Earl Whisler, Sr. WWI Draft card

On the bottom of this form is Earl's actual signature and at the top of the second page, it says that he is tall, medium build, light blue eyes and has dark brown hair.   He is listed as a farmer and is married and not disabled. He was living in Quincy Washington at the time and was born in Clearfield, Iowa.

Walker Pedigree Chart

this chart starts Marilyn Walker's father

James Burton and Isabella Walton Burton Family Group Sheet

 Dates of death were cut off for the children.  They are as follows:
Robert Walton Burton  Died: 1 June 1905
Isabella Walton Smith  Died: 14 April 1909
James Walton Burton Died: 20 September 1829  (age, 5 days)
Rose Mary Burton  Died:  November 1831 (age, less than 1 month)
William Walton Burton Died: 27 June 1918
Rosemond Burton Rushforth  Died: 6 April 1891
James Walton Burton  Died: 9 October 1918 (It was common practice to name a later child after one that died)
Margaret Burton Marriott Died: 30 September 1918
Ann Burton Died: 2 November 1840 ( date of birth)
Christopher Walton Burton  Died: 26 December 1913
Mary Burton Holland Died: 15 January 1874
Thomas Walton Burton Died: 5 August 1919

Burton family - first 3 generations back to 1685

(Material collected and compiled by Josephine Burton Bagley, Family Representative)

Note: To help us to better understand the background of James and Isabella Burton lives, I have given a little of the lives of some of their earlier parents and grandparents.

Our First Great Parents JAMES BURTON AND ROSEMOND CLARKSON

James Burton was born and christened the 15th of April, 1751. He was the eldest son of Mathew Burton and Mabel Burrow. Rosemond Clarkson was christened the 18th of March 1753. She was the daughter of Joseph and Mary Clarkson, and was born in Simistone of Hardraw, Yorkshire, England. They were married the 23 of November 1775 at Hawes. Their first home was in Hawes, and their first five children were born there. Their last ten children were born in Gayle of Hawes, Yorkshire, England.

This James Burton was probably a farmer. His death certificate states he was a woolcomer. (sic) This vocation may be been learned and practiced, operating his own agricultural holdings. The little we know of their family seems to indicate they were reared on a farm.

Daughter Mabel was skilled in use of the scythe, which was used at that time to cut and harvest grain and hay. In 1851, we find wife, Mabel, a widow at the age of seventy years, with unmarried 25 year old son, a 10 year old scholar grandson, and a 7 year old granddaughter, operating 94 acres, employing no help. Our grandfather was skilled in handling horses.

Great Grandmother, Rosemond Clarkson, died the 7th of November 1829 at the age of almost 77 years. Our great grandfather, James Burton, died the 14th of April 1842 at the age of 91 years and 364 days, at Appersett, near Hawes, Yorkshire, England, probably at the home of his daughter Mabel, wife of Christopher Metcalfe. (see the reference to this aunt Mabel in the story of James and Isabella).



OUR SECOND GREAT GRANDPARENTS, MATHEW BURTON AND MABEL BURROW

Mathew Burton, the eldest son of James Burton and Isabel Sedgswick, was christened the 15th of February 1716. Mabel Burrow, daughter of Robert Burrow and Elizabeth Collinson, was christened the 10th of December 1719. Mathew and Mabel were married the 26th of May 1738. They lived in Dent, Yorkshire, England. He left now will, but we have found where he was named in three wills.

1) In the will of his maternal grandfather, Mathew Sedgswick. He and his cousin, Leonard Mason received the right of land and property in 1723.

2) In 1769, Mathew Burton, his two sons and four daughters were named as beneficiaries in the will of his deceased mother's only brother, Edward Burrow.

3) In 1881 the will of Robert Burrow, only child of Edward Burrow---- (quote)---"I give and devise all my free-hold estate, messages, tenements with all and singular the lands, grounds, hereditaments and premises situated and lying and being at Gawthrope in Dent -- unto my cousin, James Burton, son of my late Uncle Mathew Burton." He also names the other five children of Mathew Burton and Mabel Burrow as beneficiaries. Cousin Robert Burton of London was given 100 pounds, and his five sisters, Isabell, Mary (wife of George Moses), Ann, and Elizabeth Burton, 40 pounds each.

Evidently Mathew married Margaret after Mabel's death, as in the settlement of his property, it was done in the name of Margaret, widow of Mathew Burton, administratrix.


OUR THIRD GREAT GRANDPARENTS, JAMES BURTON AND ISABEL SEDGSWICK

James Burton was born about the 1685. Isabel Sedgswick was christened the 17th of May 1690. They were married the 12th of May 1715 and lived in Haycoat, Dent, Yorkshire, in the Parish of Sedgberg. In our careful search, we found no will, but we have found his name in other people's wills, where he had either been appointed as an executor or mentioned as "my trusted friend."

James Burton and Isabella Walton Burton

As near as I can tell, a lot of this article was copied from William Walton Burton's story, 'Little Willie'.  As I was typing it in, there were many random quotation marks that had no place in the story, so I left them out and I think we can all just realize that a lot of the story is copied from his story - also I changed some of her spelling and punctuation.  There are footnotes that list the sources of dates and such and at a later date, I will figure out a way to include them.

STORY OF OUR GRANDPARENTS

JAMES BURTON AND ISABELLA WALTON BURTON

(Material collected and compiled by Josephine Burton Bagley, Family Representative)

Our Grandfather, James Burton, youngest son of Great Grandparent's James Burton and Rosemond Clarkson, was born 6th of June 1800 in Gayle of Hawes, Yorkshire, England. Gayle is a small hamlet near Hawes, which is a Chapelry in Parish of Aysgarth. The Gayle records were kept in Hawes.

Isabella Walton was born 7 April 1802. The Quaker Records gave Buttersett of Hawes as the place of her birth, but her Patriarchal Blessing gives Dent, Yorkshire, England. They were Quakers. They were probably able financially to give their two children some educational opportunities. Her brother, four years her senior, was head booker of a large firm operating coal mines in the vicinity of town, Bishop Auckland, Durham, England. He had an income of 400 pounds sterling, and was able to give his three living children good educations. This uncle and his family was probably the inspiration that made nephew, William Walton Burton, so determined to get a good education in spite of poverty and difficulties.

Since we find in Gayle and Hawes, both our Burton and Walton families, it seems reasonable that James Burton and Isabella Walton knew one another as children. Later in Hawes Parish Register, -----"Marriage of James Burton of Bradford Moor in Parish of Bradford, and Isabella Walton of Gayle in this Chapelry, married by license 5 March 1825." Her brother, Christopher, was one of the witnesses to their marriage.

In his autobiography titled, 'Little Willie', William Walton Burton on the occasion of a visit with his father to his Aunt Mable Metcalfe's when he was 14 years of age, (probably by cart) describes the country side of the part of England best known to the Burtons:

"As his native town grew dim in the distance, fine old farm houses appeared in view, with fields of waving grain and gentlemen's summer residences, surrounded by beautiful parks, interspersed with very large trees, where deer were seen resting themselves under the wide spreading branches of those ancient oaks.----they gained the top of a high hill, where an open valley lay before them in which there were three or four lovely villages; and in those villages resided many of their relatives, ---- one was the birth place of his father. After descending into the valley they drew up before a very ancient farm house, where his father said, "Willie, your Aunt Mabel lives here." They entered and received a warm welcome. ----the scenery around Aunt Mabel's, rural home was far different from Bradford, his native village. The village in which stood her residence was a beautiful little settlement, occupied chiefly by wealthy farmers, and bounded on every side by rich pastures and beautiful meadows. Close to the village ran a clear stream of water, the bed of this stream was solid limestone rock."

While living in Bradford, some of their children learned vocations. Robert became a blacksmith, also learned to play the violin; William became a wool comber (some of his older children remember seeing his wool combs); James worked with wood and became a Joiner, Isabella and Rose learned to spin and weave cloth.

Here in Bradford, there was a congregation, who had left the Methodist New Connection Church, that met together every Sabbath, worshipped God as well as they knew how, and prayed that he would send them the pure gospel. It was while meeting with this group, that James and Isabella Burton and their family heard the Latter-day Saint Missionaries preach the gospel. They believed that they taught the same gospel that Jesus Christ and his apostles taught, so on June 4, 1842 they were baptized. Their children were baptized later.

James Burton died of cholera 18th of July 1849, at the age of 49 years and 12 days, leaving nine children for his widow to look after, the youngest only 2 years old. His early death was a great shock to his wife and family. The oldest son, Robert, had emigrated to Utah some time before with his Uncle Robert, for whom he had been named. So sixteen year old William had to do all he could to help his mother support the family.

About two years later, the president of the mission asked her if she was willing for her son William to go on a mission, and stated that he had been impressed to call upon him to go and preach the gospel. "Her eyes filled with tears, realizing that it would deprive her of her son's much needed help," but her answer was positive. "If the Lord wants him, I am willing for him to go."

When the appointed time came for him to start on his mission, from the little money he had saved, he purchased a dress for his mother, and an entire suit of clothes for himself. The remainder of the money he left at home, as the elders were required to preach the gospel without purse or script.

We do not have a complete record of how she met her problems. Her daughters, Isabella and Rose, got work in the factory weaving cloth. They had to be at work at 6 o'clock in the morning and had to walk 3 miles there and 3 miles back, after having stood at their looms all day. Margaret, the next daughter, had to do all she could to help for her mother had to work to get a little money, where she could.

One of Isabella Walton Burton's outstanding skills was knitting. She used a sheath or shield in which to hold her knitting needles, and worked so rapidly that her needles could not be seen only the clicking of the needles could be heard. In an evening, she could make a pair of socks.

After William returned from his mission, they decided it was best for him to go to America, find his brother Robert, and the two of them prepare a home and send for their mother and the family. He went on to Utah and met his brother Robert, and together they were able to send for their mother and the family.

The family sailed for America on the 22 of April 1855 on Ship Samuel Curling. They were listed on the ship's records as follows:

Age: 52 Isabella Burton
        22 Isabella Burton
        19 Rosemond Burton
        17 James Burton - Joiner Occupation
        15 Margaret (Margrete) Burton
        12 Christopher Burton
        10 Mary Burton
         8 Thomas Burton

They arrived in New York the 22nd of May 1855, where they traveled by train to St. Louis and then on to Kansas. Isabella and her seven children crossed the plains in 8th Company of Captain Milo Andrus, and arrived in Salt Lake City the 24th of October 1855.

"Andrus was not a very kind man.----He was a hard taskmaster. Grandmother was not very strong, being of slight figure. ----It was hard for her to walk so much, so sometimes she stole a ride to help her along. One day as she was climbing in a wagon she fell. The wheel passed over her leg and broke the bone. It was set and bandaged and doctored by plasters of cow manure."

They walked about 20 miles a day, crossed many rivers on foot and would be very weary at night. When they camped at night after eating their scanty meal, they would have prayers and sing, "Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard, tis not so, all is well." Food was scarce, their flour was weighed out to them, and many times they had very little to eat.

At Fort Bridger they were met by her two oldest sons, Robert Walton Burton and William Walton Burton with provisions. They settled in Kaysville, Utah, and for a while stayed at Robert's home located on what is now known as the Greener Farm.

The winter of 1855 was known as the "hard winter." They had very little food. For six weeks they did not taste bread. What little wheat flour they used for thickening soup, which was made from an old cow that was so thin it couldn't stand up, so was killed and the meat used for soup. In the spring of that year, their food consisted mainly of greens, being made from nettles or other kinds of weeds.

Isabella Walton Burton was given a Patriarchal Blessing by Isaac Morley in Kaysville, Utah on 7 September 1857. It states that she was the daughter of William and Isabella Walton and was born at Dent, Yorkshire, England. She was promised that her children would bless and honor her, that she would have peace of mind, would enjoy health and her last days would be her best days. Because of her integrity, she was beloved by the Lord.

The latter part of her life she lived in Kaysville with William and Rachel Burton. They had been away from home and upon returning asked her how she was feeling. She said, "Oh, I feel so fine I could jump over the moon." But that very night, she took sick and died the 31st of March 1863. She had an egg and a cup of tea for her supper. They thought it was the egg that caused it, for she had had one for breakfast, and her stomach could never digest eggs very well. It was too much for her.

She was buried in a homemade coffin made out of a pine log by her son-in-law, Samuel Rushforth.

Grandmother was buried in Kaysville before the lots had been properly laid out. For a time her grave was lost. Later another grave was being dug and her coffin was found, identified and a marker erected. The family planned to replace the marker as the inscription (in 1967) was almost unreadable and it had fallen over. On the marker, her name is spelled Isabel.

Descriptive Sketch of early England home of James and Isabella Walton Burton

Descriptive Sketch of the early places where the Burtons lived

Dent, Hawes and Bradford in Yorkshire ENGLAND

the home place of the

JAMES AND ISABELLA BURTON FAMILY

Dent and Hawes were the ancestorial homes of our Burtons. The family of James and Isabella Burton moved to the industrial city of Bradford to live and find employment.

Bradford, in Yorkshire (the largest County in England), is pleasantly situated at the junction of three beautiful valleys. At the time our Burton ancestors lived there in 1831, the streets were paved and lighted with gas. The houses, mostly of stone and roofed with brown slate found in the neighborhood, were handsome and well-built. The neighborhood abounded with pleasing and picturesque scenery. Bradford derived its name from a Ford on the River Aire.

Bradford was the center of the manufacturing districts, and the people of the city were principally employed in the manufacture of superior woolen cloth, worsted stuffs, cotton goods, and in the spinning of yarns.

Manningham is a township in the northern Parish of Bradford in West Riding of the county of Yorkshire. William refers to "Long Land Street" in Manningham as the residence of his father's family. Rosemond Burton Rushforth gives another address: (this address is not legible on the copy I have - but could say Montgomery Street).

In a letter from mother Isabella to son Robert dated the 27th of August 1849 she gave a different address, in her own script :

On the faded map of Bradford, you can just make out the village of Manningham in the upper left hand corner. These two maps were taken from the 1967 booklet.