POST 6: First Report From "Lucy"

12/28/11 - Note: I have gotten notes from several people who didn't realize there was more than one post. There are 6 posts. The blog always has the newest post on top with the older ones further down the page.  If that still doesn't work, please let me know.  Mitch


 I received an email from "Lucy" on Wednesday which was exactly one month from the day we first spoke in November. So, the good news is that it appears I'm on her calendar for the 14th of each month. However, I have to say I was a little confused by the email I received. Here is the text:

"Hi Mitch, I have assigned a researcher to your case. I believe I told you from the beginning that he is a very experienced researcher but his case load is long. For this reason, it does take several months before the work is completed. I wanted you to be aware of this time wait so you would know when I send updates what is happening."

With Regards,
"Lucy"

My translation:  Nothing has happened since November and nothing will happen until "several" months from now.

 In my conversation with "Lucy" a month ago, she told me she had assigned my case to a researcher who is extremely good and is the "go-to guy" with cases involving Colonial America.  She also told me that this researcher was  finishing up on some school work and that his case load was long but she assured me that this was the dude we wanted on the case.  I told her then that I was not in a hurry and was willing to wait several months (at least six months) for a good product. We reviewed my written goals and she assured me we would talk in a month.  My reply to the email received on Wednesday follows:

Hi Lucy,

You did inform me of the case log and also of the researcher's work on obtaining an additional degree. I am not in a hurry....you told me it could be 6 months or more before the casework is completed. I would rather you take all of the time you need and not rush. Since we are just beginning, I am not sure what I'm expecting with the monthly updates. I was thinking there would be some progress as we go. Are you saying that I won't really be getting any information or "peeks" into the search until the end? I was curious as to whether or not you were able to contact "Gene Hunter" (referred to in Post 2; paragraph 2 as"da man"). Also, several friends suggested I start a blog to journal this process so I have and it's getting a good following. I have already met three cousins I never knew before and have made a few new friends.

Looking forward to hearing from you!
Mitch Sutton

So, it appears the email was our first report and it also appears that I misunderstood how this would go. What I heard in our November call was that work would start but would take months to complete because of the researcher's case load.  I may yet get clarification from "Lucy", but I now think that we will not be getting any substantial updates until the case is actually started.  "Lucy" always maintained this was going to take some time and I am willing to wait however long it takes. I can see an upcoming post entitled,  "I Can't Wait Until Mid June, July or August"  What is the old adage?  Good things come to those who wait?  After all, we've waited this long.....another year won't be so bad.  I'll let you all know as soon as events transpire. 

 In the event we don't talk for awhile, I want to take this oppotunity to thank you all for your interest in this project.  Keep those comments and suggestions coming!  Lastly, I want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a most Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!!

Oh!  I saw the following post in one of the Ancestry.com message boards today.
John Sutton Sr. was born,April 2,1732 in Prince Georges Co.,Maryland.Died 1832 in Jackson Co.,North Carolina. John had 3 wives. Polly's mother was John's second wife,a Cherokee Indian (name unknown). Polly was born in 1794 & married Thomas Millsaps

Now, that's another hard right turn in the road!.....I thought it was fairly well established that John was born in England and immigrated  to America in 1755.  And..... this post doesn't mention the name of the wife we actually know...Aggie Lossiah.  From the message board post, one could then make the argument that there were two wives who were of Native-American descent so maybe, just maybe I am part Cherokee again after all!! Just another example of why I'm doing this project!  To eliminate as many of these contradictions as we possibly can!


Next Time: "How're those New Year's Resolutions working out for you?"




and now I'll leave you with a little seasonal humor!

POST 5: "I Can't Wait Until Mid December!'

Hello again!  I hope all of you had a terrific Thanksgiving!  This is a wonderful time of year as families and friends gather to give thanks for so many blessings. And now, we look forward to the joyous celebration of the birth of our Savior!

I want to thank all of you who have encouraged me on this road of many questions as we try to find out more about John Sutton. I say "we" because I know you guys are out there walking along with me. I can't wait until mid-December! That’s when  my first monthly consult is scheduled with "Lucy", my genealogist case manager. As I’ve pointed out before, I’m not a patient man (I’m not sure what side of my family to credit for that trait), but until that conference, it's basically a waiting game. My case manager tells me to count on at least six months for the entire project.

This first conference will give us an indication of how we are doing so far and what, if anything, has been found. I view this process a little like a football game. It’s early in the first quarter....will we make the first down or are we second and 10? I have done a little digging and the research company, ProGenealogists, has impressive credentials but I wonder what percentage of cases are duds and produce little or no new findings? On the other hand, why would NBC's "Who Do You Think You Are?" and Ancestry.com contract with them to provide research if they are not the best?  My case manager did tell me there is going to be a great story in the next season of "Who Do You Think You Are?" that has its roots in North Carolina. I'll let you all know when she gives me an air date.

I hope you Suttons out there will forward the news about this blog to other Suttons and anyone else who may be interested. I'm very serious about that.  Perhaps some of you have information that could "break the case"! Or maybe your grandmother remembers a story or knows  about a document in the bottom of an old trunk. Or maybe you think I'm off my rocker or have  found glaring factual errors in my posts. Let me know! In the meantime, I welcome any questions, information or even criticism.  I've always been one who subscribed to the notion, "the more the merrier!"


Speaking of  "the more the merrier",  I had another "new" Sutton encounter. Twenty-three years ago I began my career at Carolinas Healthcare System in Charlotte.  Within the first few days, I was introduced to one of our account managers who represented a major service provider. Her last name was Sutton.  I, of course, asked her where her husband was from and she said he grew up in the North Carolina mountains.  I asked where and discovered he was from the same county as my dad's family. For several years we would try to figure out if or how we were related. One clue from her mother in law moved that possibility a little closer but was never confirmed. Times change and account managers get promoted and move on so that was the end of that. 

Fast forward 18 years.  One evening last week while reviewing old message board posts on Ancestry.com, I came across a post that, as I read it, made me think of my old account manager......things like the particulars about where her husband was raised and where his dad was born. Then it hit me, this was likely the husband of my account manager.  So, I emailed the guy and asked him if he was married to "Jane" Sutton, introduced myself and offered some of the research I had since he also was looking for ancestors related to John Sutton. The next morning I spoke to "Jane" for the first time in 18 years and it was confirmed that yes, I had the right Suttons!  I am very happy to have reconnected with a former vendor and friend AND to be able to meet another Sutton on the same journey. I  did forward to him some of the research I had so maybe we'll discover how we're related after all!

Unless there is a major development, I  most likely  will not post again until I hear from "Lucy", my case manager.  The thought does cross my mind that nothing new will be found or our questions may remain unanswered.  I'm okay with  that. The way I see it, I could be spending this time and effort doing much less important things than looking for where I came from and making new friends, acquaintances and  yes, even meeting family along the road. Who knows......Santa may come early this year!

Next Time: First Report from "Lucy"

POST 4: I Miss My Aunt Effie's Cornbread!

I miss my Aunt Effie's cornbread! Although my mom got close to the mark, I don't think I've ever had cornbread that good. It would literally melt in your mouth and it was from scratch.....no mix for Effie! She did buy her cornmeal at the store but the rest was all up to her! And you better not touch her pan....it was seasoned just the way she liked it. She was a character as were all of my dad's brothers and sisters. Come to think of it, all of the aunts and most of the uncles were also great cooks so we always had good food. In fact, the first born, Uncle Chick ran a restaurant known far and wide as the Greystone Cafe. They were loads of fun! Looking back, I think they saved up all of the stories and jokes from the time we left from one visit until we arrived on our next. We were never board....they were always doing something to keep us laughing. We were just like kids sitting on the front row at the Greatest Show on Earth. It wasn't a circus, it was better. You knew they were doing their best to entertain us and they were successful. They were successful because they were having as much fun as we were! I took friends to visit a couple of times and the friends gave Five Stars on both the food and the hospitality.


My dad was one of six children born to Dallas and Amanda (Mandie) Brown Sutton. Even to this day, I don't know a lot about their lives. My grandmother died 6 years before I was born and "Pappaw" died when I was three. "Pappaw" cut timber for a living. I remember Dad saying he was a little man but strong as an ox! They moved several times as Dad was growing up. The family was living in Dillsboro when he was born in 1921. Later, they lived on Dick's Creek and I've seen records where perhaps they had lived on Green's Creek before Dad was born. By the time Dad went into the Marines during WWII, they had moved to Long Branch which is where they settled for good. My first cousin can set me straight on this but the house was actually purchased by my Aunts Effie and Bess who worked in the factories in Ohio during the war.


As I write this, I'm laughing while remembering so many of the visits and the stories that were told. You see, my Aunt Effie and Aunt Kathryn (who we all called Kat) never married and lived in the home place on Long Branch so their house was always home base during our visits. In the evening, our other Aunts and Uncle's would arrive and that's when the fun really started. Like I said earlier, they saved tales from one visit to the next and it wouldn't be long before they would start telling what had happened since our last visit.


Some of my favorite stories were......Aunt Kat catching a man trying to steal her chickens......bottom line, Kat reminded him as he was backing away from her shotgun` that if he wanted a chicken, the A&P and Winn-Dixie both sold them.


Then there was the story of Aunt Effie running head-on into a wildcat as she was crossing the branch late one evening. We were told she scaled a ten foot rock retaining wall as a short cut to the back door of the house.


 Uncle Ab, who was married to my Dad's sister, Bessie Margaret (Aunt Bess) was always carrying on with my sister and me and we always loved it. There's many story's I could tell about Uncle Ab but this is my favorite: There was a Cherokee woman who lived up the dirt road from Aunts Kat and Effie. Her name was Dory. Uncle Ab portrayed her more like an wild Indian and told stories of hearing her do war dances on Saturday nights (which, coincidentally, was usually when these family gatherings would happen). On more than one occasion, my sister and I were reminded of Dory if the adults thought we needed to settle down. On this particular night, my sister and I were being a little over rambunctious. All of a sudden there was a loud knock at the door and Uncle Ab, who was sitting by the door yelled, "It's Dory!" You've never seen two kids leap into the arms of whoever was nearest so fast. My sister jumped onto Aunt Bess's lap and Aunt Bess said my sister's heart was beating out of her chest! Of course, Uncle Ab, sitting by the door was the source of the knocking! I can still see him, head back, laughing at his latest "got cha!"


I could go on all night with stories but I will leave you with this one about Aunt Effie and Kat. My aunts worked in a textile plant. One winter afternoon they got home around 4:30 and sat down to rest for a minute before starting supper.  Aunt Kat said the next thing she knew, Aunt Effie was hollering, 'Kat, get up, we're late for work!" Well, Aunt Kat jumped up, they changed clothes and Aunt Kat fixed their bag lunches and they were out the door and in the car. They raced the short trip to the plant and headed up the steep hill to the employee parking lot. As they crested the hill, they noticed that the parking lot was empty. You see, when Aunt Effie woke up, she looked at the clock and it said 6:30 and she just assumed she and Aunt Kat slept through the night in their chairs and that it was 6:30 in the morning but it was 6:30 p.m. and they had not overslept....they had only fallen asleep for two hours!!!!!


We've had a lot of laughs and good times. But for all that the Sutton's were.... they were good people....honest and hard working. They loved and feared God and were faithful. They had character, morals and convictions.....they stood for what they believed and made no compromise.


So, on this Thanksgiving night, I am thankful for my family.....My sister and nephew, My Mom's side, My Dad's side and my Sisk sisters and I don't only miss my Aunt Effie's cornbread, I miss Aunt Effie and all of her brothers, sisters, their wives and husbands. I  sure hope I make the roll up yonder 'cause I can't wait to see you all again!

• Realis Daniel (Chick) Sutton (June 26, 1909 - October 17th, 1970) and Mayme Evelyn Jarrett Sutton (May 17, 1912 - May 5, 2000)

• Effie Mae Sutton ( March 8, 1913 - September 15, 1996)

• John Archelus Sutton (May 21, 1915 - September 18, 1991) and Aida S. Sutton (birth/death unknown)

• Bessie Margaret Sutton Brooks (January 25, 1918 - January 16, 2005) and Willard Albert Brooks (April 27, 1921 - June 1, 1991)

• Burch Mitchell Sutton (March 3, 1921 - January 23, 2007) and
  • Sylvia Jane Pruette Sutton (February 8, 1925 - September 3, 2007)

• Kathryn Elizabeth Sutton ( August 5, 1926 - January 5, 1988)

Next Time: I Can't Wait Until Mid- December!

                                         

Dad and "Pawpaw" in the yard on Long Branch....    

Uncle Chick in the main dining room of the Greystone Cafe and Lodge.                 

left  to right"  Uncle Ab, Aunt Aida and Uncle Johnny around 1957 at the Long Branch House.  Yep, that's me at about age 3!   

POST 3: "Dangit Man, I've Told Everybody I Was Part Cherokee....."

Dangit, Man, I've told everybody I was part Cherokee since I was a kid.  Now I find out I'm not?
Somebody please find some Cherokee blood in my line so I dont' have to tell everybody that I was "mistaken"! I guess this is the price you pay for digging up bones! OK, I am going to let this go now and I'm going to move on.  Dangit!

I'm happy to report a very positive turn of events this past week. I met a cousin I didn't know. I think we determined we were "half-second cousins????". I was on Ancestry.com last weekend and this past Monday, I got a messsage that said, "You are my relative! My grandfather was General Jackson Sutton. He had a brother named Dallas. His father was Mitchell Sutton. My mother still lives in Dillsboro!" So,it turns out that our grandfathers were half brothers! The two of us have messaged each other all week. Even though we have never met, her mom grew up with my dad and the rest of my aunts and uncles. Her mom told her that she used to play with my aunts "when they lived on Dick's Creek." Turns out, her mom had done some work with a geneaologist in the area but had "put the geneaology bug to rest" some time ago. Friday, my newly found cousin was emailing me all morning with new tips and records.. She said her mom was "on fire"again and pulling out all kinds of records that I, in turn, was immediately sending to my case manager at Progeneaologists. And my case manager was rapidly replying, "very interesting!" and "WOW!" Dangit!

With my parents and all of the aunts and uncles gone, I'm excited to have found two more cousins (the mom and her daughter) who are also interested in our heritage plus the mom has heard the old stories! I have a first cousin in Dillsboro and we have always been very close. We are in the same boat in the way that all of the elders we knew and their recollections and stories are gone. So, it's terrific to meet a Sutton I didn't know and that her mom is also interested in this project and has been active in our family history. It's just too cool. Dangit!

 
I'm fairly certain..., no....let me correct that.....I am certain that this posting pace will not continue. I had several years of questions and frustrations over the many twists and turns in the family history I had learned as a boy. But as I've gotten all of that backlog out of my system, things will slow down now and the posts won't be as frequent. I will post as news arrives and I will post after each monthly consult with my case manager. I appreciate all of the comments and encouragement and even the occassional "are you crazy" but the bus is moving now so I'm on board for the duration. If any of you Sutton's are out there, let me hear from you! Again, I am only journaling my path here. I know many have spent hours and years digging into John Sutton's past and for that I am truly humbled and thankful. Without you, we would be nowhere! If an organization like Progeneaologists can add or deepen our understanding of our ancestor, John Sutton, then why not see where that road takes us? Dangit!

Next Time: I Miss My Aunt Effies's Cornbread!

POST 2: John's Not The Problem.....

Ok.....second post:   The truth is, John’s not the problem. Aggie is the problem. Who’s Aggie, you ask? She’s John’s wife….. or at least one of them. Now don’t panic….we’re not Mormon!!   You see, for the earlier generations of Suttons,  Aggie Lossiah was the one and only Mrs. John Sutton.  If you Google Aggie Lossiah, you will get a page full of references of her relation to John Sutton. But.... there is mounting evidence that Aggie was one of several possible Mrs. John Suttons and therefore some of his descendants may be remiss in calling Aggie our 4th great grandmother. This is especially likely if you are descended from William as I am. He was likely John's first born. I have read posts that support the hypothesis that Aggie was the last of John’s wives and that the prodigy listed in genealogy trees as his kids may be (1) the children of other wives or (2)may have even been John’s grandchildren. Take a break and breathe deeply here….my head swims on all of this as well.
  

While we’re regaining our equilibrium, I think it only fair to make the following disclaimer. I am not, nor ever have been, or ever will be a detective which is evidenced by the fact that I folded and gave up my own search and instead gave good money to someone else to do it for me. However, there are  folks within the Sutton family who have done research for years and it is because of their hard work that the trail to the truth is possible. So, if you’re reading this, just know that this is the story of my journey and I am grateful for your efforts. What I have read on various message boards makes me acutely aware of the years that some people have put into the history of this family. I am in awe of that ability, perseverance and dedication. And.... make no mistake about it, I am taking my journey because of the questions you’ve asked me to consider with your research. I have to acknowledge one person that is referenced on many message boards and who, I believe, is considered by the vast majority to be the expert on the John Sutton family. Although I have never spoken with this person, he is the one person who I believe keeps the rest of us digging and looking for the truth. I won’t mention his name because I haven’t spoken to him or asked his permission but I just want to say thanks for your volumes of work and I hope you’ll take the phone call from the genealogist I hired because I told her you are da man! 

Now back to our “problem child”…..Aggie Lossiah. One of the few common agreements is that Aggie was a full blooded Cherokee. In an excerpt from a letter written by John in 1777, he says, “ George Washington told me to go home from Valley Forge. I told him I was going back to the mountains and marry an Indian..."   There are Ancestry.com hints that indicate the marriage to Aggie could have been in Virginia. In 1775, John would have been 35.  Given the times in colonial America, he could have married earlier and it is likely the previous wives died. On any account, it appears that all we know is that Agggie  lived and married John. To my knowledge, there’s no record of where she’s buried so looking back, I probably should have called this post, “Where’s Aggie?”  Although I’m sure Aggie Lossiah will be in and out of our journey, I can't help but feel like we've lost Aggie and that, my friends, is a shame...... There weren't  death certificates or marriage licenses in 1777 colonial America. Just the handing down of stories from generation to generation.  As I pointed out earlier, if you Google "Aggie Lossiah", the name most associated with her is John Sutton......and we've lost her.


Next Time: "Dangit Man, I've Told Everybody I Was Part Cherokee....."

The Beginning.....He Did What.????

So, my fourth Great Grandfather died at 100 years old jumping a horse....yeah, I know what you're thinking but it's documented as the cause of death in the county courthouse. The thing is, he jumped a split rail fence flat footed just minutes before. John Sutton was the old man's name, and he was born April 2, 1732 somewhere in jolly old England and died in 1832 in the beautiful mountains of Jackson County, North Carolina.  I still wonder if he and the boys were "drinking the corn" that fateful day or was he just in that great of shape at 100 years old, but be what it may, following is the text of this tale from a booklet written in 1965 by one Mary Sutton Painter.

"I have talked to alot of people and heard a lot of stories. One of the most interesting stories I heard was about how John Sutton died. Charlotte Page and Dory Poley were with me at the time the story was told, and we stood where the incident was supposed to have happened. The story goes something like this: One day in 1832, John was standing just below his house with some other men, when one of them said that John could jump the rail fence in front of them flat footed. Well, he did jump it flat footed. About that time someone rode up on an old plug horse. Someone in the crowd said I'll bet Uncle John can jump that horse. Well, he just backed up about two steps and jumped the horse. When he hit the ground, he was dead. The Jackson County Court House lists his death as happening just as I have said.John lived to be 100 years or older. He was married to a full-blooded Cherokee named Aggie Lossiah. John came from England and I have a map of England in my possession.The first Sutton family reunion of Jimmie Sutton's descendants was held at Millie Sutton's house in 1965. Eighty five of his descendants were present.

Millie Painter from her 1965 History of the
John Sutton Family

May God Bless YouMillie Sutton Painter"

Now, with a story like that you naturally want to know more about this man of the frontier, right?  But from there, the road forks many ways with several different ideas and some credible research (not by me) suggesting that the life of John Sutton is not necessarily as we were told. So, after four years of  poking around on my own,  I hired a professional genealogist to tow me outta the ditch. I am not a patient man and I don't like to see my lifelong childhood ideas about where I came from suddenly turned on it's ear.  Pray for us Suttons....there's alot of questions that need to be answered. The group I hired produced the TV series "Who Do You Think You Are?" so I am hoping I'll have a better idea of who I am in about six months. The goal is to get some answers and to separate the fact from the folklore although I gotta tell you, the folklore is much more fun!

Before I go further and I'm sure you couldn't tell, but I've never written a blog or anything else before now and I don't know the rules.  I will try my best not to slander or embarrass my family, friends or anyone else who's name may appear in this journal but if I should offend, it is unintended and I pray you'll not sue. I'll even do my best to keep my politics to myself!! I just want to record this journey and whatever it finds...... and know at the end, that I learned something..... whether it is about  myself or of life. Buckle up! 

Next Time: John's not the problem.....