The Sturges Family

Although there were STURGES’s in America at the first census in 1790, our branch of the family was brought to America in about 1850 by William STURGES. William STURGES was born in Hacconby, County Lincolnshire, England on 1 August 1828. On 28 April 1851 William STURGES was united in wedlock with Susan E. MOULDS, and in the following May they set sail for America. To this marriage were born two children. One died in infancy, the other, Robert, is my great-grandfather.

Upon reaching America William STURGES spent one year in New York as a farm laborer. In 1853 he went to Ohio but remained there only one year moving west to Batavia, Ill where he found his first employment as a teamster. Susan died in Batavia in July 1854. William STURGES then moved to Virgil Township where he rented land until 1868, when he bought eight acres in De Kalb Co. In 1861 he married Isabelle PERRY, of Batavia, who lived but two years after her marriage, dying in October 1863. On 4 July 1865, William Sturges married Mrs. Ann DUSOLD, nee WELCHBORN, who was born in County Wicklow, Ireland, 25 March 1830. Ann’s first husband, George DUSOLD, had enlisted in the Eighth Illinois Cavalry, and was killed at South Mountain Gap 10 July 1863. William and Ann Sturges had only one child, a daughter Ester M. who was still living with her parents in 1888.

Though not a politician, William STURGES supported the Republican party. He was brought up in the faith of the Church of England to which he has adhered though life.

William STURGES died 9 December 1892 at Lily Lake, (Kane County), Illinois and is buried in the East Batavia Cemetery in Batavia, Illinois, with his three wives.

According to Robert E. STURGES’s obituary, he was born in New York state on 17 March 17 1850. When a young man he came west and in November 1872 he was married in Peoria, Illinois, to Miss Ellen BRITTON. Barbara Ellen BRITTON was born 5 August 1855 in Indiana to G. H. BRITTON and (??) HUMBERT. The family moved to Iowa and Kansas before settling in Murray County, Minnesota. Robert and Barbara had 11 children and all but one lived to adulthood.

Robert E. STURGES died 12 July 1916 in Slayton, (Murray), Minnesota, and is buried in the Slayton Cemetery just north of town. At the time of his death, Robert owned a farm (Northeast half of Section 30, Township 107 North, Range 41 West - Mason Township, Murray County) valued at about $17,600 which was sold to Fred STAPLES. Also sold at auction were 4 horses ($380.00), 6 cows and 3 calves ($310.00), 1 bull ($43.00), 53 pigs ($516.00), and miscellaneous farm tools and implements totaling $1732.00. Most of the proceeds went to pay the mortgage of $13,675.00 on the land and equipment. In her husband's probate records, Barbara Ellen signed her name with an "X". (The 1910 census also indicates that she could neither read nor write.)

Barbara Ellen (BRITTON) STURGES died in Slayton on 29 November 1926. She is also buried in the Slayton cemetery just north of town.

The map in the lower right shows the areas of England mentioned in the records for William Sturges. Click on the map to see a bigger image.

Please check out my family tree and see if we are related. I have provided two views for you to peruse. The first is presented as a "Dynamic Family Tree". The other is in a linked sequence of Family Group Sheets.