Person Record

Metadata

Name

Sutton, Albert

Othernames

Alsop Albert Edward Sutton
A. A. E. Sutton

Born

July 11, 1860

Birthplace

Stoke-Newington, England

Places of residence

Sarawak Township, Grey County

Father

William Sutton (1811-1894)

Mother

Catharine Brown Sutton (nee Sunego), = N

Nationality

English-Canadian-Ojibwa (Anishnaabe)

Notes

Albert Sutton was one of the children of William Sutton and Catharine B. Sutton (nee Sunego, also known as Nahneebahweequay / Nahneebahweequa). His full name was Alsop Albert Edward Sutton. The first name was in honour of Robert and Christine Alsop of Stoke-Newington, England. Albert was born at their residence (36 Park Road, Stoke-Newington), and they were philanthropic Friends (Quakers) who had sponsored his mother when she was far from her Canadian home and working at achieving an audience with Queen Victoria. Albert's mother was a Mississauga Ojibwa woman who had married an English emigrant, William Sutton, in 1839, at the Home District, at the Credit River mission. In the 1840s, the Suttons had moved northwards to live near the Newash Ojibwa and Albert's mother had been gifted a quantity of land by the Newash Band for her and her heirs. Unfortunately, in 1857, the Sutton farm was included in the lands surrendered by the Newash Band in a treaty, and Albert's mother tried to buy her own land back at a public auction, but was refused a certificate of purchase from the land agent, because she was an Indian. She and two other Ojibwa from the area, David Sawyer and Abner Elliott, who were similarly refused, petitioned the Legislative Assembly at Toronto in April, 1858, but their request of legal title to the land was disallowed. That, as well as other injustices, had compelled Mrs. Sutton to travel to the United States, and then onwards to England, to help her people. She had been elected by a General Council of Chiefs at Rama (July, 1859, Lake Simcoe area) to be their spokesperson and envoy. When Mrs. Sutton (a Wesleyan Methodist) lectured in the Brooklyn, New York area, she was befriended by Quakers, who helped her secure funds to go to England. When she was in England, Christine Majolier Alsop, and her husband Robert Alsop, greatly assisted her. Mrs. Alsop even accompanied the pregnant Mrs. Sutton to Buckingham Palace on the day that she had an audience with Queen Victoria and the Duke of Newcastle (June 19, 1860). Albert Sutton was born at Stoke-Newington on July 11, 1860. His second name was given in honour of Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert (the Prince Consort). His third name was in honour of the Prince of Wales, Edward. Albert's mother made various friends during her stay in England, and one of them was the English parliamentarian John Bright (1811-1889). Mr. Bright presented Mrs. Sutton with an engraved silver baby's mug as a keepsake for her infant son. This mug is now in the collection at the Grey Roots Museum & Archives (see 1961.027.038).

Mrs. Sutton and her baby son returned to Canada West to their home at Lot 33, Concession 3, Sarawak Township, Grey County in the fall. They were included in the 1861 census that was taken at Sarawak. The farm was near the shoreline, at "Sutton's Point", just southwards of what became the village of Presque Isle.

Albert's mother passed away on September 26, 1865. She was buried in her garden. She may have had asthma or consumption.

One of Albert's sisters, Sophia Sutton, was married on Sept. 15, 1868 to an American-born man, Joseph Staves. They resided in Sarawak.

In the 1871 census, Albert, age eleven, was listed along with his siblings Catherine (28 years old), Wesley (14), Margaret (13), Ainslie (9) and Christine (7).

On May 17, 1875, Albert's sister, Mrs. Sophia Staves, died of consumption of six months duration. Dr. Barnhart attended her . Her husband Joseph Staves, was a Cooper by trade. Their children, Catherine Staves and W. Percy Staves, were taken in by Sophia's family and resided with William Sutton.

Sadly, Albert Sutton passed away as a young man, due to consumption (tuberculosis of the lungs) on June 15?, 1882. His illness had been of about four months duration, and he had been attended by Dr. John Barnhart. Albert was 21 years, and eleven months old at the time of his passing.

On Jan. 3, 1889, his sister Christine (Christina) Sutton, died of consumption of one year's duration. She was 24 years old.

There is an archival collection in the Grey County Archives about the Suttons, as well as information about their farm in Sarawak. The former Sutton farmland is now part of the Cobble Beach golf course in Georgian Bluffs.

Alsop A. E. Sutton's birth certificate is 1961.027.017.

There are also photographic images of Robert and Christine Alsop (see 1961.027....). The Alsops had continued to help Nahneebahweequay in her fundraising work to help the Ojibwa in Canada West and sent monies to her to help people who were destitute due to forest fires in the area c. 1865.

Occupation

Farmer

Publications

H. Belden, ILLUSTRATED HISTORICAL ATLAS, 1880 (for Grey County), has a map of Sarawak that has Wm. Sutton's dwelling marked on it), and also has engravings of Albert's mother and father published in it)
Ontario Death Record 005509 (June, 1882)
Ontario Death Record 005853 (Jan. 3, 1889, Christena Sutton)

Relationships

Wesleyan Methodist (his father was a Local Preacher)
Siblings:
Sister: Catherine Sutton (d. 1917)
Brother: Joseph Sutton (d. 187_)
Sister: Sophia Sutton b. 1845 at the Credit River area (m. Joseph Staves)
Sister: Maggie Sutton (m. ___ McDougall, lived at Buffalo)
Brother: Wesley Sutton
Brother: Ainslie Sutton
Sister: Josephine Sutton (d. young)
Sister: Christine Sutton b. 1865-d.1889