(Courtesy of Geoff Whitfield, UK)

David John Barton was born on the 18th January, 1890 in the hamlet of Wicken, Cambridge. The third son, and fourth child of agricultural labourer Shaw Barton and his wife Mary. His siblings were Ellen, Sydney and Stephen (1). By early 1912 the family were living at "Belle Vue" Cottage in Coopers Row.

David Barton planned to emigrate to the USA together with two of his friends, Arthur Taylor and Sidney Day (2). They had obtained positions with the Kodak Company in Rochester. The trio set off for Southampton but to his acute embarrassment, David failed the medical inspection owing to a blemish on his face which the inspectors declared to be possibly contagious. His friends were forced to sail without him. He tried again but was once more rejected until finally being accepted to sail on the Titanic. Kodak had held the position for him until his departure. He boarded the Titanic at Southampton as a third class passenger (ticket number 324669, £8 1s).

Barton lost his life in the disaster. His body, if recovered, was never identified.

Notes
1. A year after his birth they were living as lodgers with a Mr. Ronlinson, Shaw was then an Agriculture labourer aged 32 the same age as his wife Mary, their eldest daughter Ellen was then six years old, the eldest son Sydney was five and the middle son Stephen was three. The village of Wicken at that time had exactly one hundred and four dwellings, all were occupied by one hundred and eighty six males and one hundred and ninety four females.
2. Arthur Taylor would later return home for a visit but Sydney Day never returned. They both worked for the Kodak Company in Rochester and their families survive them.

References
Contract Ticket List, White Star Line 1912 (National Archives, New York; NRAN-21-SDNYCIVCAS-55[279])

Contributors
Geoff Whitfield,UK

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