We would like to welcome all of our visitors. What unfolds in
the pages to follow is one of the many stories to be found across the continent
of North America. We are still involved in the ongoing process of tracing our
roots. What we have discovered thus far has provided us with the vision of a
rich historical tapestry. We want to share that with you and invite your
comments and suggestions. We'd like to hear your stories and, most of all, we
want to reestablish bonds and reconnect with our cousins who descend from the
Loyalist Soldier--George Strople.
INTRODUCTION
Beginnings in North
America
Guysborough, Nova Scotia, Canada
The purpose of this web page is to assemble
information currently available on the beginning of the STROPLE family in North
America. The original Land Grant for property in Guysborough, Nova Scotia was
granted to George Strople, a Loyalist soldier of the Sixtieth Regiment of the
British Army in about 1783. Research continues to determine the origin of
George, the soldier, prior to his service in His Majesty’s Army.
Two schools of
thought address this question. The first suggests that George Strople (German
Speaking Person) was recruited from the German States in Europe by King George
of England. The second idea is that the family of George Strople was already in
the United States and that George was recruited from the approximately one third
of the US population that supported British Rule in the Colonies. Although much
research has been conducted on both sides of the Atlantic, no evidence has been
found either way.
The information
in this web page traces the family for approximately one hundred years from
about 1784 until the mid 1880’s when many of the STROPLE families had begun to
migrate to other parts of Canada and to the United States. Gloucester,
Massachusetts provided a starting point for many of the families because of the
strong link between Guysborough, Nova Scotia and Gloucester, Massachusetts in
the fishing industry. Three STROPLE mariners are remembered in the joint
Guysborough/ Gloucester memorials of “THOSE THAT WENT DOWN TO THE SEA IN
SHIPS”. A fishing ship, the ALICE M. STROPLE also was launched from
Gloucester. Her captain, William Strople drowned in 1888. The ship sank in a
storm in 1890.
Wehave made an
attempt to blend the data from the Guysborough, Nova Scotia Censuses of 1817,
1838, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, and 1901 together with the Guysborough Church
records available through the Latter Day Saints Libraries. These sources of
information supplement the family genealogy presented in the book,
Guysborough Sketches and Other Essays by A.C. Jost. In addition, US
Naturalization Records and US Census records from 1860 through 1920 have also
been incorporated.
Family stories
have been invaluable in tracing the family’s progress in the United States.
Many Strople descendents are cooperating with bits of knowledge and recorded
records to help put it all together. With the help of letters from Esther
Strople Johnson (1902 – 1993), we have been able to correct the errors in the
lost genealogy and begin to trace the movements of the Massachusetts Stroples
after their emigration from Canada.
Also included in
this web page is correspondence from Joe Strople of San Jose, California. Joe
has been researching the Strople family for many years and has succeeded in
capturing much information from family members both in the USA and Canada.
Our baseline work
began with the research of my late father, Herbert Preston Strople, who was
fortunate to have gathered information from his cousins. We have been delighted
to discover that my father’s cousin, Gerald Strople McMahon with whom my
father’s generation shared many memories, is still pursuing the genealogy
activities. Together with Gerald and about eight other Strople descendents,
we formed an eMail Exchange which Gerald has named “THE HUNTING PARTY”. New
bits of information are shared and newly discovered STROPLE descendents are
added as they are located.
STROPLE DESCENDENTS contacted -- by July 2000
Ray and Elaine Strople
Portsmouth, Virginia
Chris Strople
Orange County, California
Mary Strople (and four sisters)
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Patricia Strople Winne (older daughter of Herbert
Preston Strople)
Austin, Texas
Nancy Strople Whorley (younger daughter of Herbert
Preston Strople)
Chester, New Jersey
Joe Strople
San Jose, California
Al Strople
Petaluma, California
Gerald Strople McMahon
Houston, Texas
Frank Johnson (Great grandson of Esther Strople
Johnson)
Abilene, Texas
Alden Robert Strople
Fullerton, California
Arthur Wellington Strople
Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
Fred Strople
Daytona Beach Florida
Ron Strople and Velma Austin , and Ron’s son, Ron
Ontario, Canada
Peter Strople (great grandson of George Robert
Strople)
Austin, Texas
Steve Strople (University of New Brunswick)
New Brunswick, Canada
Darlene Andrews
Truro, Nova Scotia
Jeanette Robertson (niece of Alden Robert)
California
Steve Marshall
Ontario, Canada
In compiling this
information, I must extend heartfelt thanks to everyone mentioned above who has
contributed to the wealth of knowledge about the soldier, George and his
descendents. Special thanks to Mary Strople of Gloucester, Massachusetts who has
combed through newspaper libraries, the Massachusetts Archives, and county
records to help sort out all of the early Massachusetts Stroples. Also special
thanks to Elaine Strople and her son Chad Harris who worked very hard to turn
this research into a web page.
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