter Myrtle M Stratton (1907–1992) - 1907 • North Dakota, USA or Saskatchewan, Canada
Birth of son William John H "Jack" Stratton (1908–1944) - 19 Jun 1908 • Glen Ewen, Saskatchewan, Canada
Arrival 1908 • Canada - SOURCE: 1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan & Alberta. Shows arrival from U.S. to Canada in 1908, but no location. Since he was raised in Chippewa County, Michigan, USA, it was likely he crossed through Sault Ste. Marie or further west, i.e., MN or WI, USA, into Canada.
Birth of son Albert Edward Stratton (1912–1971) - 26 Nov 1912 • Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada
Residence - 01 Jun 1916 • PR Edward St, District 28 Salcoats, Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada. SOURCE: 1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan & Alberta. William Stratton, 34 (b. 1882 US); Martha 31; Villa 11; Myrtle 9; John 7; Albert 3. Immigrated in 1908.
Birth and death of daughter Infant Stratton (Stillborn) (1918–1918) - 03 Mar 1918 • Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada
DEATH: Aft. December 1917 • Canada OR Minnesota, USA . SOURCE(s): 1) Stillborn infant born March 1917 so his disappearance had to have occurred after conception 2) Ancestry.com member states he "disappeared in Minnesota" after 1916. 3) Family member Gail Knockeart shares he disappeared after being in asylum for killing a man on the Railroad tracks (he was a railway engineer for what we believe was the Canada-Pacific Railway company - but could have been another one).
William's wife Martha obtained a pre-examination to cross the US/Canadian border at Noyes, Minnesota, bound for Rochester, MN with two children in tow - possibly in search of her husband . The record at Noyes indicates she did so on 16 Sep 1919 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. SOURCE: U.S., Records/Aliens Pre-Examined in Canada, 1904-1954. Pre-Exam. Date: 16 Sep 1919; Winnipeg, Manitoba NOTE: Melville, Saskatchewan shown; Martha listed with 2 ch. (Myrtle 13, John/unreadable, but abt. 9).
She did not find him and does not appear to have re-married. She died in 1964 in British Columbia, Canada.
----------------------
Bio/genealogy research 03.16.2024 courtesy Debra Hart, great-grandniece of William Albert Stratton. Please retain original credits if copied; thank you. PHOTO credits: Debra Hart and Gail (Smith) Knockeart
Bio/genealogy research 03.16.2024 courtesy Debra Hart, great-grandniece of William Albert Stratton. Please retain original credits if copied; thank you.
BIO:
William Albert Stratton (1881–after 1918)
BIRTH: 21 MAY 1881 • Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
DEATH: AFT. 03 MAR 1918 • Saskatchewan, Canada OR Minnesota, USA
William Albert Stratton was the twin brother of my great-grandmother, Nellie Harriett "Lillian" (Stratton) Hart, and only surviving full sibling of 5. Their parents were:
JOHN W STRATTON
BIRTH: 29 APR 1850 • (Prob. near Pittsburgh or Storrington, Frontenac) Ontario, Canada
DEATH: 15 JUL 1885 • Ann Arbor, Fourth Ward, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
Married: 20 Apr 1880 in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
MARGARET "JANE" GRAHAM, KITSON/KITTSON
BIRTH: MAY 1848 • Brantford, Brant, Ontario, Canada
DEATH: UNKNOWN
John W Stratton and Jane Graham - and their children - have been extraordinarily difficult to research (18 years so far, lol). Suffice it to say that their lives were fraught with trauma and tragedy, and as far as I can discern, all of their children except the twins William and Lillian died young. The Hart family story has been that both parents died and the twins were taken in by a grandmother, but I have yet to find a death record for Jane (or a marriage record for her and a first husband with surname Kittson/Kitson, which is listed on the 1880 Michigan Marriage record to John Stratton).
What I have been able to confirm is that John's mother - Harriet (Smith) Stratton, Von Valkenburg - did indeed take the twins to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where they appear in the DeTour/Raber, Michigan area in 1899 (Raber is Lillian's residence at the time of her 1899 marriage), and 1900 (US Federal Census, where William is living as a boarder a few doors away from his grandmother Harriet in Raber). Due to the destruction of the 1890 US Federal Census records in the Washington DC fire - which would prove helpful in ascertaining when they arrived in the U.P. - my best guess is the move happened soon after John W Stratton died (1885).
WILLIAM'S SIBLINGS:
- James Stratton (1878–?) possible half-sibling
- John Stratton (1880– ?) possible half-sibling
- Wilford M. Stratton (1879–1883) d. young
- Nellie Harriett "Lillian" Stratton (1881–1958), his twin sister. She m. William Henry Hart, 10 ch.
- John Ernst Stratton (1883–1884) d. young
- Maud Stratton (1885–1886) d. young
There are likely 3 or more Kittson/Kitson half-siblings as well, but I'm still wrangling this part out.
William met and married MARTHA WHITEHEAD, whose parents (Henry "Harry" Whitehead 1843–1935, and Sarah Hayes 1847–1936) were English immigrants. The couple married in Goetzville (pronounced Gatesville), Chippewa, Michigan, a small town near Raber and DeTour on 01 Dec 1902.
William Albert and Martha Whitehead Stratton had the following children:
- Margaret Bell Stratton (1903–1903); died in infancy
- Villa Stratton (1905–1986) m. Thomas Russell Simpson (2 ch.)
- Myrtle M Stratton (1907–1992) m. James M Reid
- William John H "Jack" Stratton (1908–1944) m. Thelma Mae Reis (3 ch.)
- Albert Edward Stratton (1912–1971) m. Gladys Joan Hepburn (4/5 ch.)
- Infant Stratton (1918–1918); stillborn
TIMELINE:
Birth - 20 May 1881 • Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA. Multiple sources (I have an original death certificate for his twin sister Nellie Harriet "Lillian" Stratton)
Birth of (twin) sister Nellie Harriett "Lillian" Stratton*(1881–1958) - 20 May 1881 • Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
Death of brother Wilford M. Stratton (1879–1883) - 14 Feb 1883 • Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
Birth of brother John Ernst Stratton (1883–1884) - 14 Sep 1883 • Ann Arbor, Fourth Ward, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
18843
Death of brother John Ernst Stratton (1883–1884) - 01 Jul 1884 • Ann Arbor, Fourth Ward, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA
18854
Death of Father - 15 Jul 1885 • Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA. NOTE: After the death of John Stratton, family tradition holds Jane also died and William and twin Lillian went to live with their Grandmother (Harriett Smith Stratton Von Valkenburg) in the U.P. of Michigan.
Birth of sister Maud Stratton (1885–1886) - 17 Aug 1885 • Ann Arbor, Fourth Ward, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA. This means that Maud was born about 6 weeks after her father's death.
Death of sister Maud Stratton(1885–1886) - Between January 1886-February 1886 • Washtenaw County, Michigan, USA
Possible death of mother Margaret "Jane" Graham, Kitson (Kittson), Stratton*(1848–1890?) - 25 Apr 1890 • Brantford, Brant, Ontario, Canada
Residence - 01 Jun 1900 • Raber, Chippewa, Michigan, USA. SOURCE: 1900 US Census. Age: 19, b. May 1881, MI, White, Male, Relation to Head of House: Boarder with Beckett family. Single. Parents both b. "Canada English" (Ontario). A few doors down from future wife, Martha Whitehead.
Residence - 30 Nov 1902 • Raber, Chippewa, Michigan, USA. SOURCE: Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952
Marriage - 01 Dec 1902 • Gatesville (Goetzville), Chippewa, Michigan, USA. SOURCE: Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925, (URL: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N381-F2Y). SHOWS: both parents, occupation (Albert: ENGINEER) to Martha Whitehead
(1884–1964)
Occupation: Engineer, about 1902 • Canadian National Railway or Canada Pacific Railway, Sault Sainte Marie, Chippewa, Michigan, USA. SOURCE(s): William & Martha's marriage record in 1902 shares ENGINEER as his occupation; likely RAILROAD ENGINEER, which appears as his occupation in Canadian records.
Birth of daughter Margaret Bell Stratton (1903–1903) - 03 Jul 1903 • (Prob. Goetzville or Raber), Chippewa, Michigan, USA
Death of daughter Margaret Bell Stratton(1903–1903) - 19 Dec 1903 • Raber, Chippewa, Michigan, USA
Naturalization Declaration - TO RESEARCH MORE - abt 1904 • Washington, USA. SOURCE: U.S., Naturalization Records, 1840-1957 for WILLIAM ALBERT STRATTON; Washington District Court, Declarations of Intention, 1898-1904
Birth of daughter Villa Stratton(1905–1986) - 18 Jan 1905 • Portal, Burke, North Dakota, USA
Residence - 26 Jun 1905 • Township 145, Cass County, Minnesota, USA. SOURCE(s): Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905; shows Elbert/Albert (smudged on original), b. abt 1881, age 24, Railroad Engineer, b. Canada, parents both b. Canada. Family is not listed with him on this record, which is odd.
Birth of daughter Myrtle M Stratton (1907–1992) - 1907 • North Dakota, USA or Saskatchewan, Canada
Birth of son William John H "Jack" Stratton (1908–1944) - 19 Jun 1908 • Glen Ewen, Saskatchewan, Canada
Arrival 1908 • Canada - SOURCE: 1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan & Alberta. Shows arrival from U.S. to Canada in 1908, but no location. Since he was raised in Chippewa County, Michigan, USA, it was likely he crossed through Sault Ste. Marie or further west, i.e., MN or WI, USA, into Canada.
Birth of son Albert Edward Stratton (1912–1971) - 26 Nov 1912 • Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada
Residence - 01 Jun 1916 • PR Edward St, District 28 Salcoats, Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada. SOURCE: 1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan & Alberta. William Stratton, 34 (b. 1882 US); Martha 31; Villa 11; Myrtle 9; John 7; Albert 3. Immigrated in 1908.
Birth and death of daughter Infant Stratton (Stillborn) (1918–1918) - 03 Mar 1918 • Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada
DEATH: Aft. December 1917 • Canada OR Minnesota, USA . SOURCE(s): 1) Stillborn infant born March 1917 so his disappearance had to have occurred after conception 2) Ancestry.com member states he "disappeared in Minnesota" after 1916. 3) Family member Gail Knockeart shares he disappeared after being in asylum for killing a man on the Railroad tracks (he was a railway engineer for what we believe was the Canada-Pacific Railway company - but could have been another one).
William's wife Martha obtained a pre-examination to cross the US/Canadian border at Noyes, Minnesota, bound for Rochester, MN with two children in tow - possibly in search of her husband . The record at Noyes indicates she did so on 16 Sep 1919 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. SOURCE: U.S., Records/Aliens Pre-Examined in Canada, 1904-1954. Pre-Exam. Date: 16 Sep 1919; Winnipeg, Manitoba NOTE: Melville, Saskatchewan shown; Martha listed with 2 ch. (Myrtle 13, John/unreadable, but abt. 9).
She did not find him and does not appear to have re-married. She died in 1964 in British Columbia, Canada.
----------------------
Bio/genealogy research 03.16.2024 courtesy Debra Hart, great-grandniece of William Albert Stratton. Please retain original credits if copied; thank you. PHOTO credits: Debra Hart and Gail (Smith) Knockeart
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