Sarah Orton

Brief Life History of Sarah

When Sarah Orton was born on 12 May 1830, in Clinton, Illinois, United States, her father, William Reed Orton, was 28 and her mother, Rebecca Huey, was 23. She married Eli Baxter Hamilton on 1 February 1852, in Pottawattamie, Iowa, United States. She lived in Star Valley, Uinta, Wyoming, United States in 1900 and Fairview, Uinta, Wyoming, United States in 1910. In 1880, at the age of 50, her occupation is listed as keeping house. She died on 11 December 1912, in Fairview, Lincoln, Wyoming, United States, at the age of 82, and was buried in Fairview, Lincoln, Wyoming, United States.

Photos and Memories (5)

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Family Time Line

Silas Schellinger Smith
1822–1892
Sarah Orton
1830–1912
Marriage: 9 February 1858
Prince William Smith
1859–1909
Alexander Randolph Smith
1861–1865
David Hyrum Smith
1863–1865
Elias Smith
1867–1942
Sarah Esther Smith
1869–1869
Alonzo Smith
1871–1916
Mary Smith
1873–

Sources (20)

  • Sarah Smith in household of Silas Smith, "United States Census, 1860"
  • Sarah Orton, "Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934"
  • Sarah Orton Smith, "Find A Grave Index"

World Events (8)

1832 · The Black Hawk War

Convinced that a group of Native American tribes were hostile, The United States formed a frontier militia to stop them in their tracks. Even though Black Hawk was hoping to avoid bloodshed while trying to resettle on tribal land, U.S. officials opened fire on the Native Americans. Black Hawk then responded to this confrontation by successfully attacking the militia at the Battle of Stillman's Run and then left northward. After a few months the militia caught up with Black Hawk and his men and defeated them at the Battle of Wisconsin Heights. While being weakened by hunger, injuries and desertion, Black Hawk and the rest of the many native survivors retreated towards the Mississippi. Unfortunately, Black Hawk and other leaders were later captured when they surrendered to the US forces and were then imprisoned for a year.

1839 · Nauvoo is Settled

After the Saints had been chased out of Missouri they moved to a swampy area located next to the Mississippi River. Here they settled and named the place Nauvoo which translates into the city beautiful.

1863

Abraham Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation, declaring slaves in Confederate states to be free.

Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of various places called Orton in Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, and Westmorland. All those in England share a second element from Old English tūn ‘enclosure, settlement’, but the first element in each case is more difficult to determine. Examples in Cambridgeshire and Warwickshire are on the banks of rivers, so these are probably derived from Old English ōfer ‘riverbank’; in other cases it is impossible to distinguish between ofer ‘ridge’ and ufera ‘upper’. Orton in Westmorland is probably formed with the Old Norse byname Orri ‘black-cock’ (the male black grouse). Orton near Fochabers, Scotland, is of uncertain etymology.

Americanized form of Norwegian Årtun: habitational name from the farm name Årtun, found in six places, e.g. in the province of Rogaland, a compound of the genitive case singular of Old Norse á ‘small river’ and tún ‘farm yard (surrounded by buildings)’.

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

Possible Related Names

Story Highlight

Sarah Orton 1830 - 1912

Sarah Orton was born in Clinton County, Illinois in 1830. Her parents William Reed Orton and Rebecca Huey had moved there from North Carolina where they were married. In 1835 her family joined the …

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