My Genealogy Hound

OLIVER SUTTON, a thriving farmer of Kearney county, was born in Portage county, Ohio, August 2, 1845. He was reared to farming and was educated at the common schools. After reaching manhood he moved to LaPorte county, Ind., was there married July 21, 1871, and continued to farm there until 1875, when in April of that year he came to Kearney county and located eighty acres in the west half of the northeast quarter of section 22, township 6, range 14. He built a sod house, which for seven years served him as a dwelling, when he erected a frame house, in which he now lives. Since first locating he has purchased eighty acres of railroad land adjoining his original plat, and now has a fine farm improved with orchards, groves and commodious buildings. As will be seen, he was a pioneer of the county. He came with an old team, bringing his wife and two children, but his stock of money was very small, and that small stock was soon exhausted. The country was a broad expanse of unbroken prairie and his neighbors were about five miles distant; but immigrants soon commenced coming in and now the prairie is dotted over with fine dwellings and barns and well fenced farms; the town of Minden, the present county seat, with a population of 2,500 inhabitants, has risen from the wide waste, and every evidence of progress and civilization is within view of his homestead. After sheltering himself and family with his sod-built house, Mr. Sutton broke up his prairie farm to the extent of twenty acres and raised a fair crop of grain, and, with the exception of the years of the pestiferous grasshoppers and those of the terrific storms, has raised very good crops. The deer, antelope, and buffalo, which were plenty when he first came, have disappeared, and his post-office, instead of being at Lowell, is at Minden, and his trading point is here also, instead of being at Kearney Junction — fifteen miles away. Of course it will be understood that there were no railroads through Kearney county in those days, and going to his market point with his produce and returning with his purchases he was compelled to use a team over the whole fifteen miles, both ways. But Mr. Sutton was enterprising and energetic, and was resolved to overcome every difficulty, and succeeded in overcoming each, being now quite wealthy. Mr. Sutton took for his wife Miss Annie Lienhart, daughter of John Lienhart, who is of German descent, and now a resident of Kearney county, where also reside his sons, brought hither through the influence of our subject who, in his early days, was very active in inducing immigration to the county. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Sutton have been born eight children, who were named as follows — Charles, John, Minnie, Warren, Mary, Ada, Ida and Oliver. Ida, the twin of Ada, died when about eighteen months old.

Milton Sutton, the father of Oliver, the subject of this sketch, is of Irish descent and was born in Ohio, of which state he is still a resident. He has always followed farming and stock-raising on the Western Reserve, and now, at the age of seventy-one years, is enjoying the comforts resulting from his early industry. He has enjoyed the full confidence of his neighbors and has held several county offices. His wife was Miss Eleanor, daughter of John Caldwell, a native of Ohio and a farmer, who at one time was clerk of Williams county. To Mr. and Mrs. Sutton have been born two children — Oliver, the subject of this sketch, and Frank, a resident of Nebraska. Mrs. Eleanor Sutton died while her children were quite young; and subsequently, Mr. Sutton married Mary Woodward, daughter of Amos Woodward, and to this union have been born five children — Seneca, LeRoy, Julia, Mary and George (the last named now deceased). Mr. Oliver Sutton is a member of the I. O. O. F., and of the Knights of Labor. Politically, he is a democrat. Personally, he is renowned for his hospitality and always extends a hand to welcome a new-comer.