NOTE:  "Samuel Sinnock Jr., son of Samuel Sinnock, came to America in the Spring of 1936, the first Sinnock descendant of James and Elizabeth Sinnock to do so. He worked in the State of New York for a year, then went south and spent two winters chopping wood, came west in 1839 and worked for a time for Buckland and Weller in a mill at Wyaconda, Missouri. He later bought a farm near Newark, Knox County, Missouri, where he farmed for many years and later engaged in the nursery business. He was a member of the Baptist Church and a Republican in politics. He was married to Martha Ann Cleck in La Grange, Missouri, May 5, 1842. She was a daughter of Spencer and Elizabeth Cleck, at that time President of La Grange College. Thirteen years after Martha died, Samuel Jr. married Beckee Pugh, on May 2, 1889."          quote from his brother Thomas' family history, about 1910

During the 1850 census Samuel and his family apparently visited his brother, George in Payson, Illinois, just across the river about 30 miles from Newark. One daughter, Susan, was born in Payson, perhaps during the visit. Perhaps Samuel thought of moving his family to Payson, but with the death of his newborn Susan, returned to the Newark area to farm and operate the nursey. Sam and Martha had eight other children at the Newark farm, five surviving as adults all with their own children (in order of birth): Mary Louise (McLaughlin), Mattie (Clement), Samuella (Wilson), James Price and Walter Buckland Sinnock. They have several known living descendants still in Missouri, but none with the Sinnock name. Sam Jr. is the second oldest of five surviving (nine total) children of Sam and Mary Lindfield Sinnock. In the quote above, Thomas neglected to mention that at the time Sam Jr. came to America in 1836, he was just barely 15 years old; that was some adventuresome boy or someone running away from something terrible or ...... (see scenario below). A year later his brother George followed Sam and settled in Payson after working his way across the county as well. George was but 18 at the time he is recorded as a steerage passenger aboard the sailing ship "Toronto", disembarking in New York, on 15 Jul 1837.

A scenario, plausible if not true: -- imagine a shoemaker's family in rural Sussex facing hard times from automated shoe factories springing up in the cities; a family with seven children in 1835, the oldest 16 and two yet under four. At dinner and work discussion during the day, the idea probably hatched that the oldest, George, should leave, strike out on his own, and rumor had it that hard working people could make a fortune in America, and George had demonstrated his hard working Calvinist attitude by learning the family trade, so was a likely bet to succeed in America, perhaps much moreso than in England. So the family scraped by a little more and saved passage fare for George to New York when he turned 18 (he arrived on the sailing passenger ship "Toronto" on 15 Jul 1837, claiming to be 19, a year older than he was, perhaps to exaggerate his shoemaker training). Now his younger brother Sam, always competing with older brother George (a situation I can empathize with), thought to himself, "I can succeed as well as George in America, and if the family wants to get rid of us kids so badly, I will do it for the family", and ran away to America, perhaps as a stowaway or perhaps as a cabin boy, jumping ship in America (I can find no record or his arrival in America). Perhaps he stayed in touch by letter with the family back in Sedlescombe; perhaps Thomas, his brother had access to or memory of those letters, explaining his detailed description of his journey above. In any case, no animosity can be detected in a letter his brother George wrote 08 Jun 1851 to wife Sarah. In this letter, George speaks fondly of Samuel Jr. and says he intends to encourage his family parents to come to America as well. They did two years later, with the whole family. So even if Sam Jr. left unexpectedly, the family remained close and in continual contact, probably at least yearly.