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Research in Other Countries => United States of America => Topic started by: Smokey807 on Saturday 19 November 16 14:12 GMT (UK)
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Frederick George Barton was born in Tunbridge Wells England in 1858, the son of John Barton (1830-1900) a cab driver. The family were poor and lived in poor housing.As a boy of age 8 Frederick began a life of crime and over a period of 45 years of life he spent about 35 of them in prison and later in American , a country he fled to in 1888. He is known to have at least 5 wives which he swindled and left them destitute. In St Louis he was found guilty of murdering James P McCann and sentenced to hang but was commuted to life imprisonmant. However he was pardoned in 1903. Although he was let out on the condition that he leave the USA he remained in the country. What he got up to in the years from his release in 1903 until his reappearance in Brooklyn New York in 1920 is something I would be interested in learning about. The last report I have for him is from The Brooklyn Daily Eagle of September 19,1920 when he appears at the office of the newspaper under the false name of Major J.K. Hastings-Seymour, making inquiries about his daughter Elaine who was born to him and his wife Celestina Elizabeth Barton, nee Miller who Barton had married in Brooklyn NY in 1891 and took to England under false pretenses, one his wives he took money from and left pennyless. Celestina in 1893 returned to Brookly with her daughter Elaine but by the time "Major J.K. Hastings-Seymour" arrived at The Eagle newspaper office his daughter Elaine had been married and drowned in Virginia in a canoeing accident in 1915. I would like to find out what happened to "Major J.K. H. Seymour after 1920-presumably he remained in the USA for there was nothing for him back in England.
He was born according to birth records as Frederick Barton. Other names he went by were Frederick George Barton, Lord Barrington, Lord Frederick Seymour Barrington, Sir Frederick Sydenham Burgoyney, Victor Vernon Sydenham and others but in 1920, the last record I have he was operating under the false name of Major J. K. Hastings-Seymour. I would be most interested in any information about him and his life and death for the period from 1903 onwards. If I read the Washington Post article correctly of August 14,1907 about Barton it appears he was let out of prison although another article reported that prison officials in St Louis stated to The Eagle that Barton was parolled December 24,1918.
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I seemed to gave gotten a few dates mixed up in my original posting. This is my understanding.
Firstly he was convicted in 1903 of the murder of James P. McCann in St Louis and sentenced to hand. For some unknown reason he was not hung right away and remained in prison. Then in 1907 his sentence was commuted to Life in prison. Then on the date given in 1918 he was parolled. Then there is a gap until he reappears in 1920 at the office of The Eagle in Brooklyn, NY. At his meeting with the staff of The Eagle a meeting was arranged between Barton (as the Major) and members of the Miller family (one of his wives) and someone from The Eagle but when they went to meet Barton at the hotel the hotel clerk said the Major had left with his baggage leaving a forwarding address in Montreal Canada. The Eagle office checked his forwarding address and bound it to be bogus and that is the last I know of him. So anything about between from 1918 onwards would be greatly appreciated.
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On www.fultonhistory.com, there is an Albany Times Union newspaper from 1950 that has an article about his exploits. It says he collapsed in a Los Angeles street in 1939 at age 79, was finally deported to England, and died in a London jail in 1942. Search for the exact phrase "Lord Barrington", and it should come up. The two pages of the article come up under different results.
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Could this be the probate for Frederick George Barton ?
Sandra
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On the SS President Roosevelt sailing from New York to Plymouth, arriving 22 Sep. 1938, listed under deportees: Barton, Frederick, age 79, proposed address in UK - Tunbridge, Wells, England, country of last permanent residence - England, occupation - merchant.
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Thank you both for the excellent work. Just what I was looking for. The Albany newspaper you referred me to said Barton collapsed in the street of Los Angeles in 1939, identified and finally deported to England and died in a London jail in 1942. The passenger info one of you proved I believe is entirely correct even though it gives 1938 as the date of deportation particularly since his proposed address was given as Tunbridge Wells which is where he was born and spent his early life, so some discrepancy there. Also the probate record given by you for him dying Feb 18,1942 at Rainham Essex ,although for the same year, does not indicate he died 1942 in a London jail so I am not sure if it is the correct one. It might be but Im not sure. I was wondering why he would be in a London jail for I cant find any cases against him in the USA that would have put him in a USA prison before his deportation. Perhaps upon his arrival in England British authorities laid charges against him for crimes he had committed in the UK before fleeing to the USA in 1888 but I would have thought that the statute of limitations would have protected him given the elapsed time.
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Free BMD gives death for Frederick G Barton registered in March 1942 - Romford - it was the only one listed with the initial G in that year ???
Barton Frederick G 76 Romford 4a 858
Sandra
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Hello Sandra.............Yes that will be him alright. I will now compare the Romford reg. death to the Probate record given to better understand the relationship between the two. This I can do myself.
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There was a woman named Montie Elizabeth McIntosh who was married to a Frederick Augustus Hastings Seymour. She died 26 Sep. 1921 and there was a dispute about her will in a North Carolina court - http://www.rootschat.com/links/01ivp/
I can't read the whole news article, but it looks like Mrs. Hastings Seymour was reported to have committed suicide. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/56178726/ Given Frederick's past, I wonder if that was really the case. The article also says, "It is the second tragedy in the life of Major Hastings-Seymour, who was very active in church work here, friends state, he having lost his first wife and a daughter when a boat in which they were riding capsized."
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Here is her death certificate - https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F3CH-VZY It said she set her clothes on fire. :(
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They married in Moore, NC on 15 Jul 1921, just shortly before her will was made. He claimed his parents were deceased, although it looks like he made up the names. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8HY-GSV
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Major F.A. Hastings Seymour is noted to have sailed to Quebec from Liverpool in 1920 - https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/64549462/
A Canada ocean arrivals form said Frederick Hastings Seymour was age 56, married, born Brighton, previously in Canada from 1902-1903 and departed from Halifax, in Canada on business, religion C. of E., going to friend A. Tressider, 58, Muchmore St., Ottawa, Ont.
The Moore Co. News has various articles about Frederick's marriage and his wife's death - https://www.newspapers.com/search/#lnd=1&query=hastings+seymour&t=2412
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In light of this new alias, this death was interesting - https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVC6-KVBW
Other possible marriages in England and Florida -
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2626-GQ9
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWSB-5ZS
Perhaps a remarriage for the wife May? https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV8S-4C52
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Thank you Shelley for the great info which I have printed off. I was able to access all the records you gave except for the rootschat link regarding the will dispute. It just took me to google books and when I typed in his name and after that his wife it said there were no results. I am not a subscriber to google books and there was no PDF I could download. Is there some way you can sent the article to me?
There is no doubt in my mind that the Frederick Augustus Hastings Seymour is the same man as Frederick George Barton. He used the name of Major Hastings-Seymour in his 1920 contact with The Eagle newspaper in Brooklyn NY so a year later he married Montie E. McIntosh. Its indeed strange that they married July 15,1921 and she set herself on fire and died Sept 29,1921 and that she was married as you say just before she made a will. She did apparently have some medical(perhaps mental) problems as the article you referred me to said she killed herself because of ill health and had been in a Raleigh hospital several days before her death. It also stated that she had been married once before and had secured her divorce before marrying Mr Seymour.
Also of interest is that his marriage record indicates an age of 57 (born 1864) when Frederick George Barton was actually born 1858. Also interesting in the article is the reference to his wife and daughter being killed when their boat capsized. Mr Barton and his wife Celestine Elizabeth Barth, nee Miller had a daughter Elaine Barton born in England in 1892. A passenger list gave Celestine and her 10 mth old daughter Elaine returning to New York after Barton had been arrested and put in prison in England. I have an article from The Eagle in Brooklyn that said Major Hastings-Seymour came looking for information about his daughter in 1920 but she (Elaine) was reported to have died in a canoeing accident in Virginia in 1915 (said nothing about his wife being killed also, and there are other accounts indicating that Celestine was still alive after 1920 running a laundry in New York). The use of his names Frederick and Hastings and Seymour as Frederick Augustus Hastings Seymour wrt to Montie E. McIntosh I feel is much more than a coincidence. I think its just another alias he was going by. I suspect he was after Montie's money like the other five women he duped.
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Google Books is a free site, but I have been told that the content varies based on your location. The same information about the case can be seen here - https://casetext.com/case/in-re-seymour-8
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Montie's previous marriage - https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F846-C86
There is a WWI service card for Montie - https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9XM-BCT7?mode=g&i=129&cc=2568864
The death records from Montie's first husband lists him as divorced, so that fits with the newspaper article - https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F342-2BY
Regarding the possible Florida marriage, the 1924 Jacksonville, Florida city directory has this:
Hastings-Seymour, Olive, stenographer Georgia-Florida Motor Co., home 434 Williams. No mention of Frederick Hastings-Seymour, so perhaps he took off for his next conquest by then.
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It looks like Montie had made a suicide attempt in 1902 as well - http://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn91068337/1902-06-19/ed-1/seq-3/ocr/
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Hello Shelley
Thank you very much for all the great information. I see among the items was a service record in WW 1 for Montie McIntosh as a nurse. In one of the articles you referred me to it stated that she met Major Frederick Augustus Hastings Seymour during the war. Presumably he was in the war and injured. Can you locate a service record for him ?
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He seems rather old to have served, doesn't he? Of course, he could have lied about his age, too. If he served with the US, there isn't anything comprehensive online as far as service records from WWI.
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There is a press photo of him when he was in the Los Angeles jail in 1938 - http://picclick.co.uk/1938-Press-Photo-Lord-Frederick-Hastings-Seymour-at-Los-391572104547.html The photo is for sale on ebay, if you are inclined to want it.
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There is a 1938 article that seems to mention him being sent back to England - https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/140472580/
This one seems to mention him signing notes as J. Frederick Augustus Harrington Seymour in 1907 - https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/142121000/
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Excellent Work Shelley !!!!........You are fantastic. Its amazing to me how you find so much information for me. Its developing into quite a story. A person could write a book on the life of this man.
Perhaps you, or anyone, could help me tie up a few loose ends regarding Barton's daughter Elaine Elizabeth Barton who's birth was registered at Steyning Sussex Jan 1892. Her mother, Barton's first wife was Celestine Elizabeth Barton. I have all the info I need about Celestine and her family. Barton and Celestine were married in 1891 in Brooklyn NY and after the marriage she and her husband went to live in England. She expected to be living his "castle" that he bragged about but initially lived in the best hotels in London on her and her mothers money which he conned them out of. They then rented a house in Brighton, Sussex and while there Elaine was born and soon after Barton was arrested and put in jail for various thefts. Passenger lists show Mrs Celestine Elizabeth Barton and her 10 month old daughter Elaine sailing back to New York from England in 1893, having been send some money by family and friends in the USA to pay for her passage.
An article in The Eagle of Brooklyn NY picks up the story of Elaine when her father as Major Frederick Hastings-Seymour shows up at the office of the The Eagle in 1920 asking for help in locating his daughter. The article about this says that when Elaine was age 13 she was given up by her mother who could not care for her or give her a good life. She was adopted, or at least her guardian was Ferdinand Danton, an artist painter (actually an art forger). Article continues by saying Elaine married a Mr Fairfax and for two years she toured with her husband as a theatrical performer under the name of Elaine Fairfax. She was an accomplished painter and accounts say a talented stage performer. I have a report from The Eagle that Elaine died in Virginia in 1915 when her canoe capsized and she was drowned.
I would like to get a photo of Elaine; also any information about her marriage and her theatrical career and details about her death. I hope someone can help so I can complete the sad and short story of her life as she would only have been 23 yrs old when she drowned. I did a general search for her as Elaine Fairfax on google but nothing came up.
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I didn't see any Virginia death certificate that seemed to match Elaine. Maybe her mother was lying, or the information was off.
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I think this may be Elaine, although the death was Alabama rather than Virginia. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDDF-SJN
In the NY Dramatic Mirror from 1913/1914 on www.fultonhistory.com, it said that Elaine R. Miller, known professionally as Berenice Woods and Elaine Fairfax, drowned in the river at Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Oct. 5 (which is a bit off from the death record). She was the wife of Max C. Elliott, well-known agent from Chicago. Her body was being shipped back East for burial. An article from the NY Clipper said she was to be buried in Boston.
An article in Billboard said Elaine Fairfax & Max Elliott were married in Chicago on 17 Dec. 1912.
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There's another Elaine Miller death record for a slightly earlier death date - https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F3B6-K42 ???
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Looks like Elaine may have been a victim, too.
From what I can see from the snippet from the Montgomery Advertiser from 3 Aug. 1913, Mrs. Sites, alias Elaine Miller nee Elaine Elizabeth Barton, claimed that she was an unwilling participant in fraud committed by her husband W.C. Sites, alias Max C. Elliott. http://www.rootschat.com/links/01ivx/ This was shortly before her drowning death.
You can see another article that looks to have the same wording here - https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/119309845/
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In the DeKalb Co. Alabama marriage index, there is an entry for Elaine Elizabeth Barton and William C. Sites, who married 24 Jul. 1913.
On www.fultonhistory.com, if you search for the exact phrase "Elaine Elizabeth Barton", there is a picture of her in an article for the Buffalo, NY Courier from 1905.
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Hello Shelly
Great information-thank you very much. Quite an interesting turn of events. Elaine the daughter of a habitual criminal Frederick George Barton with several alias is adopted age 13 by an art forger in Manhattan, marries William C. Sites alias Max C. Elliott July 24,1913 (or Dec 17,1912) and gets involved with his frauds.
Elaine Elizabeth Barton, also known as Elaine R Miller known professionally as Berenice Woods and Elaine Fairfax, the wife of William C. Sites drowns in Alabama October 5,1913 ( or Sept 22,1913 or Sept 14,1913 and buried in Boston.
Quite a continuance in her life with criminals.
I will try to find out more about her by searching under her various names. It would be good to find a photo of her during the time she was on the stage or even one of her husband. Who knows what interesting information will turn up.
Thank you for your great assistance. if you find out any more pertaining to my inquiry please post a reply.
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You're welcome. It sure is a fascinating story.
One of the articles said she was raised in Boston, so I wonder if the adoptive parents were someone other than Ferdinand Danton. I don't see her with any Dantons in the census records.
I think this is the 1910 census with artist Ferdinand Danton - https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M5SC-QJN
If this is the right guy, his wife was not with him as of the 1915 NY state census. She was listed as a maid and had her son with her.
However, there is another entry for a Ferdinand D'or Danton in 1910 with a different family - https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M5WK-J3N I guess it could be a different guy, but the parents' place of birth seem to be the same.
It looks like he died in 1939 with wife's name listed as May - https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WP3-GTV
There's some discussion of his wives here - http://boards.ancestry.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=5&p=surnames.danton
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I wonder if this was Frederick's wife Celestine in the 1900 census - https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSNH-692 Perhaps Elaine was adopted before age 13.
There's a drawing of "Lord Barrington" and wife Wilhelmina here - http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn89081022/1906-02-28/ed-1/seq-3.pdf Looks like a younger version of the man in the press photo.
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Hello Shelly
Thank you for the additional information.
Yes I wondered about the reference to Elaine being raised in Boston too since the artist Danton was in Manhattan. Its hard to know what story to believe as I have found a number of discrepencies such as the year and place of death of Elaine which The Brooklyn Eagle said was in Virginia and many others regarding the crimes of Barton but the general story of his life is consistent and it all ties together.
Yes the 1900 census you sent me is one I found myself before and it is her. I found a US patent registered in the names of Elizabeth Miller and daughter Celestine Barton in 1903 that had to do with sewing/laundry type work. Elizabeth Miller did open a laundry in Brooklyn so that fit in nicely.
I did find a theatrical publication regarding the death of Elaine Elizabeth Barton that you did not refer me to. It said Elaine was well known under her stage names as a vaudeville performer. What struck me as odd is that she had four alias but her husband had several also and she did state that her husband would use different names to commit his frauds. I would have thought a performer would want to keep the same name.
Its great you gave me access to Elaine's picture as a teenager/young woman. I searched for other photos of her under all the different names she went by on and off stage but could not find one. You would think that if she was so well known that there would be an image of her performing during her stage years. What a shame she died when only age 21. She must have married William C. Siles when she was about age 18. Did you find a marriage record for her?
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The only marriage record I found was the mention on the Alabama index.
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Thanks Shelly
I think I have everything I want now. Thanks again for all your assistance.
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Hi Shelley
I am researching Frederick George Barton 'Lord' Barrington and have found several newspaper articles relating to the 1903 St Louis murder and subsequent trial. I am trying to find out what happened to Frederick between 1926 and 1938 when he was deported back to England. I believe he must have spent more time in prison but haven't been able to find any further information. Would you have any information or be able to suggest which records I need to look at? Any assistance you could give would be much appreciated.
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I guess he should be on the 1930 census, but seems like he could have been under a variety of names.