Stratton, William Avery, 1845-1939
Dates
- Existence: 1845 - 1939
Biographical Note
George Stratton (1823-1910) married Mariette Robinson (abt. 1824-1865) in January 1845. They had six children, all born in Oxford, New York: William Avery (1845-1939), Edward L. (b. December 1847), Harvey J. (b. January 1850), Luke A. (1853-1862), Tracy Frink (b. June 1858), and Alice Robinson (b. February 1864). Some time between 1866 and 1870, George married his first wife's cousin, Maria A. Robinson. George and his four sons who survived to adulthood were all involved in dairy farming and lumber work at one time or another. Stratton seems to have worked in both business, probably in an office capacity, after mid-1881.
Although some details of Stratton's life are unknown, a great deal can be found in the letters. He spent much of his life in parts of Chenango County, New York. He never married. He went to the Oxford Academy, which continues to serve (in an expanded form), as the central school district for Oxford. Around 1866, he attended business college in Poughkeepsie, New York.
In 1870 and early 1871, Stratton seems to have been looking for work. After a brief trip to visit family and friends in Mississippi and Georgia in the spring of 1871, he settled in Washington, DC, having taken a clerk position with the Office of Internal Revenue, Treasury Department. In 1877, he left the Treasury Department and traveled in California and Oregon. Letters from his trip, as well as after, suggest he may be been looking to find work there. He was back in Oxford the next year, however. By the spring of 1879, Stratton was working for Lord and Taylor in New York City. In 1881, he moved to Othello, Mississippi. Some time after May 1881, he returned again to Chenango County. It is unclear if he remained with the family business(es) or found other work. He died in 1939. His sister, Alice, was his only sibling still alive at that time.