Revenny (Sutton) Craighead (1828 - 1860)

Born 22 Oct 1828 in Smith County, Tennessee

Ancestors

Wife of John Alfred Middleton — married 1842 (to 1850) in Izard, Arkansas, United States

Wife of Allen C. Craighead — married 6 Aug 1851 (to 1860) in Washington Township, Independence, Arkansas, United States

Descendants

Died 2 Mar 1860 at age 31 in Bell County, Texas

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Revenny (Sutton) Craighead was a Tennessean.

Biography

Revenny was born in 1828 in Smith County, Tennessee to parents Dempsey Sutton and Elizabeth (Donoho) Sutton. She was married twice.

First marriage: Her first husband was John Alfred Middleton. They married in 1842 in Izard County, Arkansas and had four children together:

1. Brannick Middleton (1843-?)
2. John Madison Middleton (1848-1925)
3. Nancy Middleton (1849-?)
4. Henry Middleton (1850-?)

Second marriage: Alfred died in 1850. She then resided with her sister Permillia (Sutton) Hess and her brother-in-law William Hess in the Wallace Township of Independence County, Arkansas. She married Allen C Craighead in 1851 and they had four children together:

1. Lytle Creswell Craighead (1852-1889)
2. Permelia Craghead (1855-?)
3. James Riley Craghead (1857-1933)
4. Cynthia Craghead (1860-?)

She passed away in 1860 in Bell County, Texas shortly after delivering her youngest daughter, Cynthia. (Age 32yo)

Notations on Allen C. Craighead and Revenny (Sutton) Middleton Craighead:
“ Allen Craighead was born in the state of Tennessee on December 24th, 1829. The first record of his existence is the 1850 Federal Census for Independence County, Arkansas. There, he is shown living in Wallace Township, (presently in Stone County,) in the household of William & Permelia (Sutton) Hess and her widowed sister, Revenny (Sutton) Middleton.

Revenny and Permelia were both daughters of Dempsey Sutton of Smith County, Tennessee. Revenny was born on Oct 22nd, 1828, on Defeated Creek in that county, not too far from the families of Shelton and Peter Craghead, both of whom it appears they were well acquainted with. Around 1830 Dempsey and wife Elizabeth Donoho left for Arkansas, where Dempsey had patented land in the 1820s.

Dempsey died around 1836, and in 1842, (when she was fourteen,) Revenny married a Middleton in Izard County, Arkansas, his first name is still unknown, but it is believed to be John Alfred Middleton. She proceeded to have three children by him: Brannick born 1842; John Madison, born 184?, and Nancy, born 1849. Sometime in the spring of 1850, her husband died.

The connection of the Sutton family to the Smith County Craigheads is the only clue we have to the whereabouts of Allen prior to 1850 and to his origin and parents.

In August 6th, 1851, Lytle Burford Creswell, J.P., married Revenny and Allen [Craighead] in Washington Township, Independence County. Stories say that the Criswells were connected to Allen's family but this has not been proved yet. Shortly afterwards, on October 14, 1852, their first child was born: Lytle Criswell Craighead. Lytle was followed by Daughter Permelia in 1855.

About this time, Elizabeth Donoho Sutton, who had married Benjamin Cox a few years after Dempsy died, moved to Nolanville, Bell County, Texas. Then her sons Anderson and Logan Sutton decided to follow her there, and Revenny went along with them, bringing Allen and her children from both marriages. There, the Craigheads settled next door to Ben & Elizabeth Cox on South Nolan Creek.

Another son was born in 1858; James Riley Craighead. He was named after Revenny's brother, James Riley Sutton, a neighbor and future fellow Confederate veteran. He later went Eastland County.

In the Summer of 1859, Revenny became pregnant again. She gave birth to a daughter, Cynthia Craighead, in March of 1860, but was come over by pneumonia. The illness was irreversible: she died on the 2nd of that month. Revenny was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Nolanville, on land that had belonged to one of the Ben Cox relatives, Flemming Trigg Cox.

It was long thought that baby Cynthia Craghead died shortly after Revenny. However, recent evidence points to her having been raised by Ben & Elizabeth Cox, with the surname Cox. What became of her is unknown.

Allen shows up next on the Federal Census of Bell County for 1860. This time, he is not in Nolanville, but in Belton, along with Ben Cox. He is shown living alone with his children, but the Middleton children are not in the household; instead, they board with other families. It is unknown if this is because Allen sent them away or because they were older and sent to board and work elsewhere or to be educated elsewhere, as boarders of this type are not uncommon in this era.”……excerpted from http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~craighead/genealogy/bios/allen.html

Acknowledged

Family Search ID KNZ4-N4R https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KNZ4-N4R

:Note posted to KNZ4-N4R about Family Bible:

Birth of Revenny Sutton

22 October 1828 in Smith, Tennessee, United States

This information was taken from a small brown Bible that belonged to Dempsey Sutton. It was brought to Texas by Anderson Sutton. It has been wet. The story was that it got wet fording a stream on the trip from Arkansas to Texas in 1851 or 1852. As of August 12, 1995 when this was taken it was in possession of: Don Sutton

Inside the front cover: Demcy Sutton book, Anderson Sutton

The bible notations mention Demsey's wife is named Elizabeth

Title Page: The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testament translated out of Original Tongues and with the former translations diligently compared and revised stereotype edition New York Stereotyped by James Conner for the American Bible Society 1829.

On the first blank page after Revelation:

Demcy Sutton was born August 18th 1795;

Anderson Sutton was born July 19th 1816;

Sutton was born December 30th 1817;

Sutton was born February 4th 1820;

Luisa Sutton was born December 4th 1821;

Calvin Sutton was born August 6th 1822;

Logan Sutton was born July 29th 1825;

On the following page: Revenny Sutton was born October 22nd 1828.

More is posted to FamilySearch ID ID KNZ4-N4R

Sources

• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M67Z-49Z : 20 December 2020), Ravena Middleton in household of William Hess, Independence, Arkansas, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). [After Alfred Middleton passed away, his widow Revenny and their children moved in household of William Hess & Permelia (Sutton) Hess- her sister]

• "Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NMGV-HB3 : 9 March 2021), Revenny Middleton in entry for Allen Craghead, 6 Aug 1851; citing Marriage, Independence, Arkansas, United States, county offices, Arkansas; FHL microfilm 1,288,645.

• "Texas Deaths and Burials, 1903-1973", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6RL-HFV : 13 February 2020), Dont Know in entry for John M Middleton, 1925.[Death Record of son John M. Middleton]

• "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3CQ-9C9 : 20 February 2021), Reveney Sutton in entry for James Riley Craghead, 13 Aug 1933; citing certificate number 38758, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,115,618. [Death Certificate for her son, James Riley Craghead, and names Allen Craighead and Revenny Sutton as parents]

• Parents named as Dempsey Dutton and Elizabeth Donoho: http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~craighead/genealogy/bios/allen.html

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19865744/revenny-craghead : accessed 03 November 2021), memorial page for Revenny Sutton Craghead (22 Oct 1828–2 Mar 1860), Find a Grave Memorial ID 19865744, citing Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Nolanville, Bell County, Texas, USA ; Maintained by Imagraver (contributor 47349450) .