William Sutton is said to have been born 25 May 1641 in Scituate, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. However, no source for his birth or baptism has been found and his birthdate and parentage is currently unknown.
It was suspected that he was the son of George Sutton and Sarah (Tilden) Sutton for many years, and this claim was often taken as fact. "His George Sutton's family's association with the Quaker religion tends to reinforce the belief that Daniel Sutton, of Burlington County, NJ and William Sutton, who was an influential Quaker in Woodbridge/Piscataway, NJ are his sons. Both had emigrated from Massachusetts at about the same time as the others moved to North Carolina."[1] [2] There is no documenation to support it, and, UPDATE - AUGUST 2022: DNA has proven that George Sutton and Sarah (Tilden) Sutton are not the parents of William Sutton. (See research note on parents below.)
William's children born in Piscataway, New Jersey are recorded in the Piscataway Birth Records. [3] [4]
In an interesting footnote in “Contributions to the Early History of Perth Amboy and Adjoining Country,” William Adee Whitehead wrote, [5]
"On the 25th Nov 1682, William Sutton voluntarily gives his son Richard to James and Elizabeth Giles, until he shall be 21 — they agreeing to do for him "as for their own." ( He may be referring to James Giles (abt.1626-1690). (A primary source for this information is being sought.)
William is counted among the founders of New Jersey by the Descendants of Founders of New Jersey [6]
An original grant from the proprietors of Eastern New Jersey was made to William Sutton on 17 Feb 1685, of a house and lot of twenty-two acres in Piscataway Township, and on 20 Mar 1687 they conveyed to him 125 acres in the bounds of the town of Piscataway, twenty-five acres of which was to Jane, his wife. [7]
William Sutton was a pillar of the Quaker Meeting at Woodbridge near Piscataway, and was constable and town clerk. [citation needed]
According to Isaac C. Sutton, in 1948, "The old Sutton farm lies on Sutton Lane, across the river from New Brunswick, in Piscataway Township." [8]
"...after the death of my father, Thomas Sutton..."
and
"...that lot which was my father, Thomas Sutton's homestead..." [9]
William died 28 4th mo. [June] 1718 at the age of 77. [10] He is buried at the Little Quaker Churchyard in Woodbridge. [11]
"Careful investigation has failed as yet to establish a connection with either, or to suggest any other lines of research. Our history opens, therefore, at Eastham, on the 11th of July, 1666 with the marriage of William Sutton, yeoman (aged probable 25 years), of either English birth or descent, to Damaris, daughter of Alice and Richard Bishop. Eastham, originally called Nausett, after the name of a local Indian tribe, was at this date a settlement of some 20 years standing, and numbered some four or five dozen souls - a tiny outpost of English life and civilization, planted upon the"narrow neck of land" between the bleak bay and the bleaker Atlantic.
"It was in this very year of 1666 that tidings began to spread through New England of the founding of another colony down in the southwest, between the great North and South Rivers, where settlers were welcome, the Indians friendly, the soil and climate excellent, and civil and religious liberty guaranteed. Many people from all parts of the land of the Puritans migrated to this new country of the "Jerseys"; and about the year 1672 William Sutton also removed, and became a landholder under Berkley and Carteret. As Cape Cod was one of the few districts in New England where Quakerism gained a footing, and as William Sutton in his New Jersey home was an influential Quaker, it is very probable that matters of religious belief had much to do with his departure from Eastham.
"In the year 1666 a "plantation" of some 40,000 acres was laid out upon the banks of the Raritan, within the bounds of the present Middlesex County, and not far from the spot where a few years later New Brunswick was founded. Its possession was confirmed not only by the white man's title, but by deed from Canackawack and Thingorawis, chiefs of the Naraticong Indians, who were a branch of the LenniLenape. As the settlers were mostly from those parts of New Hampshire and Maine which border the Piscataqua River, they called it Piscataqua or Piscataway, in memory of their old home. Here William Sutton pitched his tent, and prospered; for, thanks to fair dealings with the Indians, the wolves and the forest where the only enemies.
"In 1682, when the town and township numbered some 400 souls, he was owner of 249 acres of land, burdened only by the nominal quit-rent of 1/2 penny per acre annually. Small items of his life, grave orhumorous, we glean from the records of more than 2 centuries ago. A Quaker, he was a pillar of the congregation that met in the neighboring town of Woodbridge. We see him in a person of some honor in the little community; chosen freeholder at one time, constable at another, town-clerk at another, and we find that, with advancing years, his services were desired upon boards of church discipline and inquiry. It is recorded that he contributed "a year old steer" toward the proposed erection of the Friends' Meeting House at Woodbridge - a donation that seems to have been a thorn in the flesh of the finance committee. For two years they were unable to convert the animal into cash, and were obliged to board it during three winters at exorbitant rates, varying from 6 to 8 and 1/2 shillings per winter.
"The growth of sons to man's estate and matrimony is marked in the records by such entries as this:
"William Sutton hath, in consideration of fatherly love and affection, given and granted to Daniel Sutton, his son, 75 acres of land.
"Finally, in 1713, William is spoken of as an aged man, and we hear of him no more. Doubtless another year or two brought the end of his homely and laborious life, and rest in the little Quaker Churchyard at Woodbridge. Damaris Bishop, first wife of William Sutton, died in Piscataway, February 6, 1682. He married, in that town, Jane Barnes, January 9, 1684 or 1685" [12]
"John Sutton, who settled in Hingham, came from Attleborough, in Norfolkshire, arriving in the ship Diligent in 1638, with his wife Julien, a son John, and three other children. He also lived in Rehoboth. He died apparently about 1652; his wife in 1672. From "Vital Records of Rehoboth" the present writer infers that among his children where three, named Esther, Anne, and Margaret
"George Sutton, of Scituate, arrived in 1638. He had a brother Simon, of Scituate, of whom nothing further is known. George married Sarah Tilden, and had children (according to Savage), John, Lydia, Sarah, and Elizabeth. return
"Richard Bishop is noted as a soldier of the colony, in the "Geneological Register of New England", vol. iv., page 255, second column. When William Sutton removed to New Jersey, Bishop sold his property at Duxbury, Mass., and came to live with him.
"William of Scituate and Eastham, and of Piscataway, N.J., Quaker, b. about 1641; d. 28 of 4m. 1718; m. (1) at Eastham, on Cape Cod, 11 July 1666, Damaris Bishop, d. 6 Feb. 1682/3, daughter of Richard and Alice (Martin) (Clark) Bishop; m. (2) Jane Barnes, daughter of James Barnes. William Sutton first appears at Barnstable, on Cape Cod, where, on 5 June 1666, he was haled into court and fined for purloining the Bible from the meeting house, "one pound and for telling a lye about the same, ten shillings." His departure from the town was probably expedited by these occurrences, and a few weeks later, at the neighboring settlement of Eastham, he took refuge in matrimony with Damaris Bishop. They had ten children, the first three born in Eastham, and the rest born in Piscataway." [13]
". . . he [William Sutton] lived in Eastham from 1666 to Oct 1671. . . . He went west to NJ about 1672 or 1673. The quest of religious freedom was perhaps the reason for his removal, since in the NJ Colony he was an influential Quaker. On or near the Raritan River, not far from the present town of New Brunswick, William Sutton settled and prospered. Known for his fair dealing with the Indians, the wolves and forest were his only enemies. In 1682 he was the owner of 249 acres if land. He held the office of freeholder constable and town clerk. In 1713 he was spoken of as an aged man and he was buried in the Quaker churchyard in Woodbridge." [14]
"1685-6 Feb. 17. Patent to William Suttone of Piscataway, for several small parcels, vizt: 1. a houselot of 22 acres, bounded E by Timothy Caute, W by a road, N and S by small brooks; 2. 19 acres of upland, bounded S by a road, N by a small brook, W by Thomas Farnsworth. E by George Wingfield; 3. 79 acres of upland, bounded SW by Doctor Henry Greenland, NE by Michael Symones, NW by Daniel Leoington, SE by a small brook; 4. 4 acres of meadow,bounded S by James Godfrey, N by Vincent Rognion and Nicholas Munday, E by Richard Smith, W by Robert Gannett and Peter Bellew."
"1687 March 25. Patent to William Suttone of Piscataway, for 125 acres there, 25 being due to his wife Jane as headland, the other 100 acres being granted to W. S. as an old settler; all bounded S by Edward Dunhame, E by John Randolph, N and W by unsurveyed land."
"List of Judges and Assistants of Middlesex County Courts of Common Pleas and Quarter Secession (1683-1736)) 1685/6 - Feb.17." [15]
"William Sutton was a Quaker and living most of his life as a farmer, he was recognized as an outstanding member of the community."
"Patent to William Suttone of Piscataway" for several small parcels of land.
"1685 - March 25. Patent to William Suttone of Piscataway for 125 acres: 25 thereof being due to his wife, Jane, as headland, the other 100 acres being granted to William Suttone as an old settler."
"1693 - Aug 28. William Sutton, constable of Piscataway gives return for the election of a Representative in place of Hopewell Hull, deceased."
"1697 - March 10. Confirmation of 21 persons including William Sutton, Thomas Sutton, Judah Sutton, all of Piscataway for a small tract of meadow." [7]
The Sutton DNA Project is a Y-DNA project on Family Tree DNA. Their aim is to identify all the various Sutton family lines, link those that match, and prove/disprove our genealogy theories. By looking at the Y-DNA of male Sutton descendants, they have discovered that the descendants of George Sutton are members of Y-Haplogroup I. The descendants of William Sutton are haplogroup R1b. If correct, this would mean that they are not father and son but of completely different paternal lines (so they would not even be a nephew/cousin connected through the paternal Sutton line.) There is ongoing discusssion of the reliability fo these reults in the G2G thread linked in the upper right of the profile page.
The idea that William was George’s son was apparently first suggested by a William A Whitcomb of Boston in 1933, according to EFH Sutton. The research was referred to in handwritten notes by EFH Sutton. The notes were made in or after 1937 in his own copy of his book, “Genealogical Notes of the Sutton Family of New Jersey” which is an account of the descendants of William. [12]
When he first published the book in 1900, EFHS suggested that “Their proximity suggests a relationship to one or the other of two families of Suttons, respectively, of Hingham and Scituate… Careful investigation, however, has failed yet to establish a connection with either, or to suggest another line of research.”
In 1934, Ora Monnette, a Piscataway historian, wrote in ‘"First Settlers of Ye Plantations of Piscataway and Woodbridge, Olde East New Jersey” that William was “one of the seven sons of John Sutton who came from Attleborough, Eng., in 1639,, and settled at Hingham…” [16] EFH Sutton, in those handwritten notes I mentioned earlier, ripped that apart. He stated it was without authority, suggesting Monnette accepted bad info from a “subscriber” without doing due diligence.
He referred to the research done in 1933 by William A Whitcomb of Boston (a Sutton descendant) and stated it showed that “in all probability William Sutton was a son of George Sutton of Scituate.” He offers no information for what authority Mr. Whitcomb based his conclusion. The article can be seen in the (New England Historic Genealogical Society Register, Jan 1937) [17] He goes on to acknowledge that the birth entries for Daniel & William are considered “lost.” McCollough-423 14:38, 19 August 2022 (UTC)
See also
FamilySearch Person: LBD6-BP7
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William is 19 degrees from Zendaya Coleman, 24 degrees from Sting Sumner, 17 degrees from Josh Brolin, 20 degrees from Timothée Chalamet, 15 degrees from José Ferrer, 14 degrees from Frank Herbert, 14 degrees from Richard Jordan, 13 degrees from David Lynch, 17 degrees from Virginia Madsen, 16 degrees from Charlotte Rampling, 26 degrees from Patrick Stewart and 20 degrees from Denis Villeneuve on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
Sutton, Edward Forrester • “Genealogical Notes of the Sutton Family of New Jersey” : T A Wright, New York 1900 p 9
https://archive.org/details/genealogicalnote00sutt/page/9/mode/1up?view=theater
edited by John Smith MD
edited by Kathryn McCollough
https://archive.org/stream/notesoffamilyhis00sutt/notesoffamilyhis00sutt_djvu.t
An original grant from the proprietors of Eastern New Jersey was made to William Sutton on 17 Feb 1685, of a house and lot of twenty-two acres in Piscataway Township, and on 20 Mar 1687 they conveyed to him 125 acres in the bounds of the town of Piscataway, twenty-five acres of which was to Jane, his wife. William Sutton was a pillar of the Quaker Meeting at Woodbridge near Piscataway, and was constable and town clerk. The old Sutton farm lies on Sutton Lane, across the river from New Brunswick, in Piscataway Township, and a number of Suttons are buried in Piscataway town, in the old St James Episcopal Church graveyard. The Township of Piscataway was settled by families from New England, mostly from Piscataqua (Great Deer River) New Hampshire. It was chartered in 1666 as "Piscataway and Woodbridge, Olde New Jersey" and contained 40,000 acres. William married Damaris Bishop in 1666, who died in 1682; and on 03 Jan 1683, he took, as his second wife, Jane Barnes. His children by Damaris were Alice 5/13/68; Thomas 11/11/69 m Mary Adams; Mary 10/4/71 m Daniel Mc Daniel; John 4/20/74; Judah 1/24/75; Richard 7/18/76; Joseph 7/2/78 (d 82); Benjamin 2/20/79 (d 82); Daniel 2/25/80 and, child of Jane, Joseph 9/11/93. Damaris was the daughter of Richard Bishop, who married, 05 Dec 1644, Alice Martin (1619-1648).
edited by John Smith MD
On the 25th Nov 1682, William Sutton voluntarily gives his son Richard to James and Elizabeth Giles, until he shall be 21 — they agreeing to do for him "as for their own." https://archive.org/details/contributionstoe00whit/page/402/mode/2up
Death Damaris, wife of Wm Sutton - 06 Feb 1682/3 https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofnew04newj_0/page/40/mode/1up
Marriage Sutton, William to Jane Barnes - 03 Jan 1683/4 https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofnew04newj_0/page/43/mode/1up
"Andrew Mills and His Descendants, with Genealogies of Related Families" by Eva Mills Lee Taylor : Bethesda, MD 1944 pp 119, 120 https://archive.org/details/andrewmillshisde00tayl_0/page/119/mode/2up
‘Somerset County Historical Quarterly’ Vol VI, edited by A Van Doren Honeyman, Plainfield NJ, Somerset County Historical Society Publishers, 1917 p 40 https://archive.org/details/somersetcountyhi06hone/page/n49/mode/1up?view=theater
Prior to 1752, Quakers used the Juliam Calendar and the year officially began on 25 March. (Dates would follow like this: 24 March 1717, 25 March 1718.) March was considered "First Month" so "Fourth Month" would be June.
So, the church records do not say "April" they say it is the 4th month, which, for them at that time would be June, not April.
There is a publication by The Library of the Society of Friends, London found at https://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/quaker-calendar-lib-guide-2018
George Sutton is Haplogroup I and William Sutton is R1b.
The paternal Y-DNA public results chart is available at: https://www.familytreedna.com/public/Sutton?iframe=yresults
But, it does not contain ancestral information that is available only to project members.
No, if he's not in your direct maternal line, mitochondrial DNA won't help, and you don't have a Y chromosome. So autosomal matches are your only hope--or someone finding a document that proves his parents!
Also, The Sutton Family History http://www.suttonfamilyhome.com/williamsutton.html referenced above either no longer exists or has changed its URL.
edited by Marie Friederichs
2. Different death dates and place of death. 3. Sutton-79 had no children named Thomas as shown by the profile picture.
Name: William Sutton Death Date: 28 Jun 1718 Death Date on Image: 28 Fourth 1718 Death Place: Woodbridge Event Type: Death Monthly Meeting: Rahway and Plainfield Monthly Meetings Historical Meeting Data: Search for this monthly meeting in the 'Quaker Monthly Meetings Index' Yearly Meeting: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Meeting State: New Jersey Meeting County: Union