Frederick George Barton

[Smokey807]

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.

[Smokey807]

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.

[shellyesq]

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. 

[*Sandra*]

Could this be the probate for Frederick George Barton ?

Sandra

[shellyesq]

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.

[Smokey807]

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.

[*Sandra*]

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

[Smokey807]

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.

[shellyesq]

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."