... When the little girl [Betsy] died at the old fort on the way out to Indiana, she left an older sister and brother, Catherine and Christopher C. Three other children were born in the old homestead at the Sutton Hill. These were Jeniah, William W. and Albert D. Sutton. All are now dead. ...
Teacher Marries His Pupil:
Christopher C. Sutton, father of Ida and Louis M. Sutton, was urged by his father to gain an education. He attended school at times under serious handicaps. In his youth he walked from the Sutton Hill through the woods, crossed the river on longs or on the ice at a place east of where the dam was built in later years. Early in life he joined the Baptist church and became a zealous worker at that place of worship. After reaching adult years he engaged in teaching at the Nave school on the Markle Road and also taught a term or two at the Amiss school.
One of his pupils out on the Markle road was Mary Nave, who was destined to become his wife, the marriage taking place in 1857.
Here Miss Louie Sutton remarked. "We still have a large white silk handkerchief and monster black silk tie which formed a part of our father's wedding outfit. I'll just show you how well they have been cared for all these years." At this she left the room and soon returned with the old relics, which verified her statement. They looked good considering they were worn seventy-one years ago. After marriage the couple moved to the John Renbarger farm, remaining there a time, after which the husband abandoned farming and clerked in Rely Purviance's store.
After his marriage Mr. Sutton [Christopher C.] craved a knowledge of the higher branches and for a year or two, attended the Baptist college at Franklin, an institution rather inaccessible to students in this part of Indiana in those days of slow transportation. The daughters still have some of the text books he studied in college. One of the daughters said: "I think it was about 1860 my father went to college and he certainly did have to go a long distance out of the way to reach Franklin.
He told about taking a canal boat here at Huntington and going to Lafayette. Then he traveled by steamboat on the Wabash river and up the Ohio to Madison, Indiana, where he could go by railroad to Franklin. When he quit college he read medicine with Dr. Lyons, and in 1862, went to Ann Arbor to finish his medical course. Then he located at Columbia City and took up the practice.
After some years he found that riding horseback day and night was breaking down his health. He decided to purchase a drug store at Antioch. In this business he continued sometime, then sold out to his clerk, Albert Sloan. We next moved to Reynolds, White county, and from there to Romney, Tippecanoe county.
Mary Armstrong Paints Portrait:
"The way we happened to come back to Huntington," explained one of the daughters, "came to pass in this way. The old log cabin on the homestead was replaced by the large frame house in 1858. My grandfather's second wife had a life lease on the farm. She died in 1898 and when the estate was divided, the buildings fell to us and we moved there from Romney in 1899. We soon did some remodeling of the house. I don't know but what S.E. Stemen, the present owner, also made some changes".
"There are three of us children living. Our brother Ole E. Sutton, lives at Anderson. An infant brother was burned to death when eighteen months old. One evening my father was late with his chores and other went out to help with the milking. My father said he could take care of all the work and he believed she had better not leave the baby alone. All at once the little fellow came toddling out screaming with pain and his clothing was in a blaze. He only lived a few hours. Evidence showed he had been playing with live coals in the cook stove".
"We have a little portrait of him: commented Miss Sutton, "and, it was considered a good likeness of him".
'It was painted by Mary Armstrong from memory, after the child was buried. Mary must have been talented in art to produce a picture like this from memory."
After looking at the picture I remarked that perhaps the owners of the picture were not aware of the fact that a daughter of the artist referred to was Miss Mollie Cupp, who resides on Home Street, this city. Mary Armstrong, before marriage, taught school and when a girl spent some time in the study of art.
Dr. C. C. Sutton died in 1913 at the age of eighty-five, the death of his wife occurring in 1911.
Ida and Louis Sutton showed me old keepsakes in which I was interested, among them a good sized autograph album which belonged to their mother. The album was a gift to Mary Nave from Dr. A. H. Shaffer, who will be a hundred his next birthday.
On the first page of the book are the following lines written seventy-two years ago: Huntington, Nov. 17, 1856 -
To Mary; Remember me I pray, but not in flora's gay and blooming hour when every brake hath found its note and sunshine smiles in every flower, but when the falling leaf is sere and withers sadly on the tree and over the ruins of the year old autumn weeps---then remember me. Signed A. H. Shaffer.
