Earliest Danish Ancestors
Søren Winther at Hedegaard farm, Todbjerg. Groers Groersen in Kalstrup, Mejlby.
Welcome to the Archive
A curated collection exploring six generations of the Martin, Stainton, and Jørgensen families — from 1800s Ireland and Denmark to present-day Canada.
Four Family Stories
Denmark · 1550–Present
The Jørgensen Line
Seafaring, engineering & eleven generations traced through Danish parish records to Søren Winther
England to Ontario · 1814–Present
The Stainton Line
Methodist settlers from Westmorland, six generations of farming & Herbert's remarkable 103 years
Toronto · 1900s–Present
The Martin Line
D-Day at Normandy, wartime sacrifice & the bridge that connects all branches together
Scotland · 1900s–Present
The Kidd Line
Edinburgh roots, WRNS wartime service & work at the Allied High Commission in Copenhagen
August 1983
Herbert Stainton — Final Photo
Age 103, three months before death
→ Lived 1880–1983
1945
Baby Ingrid in Scotland
Mary with mother and infant Ingrid, Port Seton
→ Ingrid married Peter Martin 1965
June 1944
D-Day Normandy
Louis Martin with pals at Luc-sur-Mer
→ Father of Peter Martin
Early Ancestors
The earliest photographed members of the Stainton and Scott families, including Irish immigrants from the 1800s.
1800s
Great Great Grandfather Burton
Burton family patriarch
→ Connection to C.L. Burton (Simpsons Ltd.)
1800s
Ann Burton Law (1831–1906)
Married William Law
1800s
Jacob Scott from Ireland
Father of Phylina Jane Scott
→ Irish immigrant ancestor
1839–1864
Eleanor Stainton
Daughter of James Stainton (immigrant 1830)
→ Died young at 25
Thomas & Phylina Stainton
Great-grandparents. Thomas (1844–1933) and Phylina Jane Scott (1849–1933) died within three weeks of each other.
1844–1933
Thomas Stainton
Son of immigrant James Stainton
→ Father of Herbert Stainton
1849–1933
Phylina Jane Scott Stainton
Irish heritage through Scott family
→ Died 10 Mar, Thomas died 31 Mar
1870s
Jacob Scott's Children
Martha, Jacob, Robert, Margaret, Phylina
→ Phylina married Thomas Stainton
1920
Sons of James Stainton
Thomas and brothers with wives
Herbert Stainton
Great-grandfather who lived 103 years (1880–1983). Charter Member and Elder Emeritus of Hillcrest Christian Church. Father of seven, including Eleanor.
1904
Herbert & Annie Wedding
Married 14 September 1904, Oshawa
→ 55 years of marriage
1940s
Herbert the Businessman
Toronto entrepreneur
September 1952
50th Wedding Anniversary
With grandchildren
Summer 1962
Visit to Ancestral England
H Stainton meets H Stainton, Windermere
→ James Stainton fled Westmorland 1830
1970
90th Birthday
Still going strong
August 1980
100th Birthday
Centennial celebration
August 1983
Final Photograph
Age 103, three months before death
→ Died 15 November 1983
Annie Maud Michael
Wife of Herbert Stainton (1880–1959). Married 55 years. Died suddenly December 9, 1959 in Norwalk, Ohio.
1880s
Annie at Sunday School
Childhood years
1890
Annie in School Class
Age 10, Harmony, Ontario
1890s
Annie in Pageant
Community event
1950s
Grandma Annie
Later years
→ Died Dec 9, 1959
Eleanor Jane Stainton-Martin
7th and youngest child of Herbert & Annie (1922–1975). Married Louis Edward Martin on December 31, 1941. Mother of Peter Martin.
23 April 1922
Birth Certificate
Born Toronto
1940s
Eleanor as Young Woman
Singer and performer
31 December 1941
Marriage Certificate
Married Louis Edward Martin
→ Just before Louis went to war
1942
At 162 Banff Road
During wartime
22 December 1975
Death Certificate
North York, age 53
→ Predeceased father Herbert by 8 years
Danish Heritage
Dagmar Jørgensen (1889–c.1964) was born in Mejlby Mark, Denmark. Her ancestry traced to 1550. Her son Anker Børge married Mary Helen Kidd of Edinburgh.
1923
Anker Børge Jørgensen
Son of Dagmar
→ Would marry Mary Helen Kidd (1942)
1930s
Grandfather's 70th Birthday
Family gathering, Copenhagen
1941
Børge in Iceland
Isafjord Island during WWII
11 November 1942
Børge & Mary Wedding
Denmark–Scotland union
→ Parents of Ingrid
Spring 1942
Andrew Kidd
Mary Helen's father, Edinburgh
1945
Baby Ingrid in Scotland
Mary with mother and infant Ingrid, Port Seton
→ Ingrid married Peter Martin 1965
1945
Family in Copenhagen
Anker, Georg, Mary, Robert & Georg's wife
1946
Ingrid, Mary & Baby Ken
Copenhagen, Denmark
Immigration to Canada
The Jørgensen family immigrated to Canada in 1951 via the SS Gripsholm, arriving in Halifax. They settled in Northern Ontario before moving to Toronto.
1951
SS Gripsholm
Entering New York harbour
→ Immigration ship from Europe
1951
Onboard the Gripsholm
Transatlantic crossing
6 May 1951
Immigration ID Card
Halifax, Nova Scotia arrival
→ Official entry to Canada
1951
Northern Ontario
First settlement
1952
Family in Northern Ontario
Establishing new life
1957
Ingrid & Glen in Sudbury
Canadian childhood
Louis Edward Martin — WWII
Peter's father served in the Canadian Army from 1941–1945, including D-Day at Normandy. Married Eleanor Stainton just before deployment.
1912
Arthur Edward Martin
Louis's father
1917
Edward Martin — WWI
Queen's York Rangers
December 1941
Louis Enlists
19 years old, Canadian Army
→ Married Eleanor same month
October 1942
Louis in England
Before D-Day invasion
1942
Off to War
Departure photo
June 1944
D-Day Normandy
With pals at Luc-sur-Mer, France
→ Operation Overlord participant
1944
Gunners in England
Unit photograph
1945
Amersfoort, Holland
Liberation of Netherlands
29 September 1945
Louis Meets Son Peter
Returns from war after 4 years
→ Peter was 2 years old
WWI Memorial — Elmer Scott Stainton
Herbert's brother Elmer Scott Stainton (1891–1918) died in France/Belgium on September 2, 1918. He was 26 years old.
1891–1918
Elmer Scott Stainton
Portrait
→ Herbert's brother
Pre-1918
Elmer Portrait
Before deployment
1915
Enlistment Record
Military service document
1918
Service Medals
WWI medals (obverse)
→ Died 2 September 1918
1918
Death Certificate
Official record
2021
Remembrance Day
Memorial tribute
From Herbert Stainton LifeStory:
"His brother Elmer Scott died on September 2, 1918, when Herbert was 38 years old. Elmer Scott Stainton 1891–1918, France/Belgium."
Family Homes
Historic homes and residences of the Stainton family across Ontario.
1900s
41 Ritson Road, Oshawa
Thomas Stainton's home
1933–1953
88 Hillhurst Boulevard
Stainton family home for 20 years
→ Purchased for \$12,500
Present
88 Hillhurst Today
Current state
1950s+
Ben Ceilidh, Aurora
Herbert Stainton's later residence
1958
74 Truman Road
Margaret & Hutch's new home
Various
Sturgeon Lake Cottage
Family retreat
Family Timeline
Key events across generations, from 1550 to present.
c. 1550
1786
Thomas Stainton (I) Born
Westmorland, England. Earliest documented Stainton ancestor.
1830
James Stainton Immigrates
Fled Westmorland after anti-War Measures Act activism. Captained ship to Canada.
1880
Herbert Stainton Born
10 August 1880, Darlington Township, Ontario. Would live 103 years.
1889
Dagmar Jørgensen Born
9 May 1889, Mejlby Mark, Denmark. Mother of Anker Børge.
1904
Herbert & Annie Marry
14 September 1904, Oshawa, Ontario. 55-year marriage.
1918
Elmer Scott Stainton Dies WWI
2 September 1918, France/Belgium. Herbert's brother, age 26.
1922
Eleanor Jane Stainton Born
23 April 1922, Toronto. 7th child of Herbert & Annie.
1941–42
WWII Marriages
Louis & Eleanor Martin (31 Dec 1941). Børge & Mary Jørgensen (11 Nov 1942).
1942
Peter Louis Martin Born
1 October 1942, Toronto. While Louis was overseas.
1933
Thomas & Phylina Stainton Die
Phylina on 10 March, Thomas on 31 March. Married 56 years, died three weeks apart.
1944
D-Day Normandy
Louis Martin at Luc-sur-Mer, France. June 1944.
1951
Jørgensen Family Immigrates
SS Gripsholm to Halifax, May 1951. Copenhagen to Canada.
1959
Annie Maud Michael Dies
9 December 1959, Norwalk, Ohio. Wife of Herbert for 55 years, age 79.
1965
Peter & Ingrid Marry
16 October 1965. Stainton-Martin meets Jørgensen-Kidd.
1967
James Ian Martin Born
2 February 1967, Toronto. First child of Peter & Ingrid.
1968
David & Lisa Martin Born
16 October 1968, Toronto. Twins.
1975
Eleanor Martin Dies
22 December 1975, North York. After a battle with cancer, age 53.
1977
Anker Jørgensen Dies
19 February 1977, Scarborough General Hospital. Complications from emphysema, age 63.
1983
Herbert Stainton Dies
15 November 1983, Toronto. Age 103. 23 grandchildren, 55 great-grandchildren.
2004
Margaret Hutcheson Dies
20 March 2004, Toronto. Daughter of Herbert & Annie, born 3 Nov 1912.
2007
Louis Edward Martin Dies
10 April 2007, North York. Renaissance man, D-Day veteran, pastoral counsellor. Age 84.
2003
Mary Jørgensen Dies
2 July 2003, Ajax. Mother of Ingrid, born Scotland 1920. WRNS veteran.
2024
Peter Louis Martin Dies
26 January 2024, Lakeridge Health, Oshawa. Age 81. Genealogist and keeper of family history.