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.....