William M. Sutton - KY -> MO

contributed by Patricia A. Boyle, 5802 North 42nd Av,
Phoenix, AZ 85019-1820
From The Heritage of Buchanan County, Missouri, by Missouri River Heritage Association
Page 446:
William M. Sutton was born on May 28, 1788, in Garrard Co., Kentucky. His father was John Sutton (c. 1750- c. 1817), one of the first Baptist preachers in Kentucky. John had immigrated from Culpepper Co., Virginia during 1784-87 with his two brothers, Benjamin and Rowland Sutton. Benjamin, Rowland and another brother, William, had all served in the Virginia Continental Line during the Revolution, for which they received Kentucky land grants or pensions. William M. Sutton grew up on his father's farm along the Dix River, near Lancaster, Kentucky. The Suttons and related familites were early members of the Forks of Dix River Baptist Church founded in 1782. William's brother, Humphrey, served as a private in a volunteer unit during the War of 1812.
William Sutton married Lucinda Barlow, daughter of Henry and Nancy Barlow, on 24 Nov 1815. Lucinda apparently died in childbirth with the birth of their seventh child in Jnuary 1830. On April 1, 1831, William married Elizabeth Hampton and of this union nine children were born. In July 1835, William bought a 129 acre farm in Lincoln County, KY, bordering Hanging Fork Creek. During the next fifteen years all of William's children by his first wife either married or moved away from home.
In March 1851, William Sutton journeyed to Platte Co., Missouri and purchased a 140 acre farm about three miles west of Parkville, Missouri. On 12 Sep 1851, he sold his farm on Hanging Fork Creek and left Kentucky after his children, Granville and Barbara Ann were granted letters of dismissal from the Dix River Baptist Church on the third Saturday of September.
Less than ayear after the Suttons arrived in Platte County, daughter Barbara Ann (age 14) married Benjamin Franklin Harris, a neighbor. Near William Sutton's farm, on the opposite side of the Missouri River, was Quindaro, Kansas. Founded by Abolitionists, Quindaro was one of the major stations of the Underground Railroad for smuggling slaves out of MO into KS and NE. William Sutton, a former slave holder in Kentucky, either did not like being so close to the abolitionists, or the border war that was developing over the slavery issue. Possibly for his family's safety he decided to move to another farm.
On 25 January 1853, William Sutton purchased 80 acres in Section 9, Crawford Township, Buchanan County near the village of Taos. The following winter three Sutton children died after drinking infected milk during an outbreak of tuberculosis. In January 1858, William and Elizabeth Sutton moved into a house on a 3/4 acre lot in Taos, located behind the crossroads general store. They still maintained their farm.During the Civil War, George Washington Sutton (William's son) was enlisted in the Paw Paw Militia, a Union home guard militia composed of southern sympathizers. George participated in a Southern bushwacker raid against a Union militia unit in Ridgeley, Platte County on 10 Jun 1864. The leader of the bushwackers was killed outright while the second in command, Lt. William Feland was captured and executed by firing squad. On 19 Jul 1864, a Federal patrol from Ft. Leavenworth entered Taos and searched several homes for Federal muskets. They entered William Sutton's house and stole a suit belonging to George Sutton, despite protests by Mrs. Sutton.
Wiiliam M. Sutton died at age 85 on 8 Dec 1873, followed by his wife, Elizabeth in June 1875. Both are buried in the old Taos Cemetery, now destroyed, near Taos. Wiiliam's direct descendants in Buchanan County are traced through his son, Harvey Sutton, my great grandfather.

Harvey Sutton was born 1 Sep 1839 in Lincoln Co., KY. He married Phoebe E. Boller of Taos on 28 Dec 1876. Of their twelve children only four survived to adulthood: Mrs. Mabel Wiggington, John R. Sutton, Luther Sutton, and Charles W. Sutton. Harvey Sutton died in 1911; Phoebe remarried a John Lynch in 1923. She died in 1940 and was buried with Harvey in the Halleck Cemetery.

Charles W. Sutton was born in Taos on 21 Sep 1883 and married Bessie Sellars on 2 Jun 1908 in St. Jospeh. They were residents of South St. Joseph for many years and raised three children. Mr. Sutton retired from the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in 1952. Charles W> Sutton died on 26 Feb 1970 followed by Mrs. Sutton on 5 Feb 1978; both are buried in the Halleck Cemetery.

Descendants of William M. Sutton are found in the following states: MO, IA, KY, WA, TX, AZ, IL and OH. There are many related families in Buchanan County including Foster, Wiggington, Dean, and others. His lineage has been traced back to 1666 and is in the process of being verified.


Return to Issue 19 - Table of Contents

Return to SUTTON SEARCHERS homepage

Last modified: November 22, 1995

LinkExchange
LinkExchange Member

CyberLink Exchange.
This Site is a member of CyberLink Exchange
www.bannerswap.com
Proud Member of BannerSwap