John Thomson Stirling
George Stirling
b. abt.1796
Elizabeth Thomson
b. abt. 1801
John T. Stirling
  b. 11 Oct 1822
Thomas Stirling
Marion Stirling
George Stirling
Rebecca Brown
b. 24 Feb 1842
Elvira Brown Stirling
b. Mar 1866
Elizabeth Thomson Stirling
b. 4 Dec 1863
John Stirling was born the third of four children in Dunblane, Scotland on October 11, 1822 to parents George and Elizabeth Stirling [01][02]. On the 1841 census, John was working as a shopkeeper and living with his parents in Glasgow [03] and by 1851, brother George had moved on to start his own family and John had probably left on his journey to America since he was not found on the 1851 census with his family [04].
John first appeared in Buffalo in 1853 [05]. At this time, the family of Rebecca Brown, his wife to be, was located in the Niagara Falls area only about 20 miles away and it is likely that they met here [11]. While in Buffalo, John’s listings in Buffalo city directories gave his occupations as clerk and shopkeeper, agent for patents, and as a manufacturer of gas burners [06-07]. By mid 1850, the entire Stirling Family was located in the Buffalo area [08-10][26].
John and Rebecca were married near Cincinnati on December 24, 1862 in Geauga County, Ohio [12] where Rebecca’s family had relocated [13].  John and Rebecca’s first child, daughter Elizabeth Thomson Stirling was born in Cincinnati Ohio in December 1863 [14] and soon thereafter, the family relocated to Ft. Wayne, Indiana where their second daughter Elvira was born in March of 1866 [15]. John’s brother Thomas and sister Marion also lived in Ft Wayne at this time.

While living in Indiana, John also held many types of jobs. In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, he is listed as an insurance agent [15][16], and was also a book keeper for a lumber company [23], probably working with his brother Thomas who was in the same business [16]. In the late ‘70s and into the late ‘80s, he worked as a fruit tree dealer where he took orders and then delivered stock [17][23]. An 1890 Ft. Wayne directory lists him as working in a feed stable [18].

Probably in the mid ‘70s, John’s wife Rebecca took their two daughters and left him. John would have no further contact with them until around 1887 when he reestablished communication with his daughter Elizabeth “Bessie” King who was married and living in Parsons, Kansas at the time. This reunion was probably facilitated by his sister Marion’s daughter Elizabeth Burgess who was also living in Ft. Wayne. John and his daughter exchanged letters for a few years but were to never meet again. In late October of 1892, John writes one of his last letters to daughter Bessie. In it, he relates how friends at his church had raised money to pay for a ticket to travel and stay with her and her family. They asked him to first verify that Mr. King would accept this arrangement but apparently Mr. King could not, citing financial reasons. John had received this information in a letter from Bessie about ten days earlier [19].

Also in the letter, John describes his general health as being better than it had been for years, but in his words, “I have neither pain nor ache in the live part of my body but my legs are almost useless so that I can never attend to my business anymore”. John ends the letter by expressing a longing to see his daughter Elvira once more, who he describes as having been stolen from him [20].

Five days after writing this letter, because of his disability, John was admitted to the Allen County Farm where on the register form, his cause of admission was listed as paralytic[21]. Eight months later, John had a stroke and was admitted to Hope Hospital and his sister Marion attended him for three days [22] until on July 7, 1893 he passed away [23]. John Stirling was finally laid to rest near his mother Elizabeth in the family plot at Lindenwood Cemetery, Ft. Wayne [24].

SOURCES / CITATIONS
[01] http://www.monikie.org.uk/sis-parents.txt / Series 3696 John Stirling M C: 20Oct1822 Dunblane Perth
[02]  The Stirlings Of Dunblane, Curtiss B. Stirling, c1979, p.8, (...John, born October 11, 18220
[03] 1841 Scotland census, Glasgow St.Johns Parish, Macfarlane St., Lanarkshire Co., Parish No. 644/1
[04] 1851 Scotland census, Laurieston, Gorbals Parish, Lanarkshire County, Parish no. 644/2
[05] 1853 The Commercial Advertiser Directory for The City Of Buffalo, Jewett, Thomas & Co., Publishers, 1853
    Stirling, John T. clerk, 216 Main (p.348)
    Sterling, John T. book-keeper, 216 Main (p347)
[06] 1860 - The Commercial Advertiser Directory for the City Of Buffalo, Published By E.R.Jewett, 1860
    Sterling, Geo. Engineer, h. 44 Sixth (p360)
    Sterling, John T. patent right agent, 138 Main h. Western Hotel  (p360)
    Sterling, Thomas, clerk, h. 44 Sixth  (p360)
[07] Thomas' Buffalo City Directory for 1863, published by E. A. Thomas, 1863
    Sterling, Thos. Book keeper, h. 44 Sixth (p323)
    Stirling, George, machinist, h. 44 Sixth (p324)
    Stirling, Thos. Book keeper, w. Geo.Parr. h. 44 Sixth (p324)
    Stirling, John, gas burner manufacturer, h. 44 Sixth (p324)
[08] 1852 Immigration Manifest, District Of New York, Port Of New York, Manifest Of All Passengers, Bark Londonderry from Glasgow, 24 June 1852
[09] 1853 Immigration Manifest, Port of New York, Steam Ship Glasgow, 7 April, 1853
[10] 1860 US Census, 8th Ward, City of Buffalo, Erie Co., New York, June 22, 1860, Page No. 48
[11] 1850 US Census, Niagara, Niagara County, New York, Sept. 11, 1850
[12] Geauga County Ohio Licenses Applications 1823-1865, Vol. E, Page 484
[13] 1860 US Census, Auburn Township, Geauga County, 22 August, 1860, Page no. 6
[14] 1900 US Census, Lake Charles, Calcasieu County, Ward 3, June 11, 1900, Sheet No. 14
[15] 1870 US census, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Allen Co., June 24, 1870
[16] William’s Ft. Wayne Directory For 1868-9, N.P.Stockbridge, 1868
    Stirling, John T. insurance agent, h 123 W. Water (p.163)
    Stirling, Thos. Lumber dealer, bds 123 W. Water (p.163)
[17] 1880 US census, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Allen Co., June 1880, Page No.5
    Household Members    AGE   Occupation/Trade      Place of Birth
    John T. Stirling 62       Fruit Tree Dealer       Scotland
[18] Fort Wayne City and Allen County Directory 1890-91, Volume XIII, R.L.Polk & Co., Publishers
    Stirling John, feed stable, 29 N Clinton (p.506)
[19] Letters to Elizabeth Stirling King, transcribed by Virginia Pruitt
[20] Letter to Elizabeth Stirling King, 27 Oct 1892, transcribed by V. Pruitt
[21] Allen County Farm Records,Vol. 1, P.165
[22] LETTER - Fort Wayne, Indiana, July 7/93, (To:) Mrs. Geo. M. King
    Dear Cousin,
    I wrote a letter before but I think I put the wrong address on it.
    Uncle John (your father) had a stroke of paralysis on the fourth of July. The
    nurse from the hospital came for Mama and she was with him every day until
    today when he died this morning at 10 o'clock. He could neither see nor talk
    since he had the Shock. We are to have the funeral tomorrow and we will see
    that everything is done as well as if you were here yourself.
    Yours in haste
    Elizabeth T. Burgess
    48 W. Jefferson St.
[23] Fort Wayne Daily Gazette, Saturday, July 8, 1893 Obituary
    John Sterling Dead
    John Sterling, an aged Scotchman, died at Hope hospital yesterday morning. He was 75 years old. About twenty-five
    years ago Mr. Sterling was bookkeeper for Cochrane & Humphery, lumber dealers and contractors. In recent years he
    was an agent for fruit trees. The funeral will be held at 4 o’clock this afternoon from Peltier’s undertaking rooms.
[24] Internment records, Lindenwood Cemetary, Fort Wayne, 1860-1972, Vol. XII
    Stirling, John - d. July 7, 1893 - in. July 8, 1893 - bp. Scotland - l.r. F.W. - a. 75y - l.n. 117
[26] The Commercial Advertiser Directory for the City Of Buffalo
    BUFFALO: Jewett, Thomas & Co. Publishers 1854
    Sterling, Geo. 52 Fifth. (p418)
    Stirling, Thomas, book-keeper, T. Farnham & Co. (p420)