Bucklesberry, Back in the Day: Early Settlers–The Suttons (Part 2)
Dr. Joe Sutton
John Sutton, Sr. (1720/30–bef.1773) was the first of his paternal line to migrate from Bertie County, NC to Bucklesberry in the mid-1700s. Several documents in the Clellan Sutton Collection prove his rightful status as an early settler.
A survey of 275 acres of land dated 1757 explicitly references both Bucklesberry and John Sutton. Written with quill pen and ink on cream/tan-colored rag paper, an elongated octagonal-shaped diagram inscribed with "275 aƆ" appears at the top of the document. About the size of a standard piece of copy paper, the ink is consistently dark throughout, with only a few faded spots.
Although sections of the document edges have deteriorated over time, the text is largely readable. The literal transcription below clearly names "Bucklesbury," a spelling variation of Bucklesberry (blanks represent words not transcribable due to fading or holes):
"North Carolina Surveyed for John Sutton a Plantation Containing two hundred and Seventy five Acres of land lying in the County of Johnston _ Bucklesbury Beginning at a White Oak Tho. Uzzells corner land No. 68. W. 31. Po. to a Red Oak John Rows corner then along his line W. 90. Po. to a Water Oak Then N. 50. W. 100 P. to a Hickory Then N. 80. W. 138 P to a Maple Then So. 45. W. 66 P. to a Pine Then So. 7. E. 120 P. to the Land said Sutton lives on (taken up by John Giles) Then along the lines of said land to Uzzell's line & then with the same No. 20. E. 80 P. to the begining. _ _ Surv."
John Sutton flourished in the backcountry of North Carolina. He continued to expand his land holdings after settling in Bucklesberry. A large landowner, even by twenty-first century standards, John and his three known sons–Benjamin, John, Jr. and William–and their heirs amassed significant acreage that extended north and south of the Neuse River, from the Bear Creek area near Seven Springs eastward to the Pot Neck and Falling Creek communities, and northward to U.S. Highway 70 and the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad, stretching into the northwest area of Kinston.
The U.S. Census began recording acreage of landowners in 1850. John and his three known sons were deceased by that year, which precluded their inclusion in that Census. However, all of John's known male descendants, some of whom were fourth generation great-grandsons, were named in that Census. All but one of the Sutton heirs had obtained hundreds of acres of land through inheritance or purchase, collectively totaling an astounding 7,249 acres.
Incredibly, after more than a quarter-millennium, land in Bucklesberry amassed by John Sutton and his descendants has been passed down through the generations. Portions of the land remain in the possession of present-day Sutton heirs, some of whom continue to reside in Bucklesberry. Clearly, the Suttons of Bucklesberry viewed their land as a precious commodity. They were highly protective of it, and strived to keep it in the family line through the estate concept of gifting. They also utilized the legal maneuver of life estate, whereby land would automatically transfer to descendants through the surviving widow, a practice that continues today.
Probably no other family has contributed more to the colonization and growth of Bucklesberry and Lenoir County over the years than the Suttons. A procreant ancestral line, one local genealogical researcher has conservatively documented more than 3,100 descendants of John Sutton, Sr. representing at least ten generations. According to Forebears website, Sutton was the most prevalent surname in Lenoir County by 1880, followed in rank order by Davis, Jones, Williams, and Taylor.
Next month's article will discuss the Herring family, also early settlers of Bucklesberry. Interested readers may access a previously published Bucklesberry article titled "BBQ and Chicken Pie" at https://t.ly/jiKBQ.
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