Lenoir County NcArchives Biographies.......Sutton, Samuel Ivey ************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************************** File authored and contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joe P. Sutton, PhD, sutton@edtesting.com, January 21, 2019. Samuel Ivey Sutton 1834-1904 Known as Ivey or S.I. (pronounced, Sigh), Samuel Ivey Sutton (1834-1904) lived most of his life in the rural farm community of Bucklesberry, a few miles south of the town of La Grange, NC in Lenoir County. Evidently self- taught, he was afforded no formal education. A man of extraordinary intuitive knowledge and natural God-given abilities, S.I. lived a remarkably successful life that included politics, public service and numerous accomplishments. From humble beginnings, and against all odds, he married a devoted wife, grew a lovely family, enjoyed a multifaceted career, and rose to leadership that was widely recognized. Childhood Little is known about S.I.'s childhood. His name first appears in the Hardy and Annie Hill Sutton family Bible. Hardy (1803-1861) and Annie (1807-1881) reared 14 children in Bucklesberry. Penned prominently at the top of a page in the back of their family Bible, and above the names and birth dates of their own children, was S.I.'s full name and birth date of November 8, 1834. Not a biological child of Hardy and Annie, the record of his name in the Bible nonetheless suggests a special and personal, yet inexplicable, relationship between Hardy and Annie and S.I. and/or with S.I.'s relatives. Although his name was memorialized in the family Bible, S.I. was not an adopted member of the Hardy and Annie Hill Sutton family, nor did he have a routine place at their dinner table. An analysis of the household headcounts provided in the 1840 and 1850 Censuses for Lenoir County indicate that S.I. did not reside with Hardy and Annie, at least when he was six years old (S.I.'s age in 1840) or when he was 16 years old (S.I.'s age in 1850). All children born to Hardy and Annie in these two time periods are accounted for in the Censuses, and there were no other household members listed who were S.I.'s age. Disability S.I. had a physical impairment that was probably present at birth. Genealogist, Martha Mewborn Marble of New Bern, NC, documented a communication between Pat Amour and Essie Simmons, who informed Ms. Amour that S.I. was clubfooted, a form of physical disability. The severity of S.I.'s clubfoot condition is unknown. The adverse effects of any disability can range from mild to severe. That said, the debilitating impact that S.I.'s clubfoot had on his life, in particular, his ability to move about effectively, is unclear. A current descendant of S.I. witnessed and kept a journal of family discussions that included her twice great-aunt, who was a granddaughter of S.I. Born in 1896, and before S.I.'s death date of 1904, S.I.'s granddaughter stated that her grandfather walked with a limp. Since corrective surgery and non-surgical interventions were not available in his day, S.I. probably needed mobility accommodations for the duration of his life. The official position of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons on individuals born with clubfoot is that, left untreated, the foot will remain deformed, and he or she will not be able to walk normally. An 1882 news piece written by S.I. himself, then-itemizer (or field reporter) for The Daily Journal of New Bern, acknowledged a walking stick or cane he received as a gift. The news entry was a gracious note of gratitude to the newspaper staff: Your itemizer returns thanks for the beautiful present a gold-headed walking stick received from C. C. Taylor, the JOURNAL's traveling agent on Saturday morning on which is inscribed Presented to S.I. Sutton by the New Berne JOURNAL.' It will be carefully preserved as a memorial of your kindness. Gavels are often awarded ceremonially to individuals from organizations in recognition of their achievement, service, retirement, etc. So are plaques. Rarely, though, is a cane or walking stick presented to someone for recognition. Early U.S. Presidents received canes as gifts, which they would sport to embellish their attire. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who experienced paralysis due to polio, however, used a cane for support, not as a fashion statement, and most assuredly not for recognition. It remains a mystery whether the walking stick S.I. received from The Daily Journal was intended to acknowledge his service as a community reporter, for mobility support, or both. Parents S.I.'s parents are not known with absolute certainty. His birth date recorded in the Hardy and Annie Hill Sutton family Bible, though, would suggest that relatives and locals may have known S.I.'s biological mother, and they likely knew his father, given the close-knit farm community of Bucklesberry. However, there are no available records contemporary with S.I.'s birth and developmental years that identify or confirm who his parents were. Thus, there is no evidence to indicate that S.I.'s biological mother and father ever married, provided a stable, intact home for him, or if one or both died prematurely. If his parents were deceased during his childhood, then S.I. was an orphan. If his parents abandoned him, then he was a foundling. Neither can be proven. It stands to reason that S.I. did not grow up in a traditional, two-parent home as did most other children during that time period. Nonetheless, Census records indicate that he was reared in Bucklesberry and farmed there for many years throughout adulthood. The uncertainty of his parents, however, makes it difficult to trace where he lived during his childhood years in Bucklesberry. One of the households in which S.I. may have lived was that of Sally Hardy Sutton (1759-1846), according to genealogist, Martha Mewborn Marble. Widow of Benjamin Sutton, Sr. (about 1752-1837), Sally is named in the 1840 Census for Lenoir County as an 80-year old matriarch. Listed in her immediate household in Bucklesberry were three other unnamed individuals: a male, age 50-60; a female, age 50-60; and, significantly, a male, age 5-10. Ms. Marble has speculated that these three individuals could have been Sally's descendants not associated or counted in any other Census household. The two 50-60 year olds may have been Sally's daughter, Nancy Sutton (1788-by 1880), and Sally's son, Thomas Sutton (1782-1853). Their actual ages at the time coincide with the age ranges indicated in the Census. Most significantly, the 5-10 year old child could have been young S.I., who would have been a six- year old in 1840. It is plausible, then, that Sally may have been S.I.'s grandmother. S.I.'s whereabouts were more clearly evident in the 1850 Census for Lenoir County. As a 16-year old, S.I. is listed as Ivey Sutton, and the only other member in the household with Thomas Sutton, age 68, of Bucklesberry. Both were identified as farmers by occupation. Ivey's age of 16 in 1850 would indicate a birth year of 1834, which aligns precisely with the 1834 birth year for S.I. recorded in the Hardy and Annie Hill Sutton family Bible. Ivey Sutton listed in the 1850 Census and S.I. were one and the same. Although S.I. was the name referenced in most public documents, a 1919 death certificate of one of S.I.'s sons, Andrew Jackson Sutton (1859-1919), listed his father's name as Ivey, which may have been the preferred family name. Several other Bucklesberry men also had the name, Ivey, including Robert Ivey Sutton, Sr. (1854-1925), Robert Ivey Sutton, Jr. (1889-1961), and John Ivey Sutton (1878- 1942). But all were born decades after S.I., so the Ivey Sutton listed in the 1850 Census necessarily had to have been S.I. Ms. Marble, along with other genealogists, have suggested that S.I.'s presence as the only other member in Thomas' household in 1850 points toward the possibility that Thomas may have been S.I.'s father. But members of a household are not always related. Minimally, though, S.I. received food and shelter as a member of Thomas' household, suggesting Thomas cared about S.I.'s welfare. Shy of a familial relationship between the two, however, allowing S.I. to reside in his home would have been economically advantageous for Thomas. As a share- cropper, he may have needed S.I. as a laborer in the fields. If S.I. was indeed the son of Thomas, then Thomas would have been about 52 years of age when he sired S.I. Some have asserted that Thomas's older age at the time of S.I.'s birth would eliminate him as S.I.'s father. Other men in Bucklesberry, however, fathered children well into their senior years. For example, Jeremiah Sutton, Sr. (1836-1900), was 58 years old in 1894 when the last of his 21 children, twin sons, Dee and L.M. Sutton, were born. Thomas, then, at the age of 52, would not have been too old to have fathered S.I. in 1834. In addition to living in Thomas' household, S.I. and Thomas partnered in at least four property transactions, suggesting a close, possibly familial, relationship. In two of these transactions, Thomas granted property directly to S.I. in 1853, the year Thomas died. These may have been gift deeds and could have signaled Thomas owning up to his paternal relationship with S.I., at least in part. Testimonial evidence also indicates that Thomas was the father of S.I. A current descendant of S.I., who kept a personal journal when she was a young girl, recorded notes from family conversations that included one of S.I.'s granddaughters, born in 1896, well before S.I.'s death in 1904. The grand- daughter stated that her father and other children of S.I. often mentioned Thomas Sutton as the father of S.I. Absent more definitive proof of his paternity, one could rightly question whether S.I. was born a Sutton at all by bloodline. Results of a YDNA study in 2016, however, showed that genetic markers of a current, proven male descendant of S.I. matched that of other known Bucklesberry Sutton male descendants, thereby providing unequivocal proof that S.I. was indeed a Sutton. All available evidence, then, points toward the strong probability that Thomas Sutton was the father of S.I. But if Thomas was, in fact, S.I.'s father, it remains a mystery why Thomas did not leave a formal record of some kind (e.g., notation in a family Bible) to acknowledge publicly and for posterity that S.I. was his son, and possibly his only son. An even greater mystery is who S.I.'s mother may have been. Marriage & Family S.I. probably longed for the day when he could be part of a whole, intact family, even if it meant creating one of his own. He found the opportunity with Mary Jane Uzzell (1833-1915). They married in 1852/3. In addition to an enduring devotion that produced a 50-year marriage, the two shared something else in common that may have initially drawn them togetherthe absence of a mother. S.I.'s mother could have been alive during his childhood, but she did not rear him, nor did she provide him with a nurturing home. It appears that Mary Jane's mother died when she was a young teen. Mary Janes' death certificate named Elizabeth Uzzell as her mother and James Uzzell (ca. 1811-by 1860) as her father. Elizabeth's name did not appear in the 1850 Census with her husband, James, Mary Jane, brother, James T., and two-year old sister, Ila A. A current descendant of S.I. and Mary Jane has speculated that Elizabeth may have died at or after the birth of daughter, Ila (about 1848), which would explain why her name was absent in the Census. The first Census listing of S.I. and Mary Jane as a young couple in their own household, or as members of someone else' household, should have occurred in 1860 immediately after their marriage in 1853. But their names were not included in the Lenoir County Census for 1860, although both were prior residents. A move away from Bucklesberry some time after they married explained why S.I. and Mary Jane emerged in neighboring Jones County, where they were listed in the 1860 Census there with four children: Nancy; Noah; Joshua; and Andrew. By the 1870 Census, however, S.I. (or Ivey) and Mary Jane had returned to Lenoir County with their family that included a fifth child, two-year old son, Calhoun. Sorrow Tragically, sadness visited the family during the 1870s, as the 1880 Census did not list S.I.'s and Mary Janes's son, Calhoon, signaling his death in the interim. Indeed, the January 18, 1877 issue of the Goldsboro Messenger newspaper included young Calhoun's obituary: Died, In Lenoir County, Saturday, January 13th, 1877, GEORGE CALHOUN SUTTON, youngest son of S.I. and Mary J. Sutton, aged 9 years and 4 months. The heartfelt thanks of the family are given to their friends and relatives for the kindness shown them in this time of affliction. The nature of Calhoun's untimely death is unknown. The 1880 Census for Lenoir County lists two additional daughters born to S.I. and Mary Jane for a total of six surviving children, all unmarried, living in the household, and ranging in age from 4 to 26 years of age: Nannie; Noah; Joshua; Andrew; Louisa; and Alice. The three sons, and two of the three daughters, Alice and Louisa, eventually married. Some of their descendants reside in Bucklesberry and La Grange today. The family experienced another heartbreaking sorrow in 1890. The June 26 issue of The Daily Free Press, Kinston, NC, reported the death of Ivey Westley Sutton (1889-1890), grandson of S.I. and Mary Jane, and one-year old infant son of Joshua and Fannie Ellen Bay Peele Sutton of Bucklesberry. Ivey died at the home of his grandparents in La Grange. Two other grandsons, both sons of Joshua and Fannie, also died by 1900: William Wallace Sutton, born 1894; and Raymond Baxter Sutton, born, 1897. The 1900 Census provided a surprising revelation, specifically, that Mary Jane was the mother of eleven children, five more than the six surviving children named in the previous Census. So, in addition to Calhoun, who died in 1877, four other children born to S.I. and Mary Jane apparently died in childhood or youth. The 1900 Census also named the three adult daughters as continuing members of the household. Daughter, Louisa Graham, was listed as having been married for four years. Her two young children, Ruth and Harold, were named as grandchildren in the household. Why Louisa and her children were living in her parents' home is unknown. If witnessing the deaths of five of their own young children and several grandchildren were not enough to drive S.I. and Mary Jane to the brink of endless bereavement, the death of their oldest son certainly could have. Predeceasing his father by a year, Noah J. Sutton (1855-1903) died at the age of 47. Surviving were his wife, Alice Peele Sutton, and their four children. Work & Career Changing careers at least once in a lifetime is not unusual. Folks who struggle with finding their place in the world of work may switch jobs several times within just the first few years of adulthood. In nineteenth century Bucklesberry, however, even one career change would have been rare, since farming was virtually the sole livelihood for almost everyone living in the South. Born with a physical disability (i.e., clubfoot), reared without the nurturing of a traditional two-parent home, and with no known education, S.I. nonetheless proved to be a gifted individual who simultaneously worked multiple jobs and changed careers several times over his lifetime, all with success. For many years and throughout much of his life, S.I.'s primary occupation was farming. Born and reared in Bucklesberry, it should be no surprise that S.I. began his work career as a custodian of the land. The 1850 Census for Lenoir County named sixteen-year old S.I. as the only member in the Thomas Sutton household. Believed to be S.I.'s father, Thomas was listed as a farmer, as was S.I. Presumably, they were sharecroppers, as the Census indicated they owned no farm land at the time. S.I. was blessed with good fortune soon after the turn of the 1850 decade. According to genealogist, Martha Mewborn Marble, the grantor-grantee index record for Lenoir County lists 14 property transactions between 1853 and 1860 that included S.I.'s name. In eight of these, he was the grantee. Yet, an unexplained move away from Bucklesberry and Lenoir County in 1860 found S.I., his wife of seven years, Mary Jane Uzzell, and their four young children as residents of neighboring Jones County, according to the Census. There his occupation again was listed as farmer. As he continued to farm over the years, folks welcomed S.I.'s views and perspectives on farming. An 1873 fertilizer ad in the Goldsboro Messenger named S.I. as one of a handful of Lenoir County farmers, along with Benjamin Franklin Sutton (1838-1897) and Levi Mewborn Sutton, Sr. (1845-1891), who attested to Whann's Raw-bone Super-phosphate as a celebrated Fertilizerwith entirely satisfactory results. Known for his farming expertise, S.I. gave his assessment of the corn crop yield in the same news outlet in 1879. Earlier that year during the summer, S.I. provided a report to the Kinston Journal on the cotton crop in Bucklesberry and the adverse effects of crab grass. By 1862, S.I. began practicing a new trade, perhaps as a means of supplementing his farming income. Having relocated his family back to Bucklesberry from Jones County, records indicate that S.I. offered educational-tutorial services. In the Clellan Sutton Collection of Bucklesberry papers are ten receipts, all dated 1862 to 1866, that show tuition paid by Annie Hill Sutton to S.I. for the instruction of her three youngest children, Julius Eri Sutton (1847-1925), Junius Eli Sutton (1847-1931), and Christiana Sutton (1850-1929). Given limited transportation during that era, Annie, a widow residing in the heart of Bucklesberry, would have been unable to travel the long distance with her children to Jones County to avail herself of S.I.'s educational services, if he and his family were still living there. Similarly, the long back-and-forth commute from Jones County to Bucklesberry to provide tutoring would have been an impossible feat for S.I. It stands to reason, then, that S.I. and Mary must have relocated their family back to the Bucklesberry area no later than 1862, the date of the first tuition receipt bearing S.I.'s name. Most interesting, one of the ten tuition receipts, dated 1863, was for tuition paid to Jerry (Jeremiah) Sutton, Jr. of Bucklesberry. However, the payment was receipted by S.I., suggesting a possible, innovative partnership or collabor- ative educational service that Jerry and S.I. may have operated together. Both men would have been young adults in their mid- to late-twenties at the time. We do not know how long S.I. worked as an educator beyond the five-year period indicated on the receipts, how much of it was part- or full-time work, or the extent of his services, whether an individual effort or a possible enterprise with local cousin, Jerry. Oddly enough, and totally inconsistent with what most would expect as an essential qualification for an educator, was a notation in the 1870 Census for Lenoir County that S.I., wife, Mary, and children all were illiterate. The columns labeled, Education cannot read; cannot write, were checked by the Census taker, which begs the question of how S.I. could have competently delivered effective instruction to Annie Hill's children, if he was illiterate. This notation was likely an error by the 1870 Census taker, as the subsequent 1880 Census did not indicate illiteracy markings for S.I. Whether S.I. had ceased from offering educational/tutorial services altogether during the latter part of the 1860s, or whether he provided tutoring to locals intermittently, is unknown. Nonetheless, it is significant that S.I. may well have been one of the first paid instructors among the Bucklesberry Suttons. His service as an educator was a reflection of his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to Bucklesberry kinfolk in curbing widespread illiteracy. At age 45, and in the prime of his working life, S.I. was listed as a farmer one last time in the 1880 Census. His three adult sons, Noah, Joshua, and Andrew Jackson (A.J.), all unmarried that year, were still living in the family household. Noah and Joshua were identified as laborers on the farm. It stands to reason that S.I.'s clubfoot, for which he never received medical treatment, caused continuous lifelong mobility issues that impeded his ability to farm with maximal effectiveness. His sons likely provided him with the physical support he needed to maintain a successful family farm while he and Mary Jane were growing their family. Throughout the 1880s, S.I. continued to operate his farm while pursuing other career interests. By 1881, he held the post of Magistrate for the Moseley Hall Township of Lenoir County. In Branson's 1884 North Carolina Business Directory, S.I. was listed as both farmer and Magistrate. A peace keeper, S.I. oversaw cases related to fighting, larceny, and trespassing, all reported in The Kinston Journal in 1881, and a cotton theft case in 1882. S.I.'s role as Magistrate also involved routine judicial tasks that included conducting marriage ceremonies, as reported in the New Berne Weekly Journal and The Daily Journal (New Bern). From time to time, S.I. oversaw more serious criminal cases, for example, an 1884 stabbing incident that was reported in The Daily Journal. On July 8, 1885, S.I. was appointed U.S. Postmaster for La Grange. Having served with distinction, the Goldsboro Messenger wrote of S.I., Our post office is equipped with new U.S. mail boxes which are quite handsome. Mr. Sutton, our P.M., is determined that the postal service shall keep abreast with the wonderful improvements in our thriving little town. Yet another career transition occurred for S.I. in the mid-1880s, possibly the most significant of his life that had far-reaching impact among the local citizenry. In August, 1885, by order of the House of Representatives of the North Carolina General Assembly, S.I. was named to fill the vacancy of Justice of the Peace for Moseley Hall Township for a term of six years. S.I. continued to farm with his sons until the mid- to late-1800s, after which he relinquished complete operation and ownership of the farm to them. Nestled on the North side of the Neuse River near the present Hardy Bridge in the Frog Point area of Bucklesberry, S.I.'s farm was mapped geographically in an 1886 deed from S.I. and wife, Mary Jane, to sons, Noah and Joshua. Witnessed by youngest son, Andrew Jackson (A.J.), the indenture transferred the 200-acre farm to Noah and Joshua for $1,800.00. S.I.'s primary occupation cannot be verified in the 1890 Census. A fire at the Commerce Department Building in Raleigh in 1921 destroyed virtually all 1890 Census records for the State, including Lenoir County. But S.I.'s career path quickly took a sharp turn entirely away from the farming profession as the decade of the 1880s came to a conclusion. The death of J. D. Portis, railroad and express agent for the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad (A&NCRR) in La Grange on January 17, 1890, prompted the appointment of S.I. as the new La Grange agent. Thus, at the age of 55, S.I.'s farming career officially came to an end, although he may well have continued to provide fatherly farm advice to his sons. The last Census to name S.I. was in 1900. His occupation was listed as depot agent. S.I. remained employed as the A&NCRR and express agent in La Grange until the day he died. Politics S.I. was extensively involved in politics for much of the last three decades of his life. From serving as a delegate to county and State conventions, to promoting presidential and gubernatorial campaigns, to facilitating voter registration, and more, S.I. remained fully engaged in local and State politics for the then-conservative Democratic Party. His culminating political achievement may have occurred in 1876, when he ran for a seat in the State House of Representatives as the Democratic nominee for Lenoir County, an election he lost to James K. Davis. There is no evidence that S.I. ever ran for public office again, although he stayed engaged politically, holding various posts: township assessor for Moseley Hall, 1880; member of the County Board of Magistrates, 1884; member, Board of Commissioners and Commissioner of Records for La Grange, 1886; and county representative to the State Judicial Convention, 1898. Public Service S.I. was a busy man, to be sure. Fatherhood kept him busy, as did the multiple jobs he juggled over the course of his life, not to mention his involvement in politics. Yet S.I. found time to contribute to his community and the State, and he did so with extraordinary initiative and leadership. His service to the local church began when he was a young man. S.I. was a charter member of the Hickory Grove Church in Bucklesberry, established around 1860. Other charter members were Benjamin Franklin Sutton (1838-1897), Hardy Sutton (1803-1861), Jeremiah Sutton, Sr. (1836-1905), Josiah Sutton, Sr. (1810-1898) and Levi Hill, Sr. (1830-1893). More than 30 years later, Hickory Grove Church, part of the Baptist conference at the time, found itself in the courts in 1896. Rev. B. W. Nash, editor of the Baptist Review newspaper, alleged that the church property had been previously conveyed to the Baptist conference, but that the deed had been burned. Challenging Nash's claim, and representing a group of Bucklesberry church members, S.I. partnered with attorneys who prevailed in Lenoir County Superior Court. On appeal to the State Supreme Court, Associate Justice David. M. Furches affirmed the lower court ruling. By 1899, S.I. was a member of the La Grange Baptist Church congregation, served as a delegate to the First Annual Session of the Neuse Baptist Association, and was a member of the Association's Finance Committee. But by 1904, the year he died, he was a member of the Methodist Protestant Church, according to his obituary. S.I. advocated for public health and safety. In the closing years of the nineteenth century, the State was experiencing high incidences of small pox, diphtheria, and typhoid fever. The N.C. Board of Health inspected samples of drinking water from county public health officials and individuals across the State in 1897-1898, which were shipped to the State Experiment Station for chemical and biological analysis. S.I. cooperated in this important endeavor by providing a water sample from his household in La Grange. His water source from a driven pump received a mid-level rating of Good.' S.I. was a patron and charter subscriber of The Farmer and Mechanic, a weekly newspaper in Raleigh. Well-read on farming issues of the day, S.I. became aware of the importance of soil conservation and proper use of fertilizers. The 1881 annual report of the N.C. Agricultural Experiment Station documented S.I.'s participation in a state-wide study for which he submitted a sample of marl from his farm for analysis as a fertilizer. A civic-minded individual, S.I. cared for the well-being of the community, including the education of youth. In 1881, he served on the school committee for Lenoir County District 13, along with Josiah Sutton, Sr. and Caleb Sutton. In an 1886 Goldsboro Messenger newspaper ad were the names of several townsmen, including S.I., who endorsed the La Grange Collegiate Institute. S.I. was a member of the La Grange chapter of the Knights of Honor, open to men of good moral character, who believed in God, were of good bodily health and able to support themselves and their family (Wikipedia). One of the most successful fraternal beneficial societies of the 1800s, the Knights provided social, educational, and charitable support for members' families and the broader community. S.I. was elected financial reporter for the La Grange Knights in 1884. S.I. was also a member of the Lenoir County No. 233 Lodge of the Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masons (or Freemasons) of La Grange. At the time, the Lodge was focused on supporting the Masonic Orphanage project, specifically, the Oxford Orphan Asylum, later named the Masonic Home for Children, located in Granville County, NC. In 1879, the Goldsboro Messenger newspaper thanked individuals who made donations to the Oxford Orphan Asylum. Included were several Bucklesberry farmers: Benjamin Franklin Sutton (2 hams and 50 pounds of flour); Junius E. Sutton (1 ham); and S.I. Sutton (1 ham and 1 shoulder). In 1882, S.I. was elected as the Lodge's highest ranking officer, a position he held for many years. The week after S.I.'s death in 1904, the Lodge passed a resolution expressing, the earnest work he had done for the strengthening of the Lodge. At the time of his death, S.I. was holding the office of Past Master for the Lodge. Death S.I. died suddenly from a paralytic stroke on April 6, 1904. His obituary was published in the The Daily Free Press (Kinston, NC), on April 7: "April 6, 1904. Mr. S.I. Sutton died at his home on Railroad Street today, aged 68 years. On Sunday night he was stricken with paralysis and it is thought he suffered but little owning to his unconscious condition. He has been a public official the past twenty years, as postmaster and railroad agent, the latter position he held at time of death. Mr. Sutton merited the reputation he had of carrying out instructions to the letter. He was a consistent member of the M[ethodist] P[rotestant] Church, was a bright Mason and took a lively interest in politics. Mr. Sutton leavers a widow and five children. The burial will be conducted tomorrow at 11 o'clock with Masonic honors. Rev. Mr. Dozier, his pastor, performing the last sad rites. We tender our sympathy to the bereaved ones." S.I. is buried with his wife, Mary Jane, and daughter, Nannie Elizabeth Sutton (1853-1928) at Fairview Cemetery, La Grange, NC. Descendants First generation descendants of S.I. and Mary Jane Uzzell Sutton include seven of eleven known children: 1. Nannie Elizabeth Sutton (1853-1928); never married. 2. Noah J. Sutton (1855-1903); married Alice Matilda Peele (ca. 1863-1921). 3. Joshua Nunn Sutton (1857-1941); married 1st, Fannie Ellen Bay Peele (1869-1900); married 2nd, Amanda Katherine Knox (1885-1951). 4. Andrew Jackson Sutton (1859-1919); married Fannie Cornelia Gardner (1866-1950). 5. George Calhoun Sutton (1867-1877); died at age 9 years. 6. Louisa J. Sutton (1872-1929); married John Wesley Graham (1871-1946). 7. Alice E. Sutton (1875-1918); married Leslie Dowling Harris (1881-1970). ___________ Note: This biographical is a synthesis of six newspaper articles originally published in 2017 in The Weekly Gazette, La Grange, NC, as part of the ongoing series, Bucklesberry, Back in the Day. The articles focused on the life of Samuel Ivey Sutton and were authored by the contributor of this USGenWeb entry. The photo is the only known photograph of S. I. Sutton, discovered recently in the family picture album of Audrey Rouse Tyson of Kinston, great-grand-daughter of S. I. and Mary Jane Uzzell (1833-1915) Sutton of Bucklesberry.