Person Record

Metadata

Name

Sutton, Catherine

Othernames

Catherine Brown Sutton
Her Anishnaabe name was "Blue Sky".

Born

Oct. 27, 1843

Birthplace

Credit River area, Upper Canada

Places of residence

Credit River Indian Mission, Home District, Upper Canada
Sarawak Township, Grey County, Ontario
Brookeholm (northwest area of Owen Sound, Grey County)

Father

William Sutton (b. 1811-d. 1894

Mother

Catharine B. Sutton (nee Sunego) d. Sept

Nationality

Canadian

Education

Her father and other men of the area built a school building in the 1850s.

Notes

Miss Catherine Sutton was the eldest daughter of Catharine B. Sutton and William Sutton. She spelt her name with an "e", while her mother had used an "a", and her middle name was the same as her mother's. Her father, William Sutton, was an Englishman, who was a Wesleyan Methodist interested in helping the Ojibwa. He was a Farm Instructor at the Methodist mission at "the Credit" in the Home District. In 1839, he married a young Ojibwa woman, Nahneebahweequay (Catharine Brown Sunego) at the Credit River mission. Nahneebahweequay was of the Eagle dodem (clan). Her daughter Catherine's Ojibwa name was ______________, which meant "Blue Sky."

Her family were at the Credit River Indian Mission in the early 1840s, assisting the Mississauga Ojibwa. In the mid-1840s, they moved northwards to join the Newash Band of Ojibwa and assist with missionary work there. The Newash Band gave Catherine's mother, Catharine Brown Sutton, and her heirs, a quantity of land.

In the 1851-1852 census, William Sutton was 41, Catharine was 27, Joseph was 11, Catherine was ten, Sophia was 7, Susannah was 3, and William was 1 (born Sept.1851 at Sydenham, C.W.).

Unfortunately, the Sutton farmstead was put up for public auction as a result of the 1857 treaty. Catherine's mother was not able to purchase it back, as she was not allowed to, due to being an Ojibwa (no land tenure rights at that time).

A neighbour of the Suttons, Charles Julyan, recalled that the Sutton daughters were bilingual (English and Ojibwa), and that they had a pianoforte in their two-storey log cabin.

In the 1861 census, the Sutton homestead had the following residents: ___________________________________ When her mother was away to travel to England to try and achieve an audience with Queen Victoria, Catherine likely had to help take care of her siblings (her maternal grandmother and aunt also lived nearby, and their log house was only about 100 yards away).

In the 1881 census, Catherine was 38 years of age. Her siblings Albert (20), Ainsley (18) and Christeen (Christine, 16) and her niece and nephew (10 and 6, Percy and Catherine Staves) also resided there with William Sutton (age 70).
After her father died in 1894, Miss Sutton and one of her brothers received the Sutton land, and eventually sold it in 19... (It is now part of the Cobble Beach golf course in Georgian Bluffs). She also owned the pulpit Bible that her mother had received from Quaker Friends in England in 1860. A letter confirming her membership in the West Street Methodist Church (Brooke or Owen Sound), as well as quarterly membership tickets that belonged to her family, were found tucked into it. She passed it on to her niece's husband, Rev. Alfred Morgan. These items are now at Grey Roots.

Miss Sutton belonged to West Street Methodist Church in the 1890s.

In the 1891 census, her grandmother Mary was 89 and lodged with William (age 80). The Sutton log home was described then as having two stories and five rooms.

In the 1901 census, Catherine Sutton, age 57, was a resident at her family's log cabin at Lot 33, Concession 3, Sarawak Township. Ethel Smith, age 11, was a Domestic residing there as well (b. May 16, 1889). At that time, the house was described as having four rooms, and there was a barn, stable and outhouse, and she owned 42 acres.

She passed away on Jan. 24, 1917 at Oakland Township. She is buried at ......................

The Sutton family photographs have a tintype image that might show her (or is it her sister Maggie?) in an 1870s dress. This image was mistakenly published in the book SACRED FEATHERS under the caption of it being Catherine's mother, but the dress style definitely dates it to one of the Sutton daughters being in the image.

The Grey Roots archives has an archaeological study of the former Sutton farmstead and area, and there are also geneaology files and photographs re the Sutton family.

Occupation

Need to research further, was she active in the church?
West Street Methodist Church Member

Publications

Smith, Donald B., MISSISSAUGA PORTRAITS (mentions the Sutton daughters briefly in the chapter about their mother).
Smith, Donald B., SACRED FEATHERS (has an image of C. Sutton that is likely Miss Catherine Sutton, not Mrs. Sutton as is suggested by the caption).
Ontario Death Record 5761-9759 Jan. 24, 1917

Relationships

She gave heirlooms to relatives who resided in Brantford, Ontario (the Catherine and Alfred Morgan family).
Maternal Grandfather: Chief Bunch Sunego (Eagle clan/totem) d. at the Credit in 1842
Maternal Grandmother: Mary (Polly?) Crane Sunego (later Mrs. Joseph Kakake (various spellings)
Aunt: Mary Sunego (lived nearby)
Brother: Joseph Sutton, d. June 11, 1873, age 33
Sister: Sophia Ann Sutton (Mrs. Joseph Staves), b. March, 1845- d. May 17, 1875
Sister: Maggie Sutton (Mary Margaret Sutton) b. 1858, "Little Hail"
Brother: Albert Alsop Edward Sutton (died as a young man) b. July 11, 1860
Brother: Ainsley Sutton (William Ainslie Sutton) b. 1862

Sister: Christina/Christine Sutton b. 1864
Nephew: Percy Staves
Niece: Catherine Staves (m. Rev. Alfred Morgan), lived at Brantford