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!
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)
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!
