Bad, Bad Henry Burton

JACOB SMITH > JAMES SMITH > JOHN R SMITH > NANCY SMITH m (1) George Royce (2) Henry Wallace Burton

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When John R Smith married Nancy "Nannie" Baker, little did the family know the name "Nannie" would carry on through three generations. You can read a little about John and his daughter Harriet here and about daughter Ollie here and son Alfred here.

The 2nd Nannie: Nancy Smith
Royce Burton

John and Nancy had daughter Nancy "Nannie" Smith on 13 Dec 1877 in Nebraska. She would marry George Royce, originally of Iowa, on 19 Mar 1896 in Garretson, Minnehaha County, South Dakota. George was born 18 Jan 1872.

Nannie's parents and some of her siblings moved along with the Royce's to California. While living in San Joaquin County, California. George made his living as a carpenter. By 1900, Stockton, which is located in the "Central Valley" of California and highly agricultural, had become an industrial city with streetcars, banks, hotels, and theatres. Main Street was its major commercial area. They would have nine children together before George died on 03 Aug 1915 in Stockton,

About the time of George's death, Henry Wallace Burton was just finishing his second term at San Quentin. This time for an unnamed felony. His career of crime might be quite lengthy, but all I have to go on is the two times he was incarcerated in San Quentin and his time at the Tulare County jail.

He was born in Greene County, Iowa 11 Jan 1884 to James O. Burton and Caroline "Carrie" Utter. The family moved West from Iowa to Tulare county before 1900. In 1908, Henry was a butcher and 20 years old. He was also on his way to prison for assault with intent to murder. He was sentenced to six years and was out in slightly over four years in December 1912. His second term for the "felony" started in late 1914 and he was in prison for 10 months, getting out in later 1915.

His 1908 and 1914 intake photos from San Quentin

Detailed description of his body at San Quentin

On 16 Jan 1920, he married Nancy "Nannie" Smith Royce and they lived in Stockton. He was some years younger than her. If his life of crime wasn't over, he didn't go back to the penitentiary. He was a dairy farmer and most of the Royce children resided with the couple on the 1920 census. Henry wouldn't make it to the 1930 census. He died on 06 Jun 1929 at the age of  45. He and Nannie would have one daughter, Nancy "Nannie" Violet Burton. Nannie would not remarry.

Nancy Smith Royce Burton died 09 Jan 1946 in French Camp in San Joaquin County.

Nancy Burton married William John Sohriakoff, born in San Francisco to Russian immigrant parents on 23 Oct 1924. Nannie would die on 13 Dec 1976. The couple had four children. William died 25 Jun 2003 in Grass Valley, California.