William Barton

Doris Ada Barton parents were William Barton born on December 4, 1871, in St. Helens, Lancashire, England, and Ada Bates born on December 6, 1871, also in St. Helens.

William was a very strict patriarch. Doris’s recollection was that her father was a staunch member of the Congregational church and a Sunday School Superintendent. In 1908 Albert Barton, a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, visited William and taught him the gospel. He recognized the truth of the gospel the missionaries preached and he was baptized on March 6, 1908. Doris recorded this in her journal:

“A small branch of the church was formed which consisted of our family and two more men. Strange as it seemed to us children at the time, one of the men was called Joseph Smith and at first we became confused as to whom he really was, until we learned a little more of the gospel, mostly from the children’s Book of Mormon and stories published in the Desert News. Our meeting room was a small room over a barbershop, but the services and social events we held there we remember with joy. In 1912 we moved to Bolton and here we found a much bigger branch, where my father had more opportunity to be active.”

Another memory that Doris had of her father was that on Tuesdays and Thursdays he would accompany the missionaries to the town hall square where they would hold open air meetings; often they would have to shout out the message they had to give because on the other side of the square the Salvation Army Band was in full swing.

When WWI broke out in 1914 William was called up, as he was a reservist; he was gone for many, many months. During this time Doris’ mother kept the family together. When William was invalided out of the army due to wounds and gas poisoning, he at once set about servicing and preaching the gospel, he was made the branch president in about 1920. During the last years of his life Doris wrote this about her father:

“During the last years of his life my father worked as long as 16 sometimes 18 hours a day copying the records of all the Barton births, marriages and deaths. Before he died he had completed all available records from the churches, cemeteries, and libraries.”

She also recalled that one night her father and another man had gone to a local church, St Helen’s, to look for records. Somehow they were forgotten and the church was locked up for the night with them still inside, they had no way of getting out. This proved to be a very productive night as they worked through the night studying the old church ledgers.

Granddaughter Grace tells of an incidence that shows a little of Williams sense of humor. When she was quite small Grandfather Taylor took Grace out for a stroll down the street. He held her hand as they went along. Once for a brief time Grace let go of her grandfather's hand, Grandfather Taylor reached out to catch her hand again, and as he did so a kindly women pressed some coins into his hand, apparently thinking he was needy. When they returned home Grandfather Barton told Doris, his daughter, he should go out more as he could bring a few coins in each day.

William Barton died on June 12, 1939, at the age of 68. His wife Ada Bates Barton died nine years early on July 30, 1930.