M. before 1645 in (probably) Massachusetts2
Wife: Sarah _______
D. before 16 Mar 1685, East Hampton, New York2
By virtue of being one of the first to settle at the eastern end of Long Island, John Stratton (also spelled Stretton) had the status of a founder of East Hampton. John’s origins are cloudy, and it’s unproven who his parents were, or where in England he was born. The only fact that’s known is that he had a brother named Richard who later also turned up in East Hampton.2
It’s believed that John came to the Massachusetts colony in 1638, and he may have been in Charlestown, then Lynn, before moving to Long Island.3 John likely came to Southampton in around 1644, when he purchased land there,2 then he moved to East Hampton by 1649.4 He was said to be listed as number 5 on the list of people who first settled in the village.2
Location of Southampton and East Hampton.
John was married by about 1645, the estimated year if his oldest son’s birth.2 His wife was named Sarah, possibly with the last name Bancroft, but this isn’t proven. They were the parents of nine known children born between about 1645 and 1654.
East Hampton seemed to function like any other New England Puritan town, except that its location made it somewhat different. John and the other original inhabitants came from the Massachusetts colony, but geography would tie their settlement to the Connecticut colony. It was said that East Hampton took its laws from Connecticut, but also that they were largely self-governing through town meetings presided by three judges, a clerk and a constable. John served as a townsman in 1666,5 and an overseer in 1681.4
John was a delegate at the Hempstead Convention in February 1665,4 which met to declare loyalty to the British government. Each town on Long Island was asked to appoint two men who were “the most sober, able and discrete persons,”6 suggesting that John was very well-respected among the men of his community.
John wrote his will on August 30, 1684, and it was probated on March 16th of the following year.2 He was said to be one of the few people to own slaves in East Hampton, which unfortunately wasn’t that unusual in many Puritan towns. At the time of his death, his probate inventory listed “two negro and child.” The child was a girl named “Hager,” and John left her to his daughter. Assuming the other two slaves might be her parents, this suggests that he ordered her to be taken away from them.
Because John was a direct ancestor of Cornelius Vanderbilt, he has many notable descendants including Gertrude Whitney, Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper.7
Children:
1. John Stratton — B. about 1645, (probably) Southampton, Long Island;2 D. 19 Feb 1736, East Hampton, New York;2 M. Mary James (1653-1718)2
2. Sarah Stratton — B. about 1647, (probably) Southampton, Long Island;2 D. before 1684, (probably) East Hampton, New York;2 M. Stephen Hand (~1635-1693), about 1660, Essex County, Massachusetts2,8
3. Joseph Stratton — B. about 1648, (probably) East Hampton, Long Island;2 D. 23 Dec 1722, East Hampton, New York;2 M. (1) Unknown;2 (2) Sarah _______2
4. Hannah Stratton — B. about 1649, (probably) East Hampton, Long Island;9 D. 21 Jan 1710, East Hampton, New York;10 M. Stephen Hedges (1635-1734)9
5. Stephen Stratton — B. about 1649, (probably) East Hampton, Long Island;2 D. 12 Apr 1699, East Hampton, New York;11 M. Hannah Reeves2
6. Abigail Stratton — B. about 1650, (probably) East Hampton, Long Island;2 D. before 26 Mar 1705, Elizabethtown, New Jersey;12 M. Henry Norris (~1645-1706), about 1665, Elizabethtown, New Jersey2
7. Cornelius Stratton — B. about 1653, (probably) East Hampton, Long Island;13 D. 27 Mar 1704, East Hampton, New York;13 M. Martha Hull (~1660-1727), about 169513
8. Rebecca Stratton — B. about 1651, (probably) East Hampton, Long Island;14 D. 14 May 1703, Saybrook, Connecticut;15 M. William Bushnell (1648-1711), 17 Oct 1673, Saybrook, Connecticut14
9. Ruth Stratton — B. about 1654, (probably) East Hampton, Long Island;16 D. about 1740, East Hampton, New York;16 M. (1) James White (1650-1694), 24 Nov 1675, East Hampton, New York;2 (2) John Mowbray (1669-?), 1702, Islip, New York16
Sources:
1 John’s birth year is a rough estimate based on other events in his life.
2 A Book of Strattons, Vol. 1, Harold Russell Stratton, 1908, pp. 117-125
3 WikiTree listing of John Stratton Sr.
4 A history of the town of East-Hampton, N.Y., Henry Parsons Hedges, 1897
5 The Ancestry of Lorenzo Ackley & his wife Emma Arabella Bosworth, Donald Lines Jacobus, 1960, p. 73
6 Hempstead Convention (Wikipedia article)
7 WikiTree listing of Cornelius Vanderbilt
8 Estimated marriage date based on age of oldest child
9 East Hampton History Including Genealogies of Early Families, Jeannette Edwards Rattray, 1953, p. 370
10 Death record of Hannah Hedges, Records of the Town of East Hampton, Long Island, Suffolk Co., New York, Vol. 5, 1905
11 Death record of Stephen Stretton, Records of the Town of East Hampton, Long Island, Suffolk Co., New York, Vol. 5, 1905, p. 554
12 Probate record of Henry Norris, Calendar of New Jersey Wills, administrations, etc., Vol. 1, 1901, p. 341
13 Find-a-Grave listing of Cornelius Stretton
14 Find-a-Grave listing of Rebecca (Stretton) Bushnell
15 Death record of Rebecca Bushnell, Vital Records of Saybrook, 1647-1834, 1952, p. 19
16 WikiTree listing of Ruth (Stratton) Mowbray
