Monday, January 22, 2007

Orton Family #3


Now with his own family circus (Orton Bros. Circus) we see R.Z. Orton my grandfather and your great grandfather and second from left Miles Orton my uncle and your grandfather.
This picture taken in 1894, my mother hadn't been born yet. Posted by Picasa

Posted by Buckles at 1/22/2007 06:42:00 PM

3 comments:

ndlovu8 said...

Could we get some more info and dates on the Orton Family please ?

I have Miles Orton down as born in Erie County, Pennsylvania in 1837, (died 1903). This 1894 picture confuses me, Miles would be 57yrs - is that him in the middle ?

He married Mary Ann Cole, whose maiden name was Mary Ann Cooke. Mary Ann's father was Thomas Taplin Cooke of the Cooke's Royal Circus in New York (came from England, toured America 1836 to 1840)

Mary Ann had married William H. Cole, a contortionist with the Royal Circus. William H. Cole died in 1858. They had a child named William Washington Cole (WW Cole) who was 15 years old when his father died. In 1860 Mary Ann and her son WW traveled west into Iowa and joined with the Orton Circus.

WW Cole was raised on the Orton Show and later became the first circus millionaire in America. In 1862 Mary Ann Cole married Miles Orton but by 1871 Mary Ann & WW had left Ortons Circus to start a circus of their own, anyone know when she and Miles were divorced ?

Is that Mary Ann Cooke in the picture of the 3 Orton Brothers? She was 17 years older than Miles.

Any more early Orton dates appreciated (Hiram's date of birth?)

I got this information from an unnamed 'Orton Connection' via a researcher in the UK, if these words are familiar, I'd like to hear from you to give you credit ("Diane Richardson" ??) ;-)

26 January, 2007 08:45
Anonymous said...

Wish I could take credit for the Orton info, sorry wasn't me. I would like also to get more info on Orton Circus as well. I will be going to my Aunt's home { Miles Orton's Great Granddaughter,Sylvia's Orton's Daughter, my Aunt :)} to get Orton Family photos and history in the near future. Probably a couple months, they are away to Arizona for the winter. I will share what photos and dates I can gather with you all! Sylvia Orton Harsh passsed away at age 90 November 8,2006.

26 January, 2007 12:45
Anonymous said...

Just a side note.... I didn't know that the Orton's had a connection with the Cole Bros. Circus ( Mary Ann Cole and Miles Orton) and here I had a baby boy 3 years ago I names Cole!

26 January, 2007 12:55

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