Thank you for your help. But no luck. There doesn't seem to be a Clara Clifton anywhere. Yet on her marriage certificate to John McCormick, she states her name as Clara Clifton, not Sutton, so I know she has to have become Clifton somewhere. A real conundrum. Thanks. Marian

I know this post is a couple of years old so I hope you read this. My husband is Claras grandson (she was an evil woman). He always knew her as Sutton and remembers her well. She was a domestic for John McCormick while his first wife (Blanche) was alive. Blanche and John had a daughter Phyllis. I remember her quite well. After Blanche died in 1910, he married Clara and they had a daughter who (I'm assuming it was his idea) they named Blanche. I would love to been a fly on the wall in THAT conversation. Gary (my husband) was born in 1942 and he thinks she moved off Pelee Island when he was around 8. He also remembers Claras brother Percy. Who knows maybe Clara was married before she came to Canada! Have you ever gotten any further on the Clifton name?

You were the only one to respond. I know my mother Lucy didn't like her sister, but never knew why. I assume that Gary is the second Blanche's son. What infor I have doesn't seem to fit, so perhaps you could help with that. I have children Blanche, Phyllis, Eddie, Gene and unknown girl, but no Gary. So was Phyllis married to a west. The two Blanches really confuses me. Can you help. I have Blanceh West no date, Phyllis 1910, Eddie 1910, Gene 1937, and unknown girl 1940. Doesn't mean this is right. I am only going on what relatives remember, not very trustworthy someimes. So where do you live?

Sorry to take so long to respond. I got it wrong about Phyllis. Phyllis was Clara's daughter, not Johns. When the Sutton family immigrated (Fredrick came two years prior to his family) Phyllis was already born. When John died, nothing in his will was provided for her. Blanche (my mother in law) was Claras only daughter. 'Eddie' was Phyllis' husband. Gene is her son, he lives in Sandusky OH his last name is Zess. the unknown girl is Betty Lou. Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Ed adopted both Gene and Betty Lou as they couldn't have children of their own. I am also confused about the Clifton name. I see Clara and John (Capt Jack as he was called on Pelee Island) listed as Clifton on the marriage license but it says she's a spinster. One the ships manifest when she came to Canada it says Sutton but she obviously brought a child over from England with her. She must have gotten pregnant in England while her father was in Canada. Maybe she was married by the time he called for them to get on the ship. Maybe her husband didn't want to come or maybe he died but it still makes no sense that she wouldn't be listed as either divorced or widowed on the marriage cert. Maybe she just plain lied about a lot of stuff. I'm in Leamington, ON where are you? Gary (hubby) remembers Percy and Jane well. Do you? He doesn't recall ever meeting Lucy or Fredrick Jr. I believe there was a Sydney as well, can you tell me about Claras siblings? I see you on Ancestry.ca and have thought about messaging you, maybe we can trade what little we know. Clara lived with Gary's parents for awhile but I guess it was constant struggle to get along with her. The family home was willed to both Clara and Blanche and it was a giant house on Pelee Island so everyone tried to live together but it didn't work. Gary's parents finally wen to court to have the judge say that Clara had to buy out Blanche's half of the house or Blanche had to buy her out. Blanche and her husband (my in laws) finally bought out Clara. My curiosity is peaked now and I hope to hear from you soon.

Marion,

I just called my sister in law who was one of the very few people who kept in touch with Clara. She said Clara was married in England to a guy named Clifton. They got married when she was 16. They had Phyllis but they divorced before she came to Canada. She said that John (jack) knew of her marriage and divorce but she was also surprised that she put spinster on her marriage certificate. Maybe she did it simply because she may have not had the correct paperwork to show her divorce, so saying she was never married seemed easier.

This is possible marriage

freebmd.org.uk

Marriages Mar 1907
CLIFTON William Be_t Aston 6d 349
Sutton Clara Aston 6d 349


Birmingham, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937 about William Bert Clifton

Name: William Bert Clifton
Gender: Male
Birth Year: abt 1886
Marriage Date: 9 Feb 1907
Marriage Age: 21
Marriage Place: Aston Brook, St Mary, Warwickshire, England
Spouse: Clara Sutton
Spouse Gender: Female
Spouse Marriage Age: 20
Father: William Albert Clifton
Spouse's Father: Frederick Sutton
Reference Number: DRO 31
Archive Roll: 677


William Bert Clifton Occ: Safe maker, Res: 26 Webster Street
Clara Sutton Occ: Press Worker, Res: 26 Webster Street

William Albert Clifton Occ: Safe Maker
Frederick Sutton Occ: Motor Case maker

Witnesses to marriage Frederick Sutton & Sussanah Howell



This could be a possible birth for Phyllis

Births Jun 1908
Clifton Phyllis May Birmingham 6d 46

Wow, great job! That really has to be it. A family mystery solved! Thank you.
I followed the website you referenced but I must be doing it wrong, all I can find is a one line reference. How on earth were you able to pull up so much information from that? What a cool website.

Baptism for Phyllis


Birmingham, England, Baptisms, 1813-1912 about Phyllis May Clifton
Name: Phyllis May Clifton
Birth Date: 16 May 1908
Baptism Date: 7 Jun 1908
Baptism Place: Aston Brook, St Mary, Warwickshire, England
Father: William Best Clifton (William Bert Clifton)
Mother: Clara Clifton
Reference Number: DRO 31
Archive Roll: 674

Res: 7 house, Back 87 Ryland Street, Ladywood
Occ: Safe Maker


Baptism for William Bert Clifton

Birmingham, England, Baptisms, 1813-1912 about William Bertie Clifton
Name: William Bertie Clifton
Birth Date: 5 Feb 1886
Baptism Date: 28 Feb 1886
Baptism Place: Balsall Heath, St Thomas in the Moors, England
Father: William Albert Clifton
Mother: Annie Clifton
Reference Number: DRO 70
Archive Roll: 577

There are Census records for William Bert in 1891 & 1901

The freebmd.org.uk gives you the basic information, the rest comes from Warwickshire Parish records.

you can purchase the certificate through GRO UK it should only give you the same information as the parish record.

Details are also on familysearch.org

Just a clarification. The second Blanche that you refer to as Blanche West was actually Blanche McCormick that married Elmer Leroy Feltz. Clara Sutton married Willian Bert Sifton, then moved to Canada and married John Colbourn McCormick and after he passed away married for a third time to a West from Windsor, Ontario. I do not know his first name, but that is how I remember her vaguely as Grandma West. Blanche Feltz had four children. Edward, Gwen, Gary and Beatrice. Gwen is my mother and I remember my mother and father picking Grandma West up in Windsor and bringing her to our house a few times. It is my understanding that the West she married was from Windsor but worked in Detroit. I have looked but never found a death notice for a Clara West or a headstone for her on the Cemetery Project website.

My mother has said that her third husband left Clara and moved to the Detroit where he started another family and passed away before Clara did.