Frank Paton was born on 23 November 1855 in Stepney, London, England.Information obtained from the birth certificate of Frank Paton, registered on 1 January 1856 in the sub district of Ratcliff, Middlesex. His parents were James Paton and Mary Ann Paton (née Ross) and he was the youngest of their seven children.The parish records of a) St Peter & St Paul, Milton near Gravesend b) St Vincent street Scotch Church, Stepney and c) St Dunstan, Stepney reveal that James and Mary Ann Paton had six sons, other than Frank, and a daughter (also called Mary Ann) between the years 1838 and 1851. Their fourth son, Charles, died in infancy from cholera (source of information: death certificate of Charles Henry Paton, registered 27 August 1846 in the sub-district of Mile End Old Town, Middlesex). Although Stepney, in the East End of London, was a stronghold for the Paton family,The Parish records of St Dunstan, Stepney, show that Frank Paton's paternal grandparents were called James and Mary Paton and that they were resident in Stepney from 1808. According to the 1841 census of England and Wales, both were Scottish. Census returns and parish records show that many of their children established families in Stepney and surrounding parishes. Frank Paton grew up in and around Gravesend, Kent as his father was a maritime pilotThe Corporation of Trinity House Registers of Pilots' Licences (London) 1808-1986, Guildhall Library (Ms 30172) record James Paton as first being examined by them on 27 October 1840. His last entry in the register is dated 2 December 1856 and his address was "Gravesend". 1861 and 1871 England and Wales Census returns for the parishes of Milton and Gravesend respectively, confirm that James Paton remained a Pilot for the rest of his working life. Both censuses show Frank Paton living with his family. (Gravesend, at the mouth of the river Thames, was a pilot station for the port of London).Source: Pears Encyclopaedia, 82nd edition (gazetteer entry for Gravesend).
