Mr. Henry James St.John Middleton —

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Henry James St J Midd./ b, Dec Q.,158, St Martins. Was still active as a journalist in USA around 1915.

His brother wrote about a visit to Harry's home in Cranston Heights, Rhode Island in his autobiographical work, A Vagabond's Odyssey.

This clipping was adjacent to an advertisement for Goodrich tires circa 1915. The original is available.

He appears on the 1861 census aged 2 and living with his father Charles. On the 1871 census aged 12 and living with Charles and Amy and described as a boy clerk. He is not on the family census entry for 1881 so must have left home.

source

From the Ellis Island database (I'm sure this is him even though it puts his birthdate in Jan 1859)

First Name: Harry

Last Name: Middleton

Ethnicity: USA

Last Place of Residence: London

Date of Arrival: Mar 26, 1898

Age at Arrival: 39y 2m Gender: M Marital Status: S

Ship of Travel: Saint Paul

Port of Departure: Southampton

Manifest Line Number: 0030

Googling for "Harry St John Middleton" on 17 Apr 2008 produced two hits

5 String Banjo

Champion Banjo Quickstep by Harry St. John Middleton, Soldier's Quickstep by Walter Burke-missing part of the song-ripped page, The Champion Polka by George ...

http://www.finefretted.com/html/5_string_banjo.htm

and, from the Library of Congress,

sm188307011

The Alvina quickstep / by Harry St. John Middleton. Middleton, Harry St. John. CREATED/PUBLISHED Boston: Fairbanks & Cole, 1883. RELATED TITLES ...

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/sm1883.07011

Music Links in case you want to play the jigs — Cover Sheet, The Alvina Quickstep and Little Darling Scottische

During 1880-1890 Fairbanks joined with William A. Cole, a successful performer and teacher, and produced approximately 9000 banjos as Fairbanks & Cole [1][2][3] in Boston. The factory burned in 1904, so it is unlikely any records survived.

Now this dates Henry in the US before 1898, and here he is:

1880 United States Federal Census Census & Voter Lists

Name: Harry Middleton

Home in 1880: Providence, Providence, Rhode Island

Age: 21

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1859

Birthplace: England

Occupation: Paper Hanger, relationship: other, household Frederick and Hattie Wheldon

and still there in 1910

United States Federal Census of 1910 Providence City Ward 9 Distrct 244 page 28

Census & Voter Lists

Name: Harry St P Middleton Age in 1910: 51

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1859

Residence: 1910 - city, Providence, Rhode Island

590 Westminster Street, immigrated 1870, teacher, music, self employed, renting in a house as opposed to a farm

He moved just down the street in 1920 (13 years older?) and was on his own again after marrying in 1912

United States Federal Census of 1920 Providence City Ward 9 Distrct 244

Name: Harry Middleton Age in 1920: 64

Residence: 1920 - city, Providence, Rhode Island

1057 Westminster Street, immigrated 1867, paper hanger

He got married in 1912

Rhode Island Marriages, 1636-1930

Spouse: Henry StJ Middleton

Lillian A Case

25 Dec 1912

Died in 1925

Rhode Island Deaths, 1630-1930

Birth, Marriage & Death

Name: Harry StJ Middleton

Other: Charles Middleton

Helen Middleton

Death: Oct 20 1925

However Lillian wasn't with him in the 1920 census (see her page), and he was on his own then too, suggesting they split up before then, so their marriage lasted at best, less than 8 years. Neither of them are shown with any children in any census. It seem most unlikely that he owned a farm - the mention of this in his brother's autibiography may refer to the Cranston estate that perhaps Harry passed off as his own, and it could be that the apartment of friends his brother mentions staying in could perhaps have been Harry's own. Why wouldn't Harry have had his brother stay at the farm, if, indeed, he owned it?