My ancestor is Joseph BURTON, and he was a Plumber and Glazier in Romford.¹ I expect he made stained glass windows and other windows and some of his handy work may still exist in some of the old manors and churches of the area.

His father William Ingol Burton, a Cooper of Stratford, Essex, apprenticed Joseph to Master Glazier Charles ALLISON on 12 November 1772. This was just when Joseph was 14 years old. No doubt after his apprenticeship (I believe a period of 7 years) he went on to Romford.

Joseph the Elder, as he was known in early Canada, emigrated in about 1817 and died in 1837 in what is now Toronto. He had a son named Joseph and a grandson named Joseph, and many in his family were painters and/or glaziers.

Other relatives from England came to Canada after he settled and became established. Some descendants became merchants or farmers, but all have significant families that remained in Canada or the US.

I continue to look for family information in Romford and surrounding communities.

For more information see The Family of William Burton Sr in Canada & the US 1831-2004.

Greg Burton, Ontario, Canada
August 2003

¹ The Universal British Dictionary 1993-1798, page 337.

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