The History of Mark Stratton in America
The "Mark & Emanuel Stratton Brothers of Evesham, New Jersey" from
A Book of Strattons, Volume I & II, by Harriet Russell Stratton.
Along with his 1,000's of living "Stratton/Strattan/Stretten/etc" descendants!
(*Mark & Emanual were one of the thirteen different Stratton families/bloodlines that emigrated to North America, researched by Harriet)

Mark was born ~1691 in Liecestershire, Market Harborough, England, which he spoke of before he passed, as written in the Stratton/Norcross Family Bible:

   
(Click here for Pictures of this inscription in the Norcross Family Bible)

He came to America in 1702, about age 11,
with his brother Manuell (Emanuel), about age 12,
and their friend/future brother-in law,
Robert Braddock, Sr. (age 17).

They settled at the Quaker colony of Evesham Township, West New Jersey, as yeomen, or Friends of the Society, where they married the "beautiful daughters" of Timothy Hancock, "The Hancock Sisters", and raised prominent, respectful families, that have been documented many times, especially in A Book of Strattons, Volume I and II, by Harriet Russell Stratton. Timothy Hancock came from Brayles, Warwickshire, England, in 1681, in the ship "Paradise."

Robert Braddock Sr married Elizabeth Hancock in 1709. Mark Stratton married Ann Hancock in New Jersey in 1713, at the age of 21, and had many children. Manuel Stratton also married a Hancock daughter, belived to be on the same day, in 1713. Robert Braddock Sr died in 1714.

Many of these Stratton family members participated in the Revolutionary Wars of and American Civil War, which divided the family of their Quaker roots.

Some family members stayed in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, some migrated towards Ohio and the West, and some others towards the South. There are 1000's of Stratton/Strattan descandants living today!

The Story:

MARK STRATTON was born abt 1692, in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England, and died in 1759, in New Jersey, burried in the Friends cemetary, originally the first grave on Robert Braddock the proginator's land. Records show a "Mark Webster alias Stretton", along with his older brother Manuell, and eight other siblings, seven of which seemed to have died in early age. Their father was probably Richard Webster of Market Harborough, England, who likely either married into the Stratton family or sent Mark and Emanuel for apprenticeship with the 'Strettons', who were Tailors by trade in England, before coming to America. It is also possible that their only serviving sister, per the parish records, married into the Stratton family before or after coming to America in 1702, if she made the voyage with them.

A note about Apprenticeships and Indentures in England in the 17th Century: "Under the 1563 Act, an apprenticeship deed or written contract was essential, but parishes which apprenticed paupers were spared that additional expense until 1691. By the 1563 Act an apprentice was bout to serve until the age of 24. The Stamp Act of 1709 put a tax on the indenture which resulted in a centralised record until 1808... A seven-year term was usual, and apprenticeship usually started at the age of fourteen. Poor children of the parish were put out to work with small farmers, weavers, carpenters, and tailors." -Source: FamilySearch.org

According to www.British-History.ac.uk, there were 200 taxpayers in Market Harborough in 1377. In 1670, there were 159 households in Market Harborough. In 1676 there were 471 communicants. In 1780 there were estimated to be 300 families in the town. In 1801 the recorded population of the township was 1,700 people. By 1871 the population was 2,481. Quakers at Harborough are mentioned in 1687, and again in the early 18th century, but there does not seem to have been an organized Quaker meeting until later, as the minute books of the Leicestershire Quakers for 1671-1724 mention no congregation at Harborough.

Mark came to America in 1702 abt the age 11, along with his older brother Manuell, abt age 12, and their friend and future brother-in-law, Robert Braddock Sr., abt age 17. Together they settled at the Quaker settlement in Evesham, New Jersey. (Chester Township, Burlington County). West Jersey was largely a Quaker colony due to the influence of Pennsylvania founder William Penn and its prominent Quaker investors. In 1702, Queen Anne of England, reunited East & West Jersey into one royal province, New Jersey.

Mark settled in New Jersey, and in 1713, Mark and Manuell married two of "The Hancock Sisters" on the same day (or 1 month apart; Oct 8 & Nov 8). (Robert Braddock married a Hancock sister in 1709 as well). Mark had 9 children: David (m. Mary Elkington), Daniel, Ruth, John, Enoch, Isaac, Ann, Elizabeth, and Jane.

Mark died April 3rd, 1759, at the age of 69, in Medford, Burlington County, New Jersey, the first burrial in the new "Friends" cemetary. On his death bed, Mark told the story of coming to America from the Kingdom of England, which was writen down by his Daughter, Jean Strattan Norcross:

"My father Mark Stratton departed this life the 3rd day of April in the Year of our Lord 1759 in the 69th year of his age. Was buried the 4th Day having (9) children, 28 grandchildren who followed him to his grave. He had upward of 60 grandchildren in his time. He lived a married life upwards of 25 years. He was born at Market Harborough, in Leicestershire in the Kingom of England, and came to America in the Year of our Lord 1702. He was buried at the new schoolhouse lately erected on Robert Braddock's land in Evesham County of Burlington, by the consent of the said Robert Braddock and other friends concerned therein being the first person laid in the said burying ground."

Many publications, including the Book of Strattons, VOL 1 & 2, by Harriet Russell Stratton, incorrectly list Mark's lineage through other lines. Volume 1 was written in 1908. In ~1950s, John Strattan found the Norcross bible that stated the above entry about Mark and his journey to America.

We are able to trace back the Market Harborough Parish Registers, Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials of the time, and found birth records for MARK and MANUELL WEBSTER, sons of RICHARD WEBSTER, born at the same time Mark mentioned on his death bed.

Some of Mark's sons usually spelled the name Strattan, and several branches still use it today.
(Neither Mark nor Manuell signed his own will, but previous documents with their signatures show "Stratton")

Mark, and his brother Manuell, were the original STRATTON settlers in Glouceter County. New Jersey
(Mark and Manuell are un-related to the other STRATTON line(s) in America prior to the 1700's, ex: Briggs & Stratton, etc.)

--- Last Updated August 16, 2014
--- Written by S. Stratton in 2013