Genealogy Chat

I've hit a brick wall! My Gr Grandfather George Sutton went to Canada in 1925 on the Montcalm. Liverpool to Montreal with Canadian Pacific Railway. He was born in 1877. How do I find out what happened to him when he arrived? I can't find any death records.

Just like the UK, where there's no central BMD registery covering the whole of the UK (since BMDs are the responsibility of the individual countries, and each has its own laws governing them), so in Canada there's also no central registery, and each of the provinces has its own laws governing them. Since Montreal was a common port of entry for CP passengers, he could have gone almost anywhere.

See: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/index-e.html for provincial links

Thanks for that information, did people sign up to work for CPR in this country do you know?

Hi Mandy:

I've read that at different times, Canada, or the provinces at least, "recruited" in the UK.

The site listed below mentions recruitment around 1923, but I'm not sure if Canada tried to recruit anywhere in Europe, or mainly the places they hadn't been recruiting before:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/English/resources/publications/legacy/chap-4a.asp#chap4-8
(the paragraph is near the bottom of the page; search for "recruit". (Actually, after a quick look through, it does mention "Central Europe".)

Also:
http://www8.cpr.ca/cms/English/General+Public/Heritage/A+Brief+History.htm
Which is the CPR site. I didn't see anything helpful for you, but wanted to mention it in case you could find something.

do you know where he was born?

put all the information you sent me on here - or would you like me to put it on for you?

Ann

further information from Mandy


he was born on 17/06/1877 in Shipston on Stour. He married my Gr Grandmother Eliza Powell in 1903. She had 8 children but I know that at least the last 3 were by somebody with the surname of Begley! She died in 1930 but no mention of George on her death cert. Her eldest son is informant. I stumbled across a George Sutton emigrating to Canada in 1925 and have been trying to establish whether its my George as I cant find any death records and am really stuck with him

Would you have any idea of his occupation, please? I can look on American census forms. (Have sent you a pm.)

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Did some looking around and at this time can only see a George Sutton, born c1879, valet. He was not born in your George's town. (I believe it was Walford.)

nudge

When he was in the UK census records show he was an Agricultural worker

nudge

Mandy, if you had to guess when he left England, what approximate year would you say?
Here are some of the arrivals in America for George Sutton:
born 1878- arriving 1906
1878 - 1913
1878 - 1912
1879 - 1911 (he was born in Birmingham)
(Some of those could be for the George I found earlier, who was not born in your George's town.)

he left Liverpool in 1925 for Montreal with CPR

Hi Mandy: Sorry, I was reading "further information from Mandy" that Ann posted and forgot you had already mentioned the ship and date! I will look again tonight, after our Scout meeting. Sorry again that I asked a silly question. :)

(I did look at border crossings, but will look again more closely, in case he left Canada.) I really don't know where else to try in Canada.

Hi Mandy:
George Sutton, as I'm sure you are aware, is a common name. However, there is one returning to the UK. I cannot view further details:
UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
George Sutton
Arrival: Liverpool, England
Will continue to look for him in North America.

Either there were two George Sutton's born in Shipston on Stour, or someone else ("Edward") has him in their tree:
George Sutton
Occupation: Ag lab
Birth: 1878 in Worcs, Shipston-on-Stour
Parents: Charles Sutton and Ann Groves
No further information listed for this person.
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi
(Even though this George was born one year later, I thought it could be the same one, since Shipston on Stour is a small town and less likely to have two people born near the same time with the same name.)

I tried looking for George Sutton on the Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid, but it looks like most of their records are "old". I see the town of York, which is what Toronto used to be called. So, it looks like they don't have recent records.
http://www.islandnet.com/ocfa/search.php

I am terrible at math, so will give you this site, so you can see if your George is listed:
http://www.bcarchives.bc.ca/BC_OUR_COLLECTIONS/BC_Vital_Rrd_Collect.aspx
You can try a Births Search

Listing two other places, but have never found my rellies on these sites:
http://www.interment.net/
http://www.findagrave.com/

Here is one other site:
http://www.cyndislist.com/deaths.htm
It lists various sites. Cyndi's List is an excellent resource. Until we can find his death, Canada is such a big country that it would be difficult to find out further information.

Thank you so much for all of your help, you've certainly given me plenty to have a look at.