Our Genealogy - Person Sheet
Our Genealogy - Person Sheet
NameMatilda Sutherland , GG Grandmother, F
Birth25 Jul 1850, County Kerry (likely at Tralee), Ireland17,15,27
Death27 Aug 1935, Adelynrood Retreat, Byfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Memonear Newbury in Essex County, Mass
Burial30 Aug 1935, Trinity Church, Wethersfield, Connecticut, U.S.A.
OccupationMilliner in 1871, Assistant to the Court Dressmaker in London in 188128,29
ReligionAnglican
FatherJames Sutherland Jr. , M (1813-1889)
MotherAnna Matilda Quick , F (ca1816-1893)
Spouses
Birth29 Nov 1862, 76 York Street, Westminster, London, Middlesex, England5,26
Death28 Jul 1920, Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.A.
Burial30 Jul 1920, Trinity Church, Wethersfield, Connecticut, U.S.A.
Memojust outside of Hartford
OccupationAnglican Minister
EducationSt. Saviour’s Grammar School in London, England; Huron College in London, Ontario4
ReligionAnglican
FatherGeorge Edward Cyril Burt , M (1823-1907)
MotherFrances Martha Barrow , F (1819-1892)
Marriage10 Jun 1886, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada7
ChildrenFrances Cecil Sutherland , F (1888-1951)
 Percival George Edward , M (1890-1943)
Notes for Matilda Sutherland
Excerpts from Kathleen Givan’s memoirs:
“...Matilda Sutherland, as the name suggests, was of Scottish origin. Her father was a military man who remarried after Matilda was born. Matilda did not get along with her step-mother and came to London at the age of 17, a daring move, I should think, for a young woman in the 1880's. I know nothing more about her family.. [Kathleen Givan was somewhat mistaken on this point. It was her other great grandmother, Anna Jones, who left her stepmother at a young age to get married. There’s no evidence that James Sutherland was married twice. Further research reveals that in 1871 Matilda was visiting her uncle George Edward Quick and his first wife Jane who died the next year. George remarried in 1873 and one could conjecture that perhaps Matilda didn’t get along with her step-aunt, forming the kernal of truth for Kathleen Givan’s version of the story] ..Matilda was a devout Christian and came to know the young Anglican curate, Francis Burt...He and Matilda were married [later in Canada] and he was posted to his first parish in Ridgetown.”4
Of her time later in Shediac, New Brunswick:
“...Even the English population of Shediac was split by feuds. Mrs. Burt determined to unite the two sides in friendship and so she gave a party for the two groups. Of course each kept apart in the house, one group staying in the parlour, while the other occupied the living room. Afterwards both groups were angry at her. One group said, " Mrs. Burt favoured them. They had the best room , the living room ,while we had to stay in the parlour." The other group said, " Mrs. Burt favoured them. They had the parlour with the piano, while we had to say in the in the living room."”4


- her birthday without the year is listed in Frances Cecil Burt’s birthday book.1
- listed as age 35 on her Marriage registration on June 10, 1886 which correlates with her age of 30 on the British 1881 census and previous censuses, thus setting her year of birth at 1850.26
- Census data confirm her place of birth as Ireland, and more specifically in Kerry.9,28,27,17,15 Her father’s military records mention, he was stationed at Tralee (in County Kerry) as of April 1850 so that is likely where she was born 3 months later.
- in 1852 the family settled in Claverton, near Bath in Somerset, England.
- in the April 2, 1871 census she was listed visiting her uncle George and his wife at 109 Long Lane, Bermondsey, Southwark, age 20.28 This is close to Southwark Cathedral which was associated with St. Saviour’s Grammar School which was attended by A.F.B. Burt and his older brother Edward, so perhaps this is the neighbourhood in which they met?
- the earliest evidence we have of a connection with the Burts is a book of Shakespeare in the family inscribed “M. Sutherland, C’mas 1877 from E.J.B.” which we presume to refer to Edward John Burt, Auguste Frank Burt’s older brother.
- listed in the 1881 British Census at 52 and 53 Sloane St., Chelsea, London, England where she was one of 15 assistants to the widow, Mary Ann Evans who was the Court Dressmaker.26 This location is not too far west of where the Burt family was living.
- there is another book in the family inscribed to Matilda from “F. M. Burt” in 1884 (Frances Martha Burt).
- emigrated to Canada in 1884 and apparently was preceded by her husband to be who came in 1882.5 She was living in Hamilton at the time of her marriage in 1886.8
- her age is conspicuously unlisted in the 1901 Shediac and is listed with much inconsistency in the 1920 and 1930 censuses in Connecticut so I believe she was in the habit of lying about her age given that she was 12 years older than her husband.
- moved to Connecticut in 191715 but her husband died of cholecystitis in 1920.
- The 1920 Connecticut census lists her father’s country of birth as France while the 1930 census lists his origin as Scotland. Both list her mother’s country of origin as England.17,15
- was living as a boarder with another family in 1930 in Hartford although her son and his wife lived in the same city.17
- handwritten by someone (probably her daughter Francie) in the front cover of A.F. Burt’s bible is “Matilda Sutherland Burt died Aug 27, 1935”.
Also listed in Frances Cecil Burt’s birthday book under Aug 27 is the entry “Dear little Mama died 1935 early a.m. Adelynrood”. Adelynrood is a Religious Retreat Centre in Byfield, Massachussetts and there are still connections between Connecticut and Adelynrood in 2006 as evidenced by links from Episocopal websites in Connecticut to Adelynrood’s website.34 The Certificate of Death from Massachusetts states cause of death as “Sudden Death Cardiac disease”. Her son, P.E. Burt, was the informant and he knew surprisingly little about his mother’s parentage. He thought she was 86 years old at her death. Her home address at that time was the same as Percy’s, 1125 Boulevard St. West Hartford, Conn.
Notes for Auguste Frank Barrow & Matilda (Family)
The marriage registration confirms that Matilda was 12 years older than her husband.7
Last Modified 4 Jan 2009Created 18 Feb 2019 using Reunion for Macintosh