John Proudfoot (Straton) Stratton (1830 - 1895)

Born 2 Jul 1830 in Caputh, Perthshire, Scotland

Husband of Georgiana Anne (Anderson) Stratton — married 12 Apr 1859 in Baroda, Bombay, India

Died 8 Aug 1895 at age 65 in South Kensington, London, England

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Biography

John (Straton) Stratton is a member of Straiton Clan.

John was born on 2 July 1830 and bap. 7 Aug 1830 in the Parish of Caputh, Perthshire, Scotland. He was the son of David Straiton, a writer in Caputh, and Charlotte Proudfoot.^[1] His surname at birth, as was the surname of his father, appears to have been Straton although the Parish records also suggest Straiton. His surname on the birth registration has been adopted here. He adopted the surname of Stratton at an early age and seemingly when he went to school in England and then used that through his career.

He has a page on the Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 55 and Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and he wrote an informative book on the The Jaypur-Amber family and state which is available in the public domain and one, on Chitor and the Mewar Family, which is not.

He is stated to have been sent to North Shields, Tyne and Wear, in England for his education and is recorded as being there about 1838 or when he was around seven years old. It is not clear why or what the relationship was with his family. He was apprenticed to Dr. Ingham where he excelled at medicine.^[2] It seems likely that he adopted, or more likely given, the surname of Stratton. Through this apprenticeship he obtained entry and was admitted a licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1851. He attended Aberdeen University in 1852 obtaining his Bachelor Degree in Medicine where he gained the medal or a first-class honour in every subject of study and awarded the Eglinton Prize for the Practise of Medicine (see attached image). During this study he nominated for a position of Assistant Surgeon to the HEIC (Honourable East India Company) and after a competition he was awarded the position.

His career in the HEIC is covered in the Dictionary of National Biography. Suffice to include their summary; "Stratton did excellent service in his capacity of political agent. He obtained from the native chiefs free remission of transit duties; he personally laid out hill roads; he established the Bundelkhand Rajkumar College for sons of chiefs, and instituted vaccination in Central India." He published his first book, Chitor and the Mewar family, in 1881 and his second, The Jaypur-Amber Family and State, in 1885. Both served as instruction for the HEIC.

He retired from the service under the 55 years age rule in 1885 with the rank of brigade-surgeon and lived in London.

He died at his home at 51 Nevern Square, South Kensington, London on 8 Aug 1895 and he is remembered at the Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey.

Family and Legacy

He married Georgiana Anne Anderson, a daughter of William Anderson, in Baroda, in the Bombay Presidency in India, on 12 Apr 1859. She was seventeen at the time and born in 1842.^[3] William Anderson is stated to have been a Colonel in the H. E. I. C. S. (Honourable East India Company Service).^[4]

The family remained in India and many of the children were born there. However Georgiana and the children were back in England and living in Bath, Somerset, at 13 Widcombe Crescent, prior to the 1871 Census. The Census return provides that Georgiana was born in Afghanistan.

They had a number of children:

Richmond Athol John Ramsay Stratton; b. 24 Sep 1860, bap. 2 Dec 1860 at Cawnpore, Bengal Presidency.^[5] He died at Nowgong, Bundelkund (now Chhatarpur, India) in Aug 1861. Remembered there: " beloved son of Mrs. and Dr. Stratton, Political Assistant for Bundelkund, aged 11 months 1 day".^[6]

Wallace Christopher Ramsay Stratton; b. 19 Aug 1862, bap. 16 Oct 1862 at Banda in the Bengal Presidency.^[7]

Amy Georgina Alison Ramsay (Agnes) Stratton; b. 14 Feb 1864, at Nowgong, Bengal Presidency, Christened, 21 Feb 1864.^[8][9] Amy was single and living at The Bungalow on Widcombe Hill, Bath, before 1901.

Helen Isabel Mansfield Ramsay Stratton; b. 5 Apr 1867, bap. 24 Apr 1867 at Nowgong, Bengal Presidency.^[10] She was single and living at The Bungalow on Widcombe Hill, Bath, before 1901.^[11]

Janet Grace Ramsay Stratton; b. Jun 1868, bap. 22 Jun 1868 at St Nicholas, Brighton, Sussex.^[12] She was single and living at The Bungalow on Widcombe Hill, Bath, before 1901.

Ethel Maud Margery Ramsay Stratton; b. 1866 at Nowgong, Bengal Presidency.^[13] She married Harold Blake Taylor in Lahore in the Bengal presidency and then later died at Srinagar in the Kashmir (part of Russia) on 26 May 1927.^[14]

This profile is a collaborative work-in-progress. Can you contribute information or sources?

Sources

1. ↑ "Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950," index, FamilySearch, David Straton in entry for John Proudfoot Straton, 02 Jul 1830; citing , reference ; FHL microfilm 1040073.
2. ↑ #S-1 although noting that it is stated in the article that he was educated initially at Caputh Parish this does not seem plausible given his age in England.
3. ↑ "India, Marriages, 1792-1948 ," index, FamilySearch, John Proudfoot Stratton and Georgiana Anne Anderson, 12 Apr 1859; citing Baroda, Bombay, India, reference ; FHL microfilm 523918.
4. ↑ #S-23 Straton, Charles, page 115
5. ↑ "India, Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947," index, FamilySearch, Richmond Athol John Ramsay Stratton, 02 Dec 1860; citing , reference v 98 p 288; FHL microfilm 499001.
6. ↑ Families in British India Society Database
7. ↑ "India, Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947," index, FamilySearch, William Christopher Ramsay Stratton, 16 Oct 1862; citing Banda, Bengal, India, reference v 102; FHL microfilm 499007.
8. ↑ "India Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947," FamilySearch, John Roudfoot Stratton in entry for Amy Georgina Alison Ramsay Stratton, 21 Feb 1864; citing Chr. Nowgong Bengal India, reference v 107 p 56; FHL microfilm 499,013.
9. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1881," index, FamilySearch, Georgnia Stratton, Bath Lyncombe And Widcombe, Somersetshire, England; citing "1881 England, Scotland and Wales census," index and images, findmypast.co.uk (www.findmypast.co.uk : Brightsolid, n.d.); PRO RG 11/, p. , The National Archives of the UK, Public Record Office, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm .
10. ↑ "India, Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947," index, FamilySearch, Helen Isabel Mansfield Ramsay Stratton, 24 Apr 1867; citing Nowgong, Bengal, India, reference ; FHL microfilm 499028.
11. ↑ Article on Helen Stratton: Artist
12. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch, John Proudfoot Stratton in entry for Janet Grace Ramsay Stratton, 22 Jun 1868; citing St Nicholas, Brighton, SUSSEX, ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 1067113.
13. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1881," index, FamilySearch, Georgnia Stratton, Bath Lyncombe And Widcombe, Somersetshire, England; citing "1881 England, Scotland and Wales census," index and images, findmypast.co.uk (www.findmypast.co.uk : Brightsolid, n.d.); PRO RG 11/, p. , The National Archives of the UK, Public Record Office, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm .
14. ↑ "Россия, Смерти и Погребения, 1815-1917," index, FamilySearch, John Proudfoot Stratton in entry for Helen Maud Margery Ramsay Taylor, 26 May 1927; citing Srinagar, Kashmir, Russia, reference p5 no6; FHL microfilm 1937701. Note some errors in the name in the record.

See also:

• Source S-1 D'Arcy Power. Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900. Volume 55. web: web, unknown. Wikisource
• The Stratons of Lauriston and Their Offshoots; Straton, Charles Henry; 1932
• Wikidata: Item Q18878841