Robert Renton ^{2 3 4 5 6}

  Baptism Notes:

Name: Robert Renton
Event Type: Christening
Event Date: 16 Dec 1827
Event Place: Innerwick, Haddingtonshire, Scotland, United Kingdom
Event Place (Original): Innerwick, East Lothian, Scotland
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 28 Nov 1827
Father's Name: Andrew Renton
Mother's Name: Agnes Wallace
Reference ID: - 2:15RNR7W

Citing this Record
"Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTYW-S4P : 12 February 2020), Agnes Wallace in entry for Robert Renton, 1827.
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  Noted events in his life were:

• 1841 Scotland Census: 6 June 1841, in Innerwick, Haddingtonshire, Scotland. ⁵ 1841 Census of Scotland
Page 6, Line 1040, Roll CSSCT1841_133-0276, District 2
Innerwick, Haddingtonshire, SCOTLAND
Robert Renton..13..b. Haddingtonshire

(Living with parents.)
.

• He appeared on the 1861 Scotland Census in Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland on 7 April 1861.

² 1861 Scotland Census
Page 3, District 9, CSSCT1861-134
Haddington, East Lothian
Registration 709, Household schedule 17
West Side Hargate Street
Robert Benton..Head..34..Policeman

(Living with wife and 5 children.)
.

• He appeared on the 1870 US Census in Van Buren Township, Wayne County, MI on 16 June 1870. ⁶

1870 US Census
Page 45, Family 401, Roll 710
Van Buren Township, Wayne County, Michigan
Robert Renton..42..SCOT..Farm Laborer

(Living with wife and 6 children.)
.

• He appeared on the 1880 US Census in Sumpter Township, Wayne County, MI on 8 June 1880. ³

1880 US Census
Page 444A, District 265, Family 109, Roll 610
Sumpter Township, Wayne County, Michigan
Robert Renton..Head..52..SCOTLAND..Farmer

(Living with wife and three sons.)
.

Robert married Elizabeth W. Weir, daughter of Alexander Weir and Agnes Aitken, on 9 February 1851 in Haddington, Haddingtonshire, Scotland, United Kingdom.^{1 2 3} (Elizabeth W. Weir was born in 1827 in Mid Calder, Edinburghshire, Scotland ^{2 3 6 7 8 9 10} and died on 7 September 1888 in Sumpter Township, Wayne County, MI ^{9 10}.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1861 Scotland Census in Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland on 7 April 1861.

² 1861 Scotland Census
page 3, District 9, CSSCT1861-134
Haddington, East Lothian
Registration 709, Household schedule 17
West Side Hargate Street
Robert Benton..Head..34..Policeman
Elizabeth Benton..Wife..33..Calder..Police Mans Wife
Andrew Benton..Son..11
Alexander Benton..Son..9
Agnes Benton..Dau..7
Helen Benton..Dau..5
Robert Benton..Son..2
.

• They appeared on the 1870 US Census in Van Buren Township, Wayne County, MI on 16 June 1870. ⁶

1870 US Census
Page 45, Family 401, Roll 710
Van Buren Township, Wayne County, Michigan
Robert Renton..42..SCOT..Farm Laborer
Elizabeth Renton..43..SCOT..Keeping House
Andrew Renton..19..SCOT..At School
Alexander Renton..17..SCOT..At School
Agness Renton..15..SCOT..At School
Ellen Renton..14..SCOT..At School
Robert Renton..13..SCOT..At School
John Renton..3..SCOT
.

• They appeared on the 1880 US Census in Sumpter Township, Wayne County, MI on 8 June 1880. ³

1880 US Census
Page 444A, District 265, Family 109, Roll 610
Sumpter Township, Wayne County, Michigan
Robert Renton..Head..52..SCO..Farmer
Elizabeth W. Renton..Wife..53..SCO..Keeping House
Robert Renton..Son..21..SCO..Farmer
John Renton..Son..12..SCO..At School
James Renton..Son..6..MI

NOTE - William, at age 15, was boarding with another family.
.

  Marriage Notes:

Name: Robert Renton
Spouse's Name: Elisabeth Weir
Event Date: 09 Feb 1851
Event Place: Haddington,East Lothian,Scotland
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M11709-9
System Origin: Scotland-ODM
GS Film number: 1067848, 1067849

Citing this Record:
"Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTR2-762 : accessed 27 March 2016), Robert Renton and Elisabeth Weir, 09 Feb 1851; citing Haddington,East Lothian,Scotland, reference ; FHL microfilm 1,067,848, 1,067,849.
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In 1880 Robert and Elizabeth lived in Michigan next to his brother, John.
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The passenger list from 1869 shows Elizabeth and most of the children arriving in New York City aboard the ship USS James Foster Jr. For some reason, the name of the father, Robert Renton, was not included so it must be assumed that he arrived earlier.

The emigrant sailing ship, James Foster Jr, had a notorious reputation for starvation of the passengers and mistreatment by the crew. See a New York Times article published 23 Mar 1869 at https://www.nytimes.com/1869/03/23/archives/the-emigrant-ship-james-foster-jr.html.
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The true names and ages of their children seem to be a little bit confused especially the younger ones and their birth dates.

For example, on the passenger ship manifest in 1869, it shows Elizabeth arriving with 7 children. Absent from this voyage are the husband, who apparently arrived a few years earlier, James Blackie Renton who is known to have died earlier in Scotland, Margaret Weir Renton, whose death date is unknown and may have also died earlier in Scotland, and finally Henry Shield Renton, whose death date is unknown and may have also died earlier in Scotland.

The ages of the children on the ship's manifest are also different than what is believed to be their true age. For example, Andrew was correctly listed as 18 years old but Alex was believed to be 17 but was listed as only 15. Agnes was 14 and was correctly listed as 14 at the time of the ship's departure. Helen was listed as "Hellen", was 12 years old, and was correctly listed as 12. Robert was believed to be 10 years old but was listed as only 7. William was 4 years old but listed as only 3. John was 3 years old but listed as only an infant.
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