Suttonsonline.com family genealogy website

Grandfather Sutton was a WWI Veteran, and served as a Private in the Marine Corps during the "Great War". The draft for WWI commenced on June 27, 1918. Secretary of War, Newton D. Baker, pulled numbers out of a fishbowl for this first draft of WWI. Grandpa Sutton enlisted before this draft on June 8th, 1918. He was given basic training at Parris Island in South Carolina and became a part of the 73rd Company, 6th Regiment, 2nd Division which was involved in the Battle of Argonne Forest. Grandfather Sutton was a part of the U.S.M.G. (machine gunners). He embarked for overseas duty on the DeKalb from Hoboken, NJ on August 22, 1918. He reported to my Father and Mother, and myself at a later date when I was a child that of the 100 or so men in the company, he was one of only a very few who survived this battle.

Grandfather Sutton wrote his military history in a large print family bible. the information contained therein is as follows:

Branch of Service: U.S. Marine Corps
Place of entrance: Parris Island, South Carolina
Date and rank: 8 June 1918, Private
First assignment: 148th Training Company
Record of foreign service and combat: 73rd Co. 6 Regt. 2nd Division: battle of Argonne Forest
Released from service, date, rank: 24 May 1919, Private
Notes: Served overseas during the Great War. Now a U.S. Government employee.

My brother Lorin found a Muster Roll of Officers and Enlisted Men of the U.S. Marine Corps on the National Archives recently that lists Grandpa Sutton's name. The date of the muster roll is Oct 1 through Oct 31, 1918.

Grandfather Sutton returned to Newport News, VA on the Princess Manitoba on February 11, 1919. He received an honorable discharge on May 24, 1919. His military records show that he participated in action in the Argonne sector, which was where the German forces ultimately were pushed back, with the Armistace signed soon after the decisive battles in this region of northeast France.

Grandpa Sutton then settled back in Evans City, PA where he was listed as being 20 years old in the 1920 census. He married Grace Smith Ramsey about 4 years later when he was 24 years old and began work with the Evans City Post Office, then went to work at the Pittsburgh Post Office, usually working nights. James and Grace purchased a home on Pattison Street in Evans City, where they remained all their lives, raising their family. They were members of the Presbyterian Church in Evans City at this time. When they were quite the young couple, they took in a nephew, John Jay French, whom they raised. John was a son of James' sister Martha, who had passed away. Grandfather loved sports, and since their property on Pattison Street backed onto the school playing field, he was often a spectator. He is fondly remembered by family members, friends and relatives as getting very involved in the decisions of the umpire or referee, often charging on the field to protest!

In 1936 evangelistic meetings were held at the Evans City Baptist Church from January 5th through the 26th, with evangelist Porter L. Barrington. Bruce Sutton relates that Alva and Helen Sutton and James and Grace all attended these meetings and came to the Lord during the course of the meetings. It was sometime after these evangelistic meetings that James and Grace removed their church membership from the Presbyterian Church and joined the First Baptist Church in Evans City, where they both remained members until their deaths. Later after this, he was appointed as Postmaster of the Evans City Post Office where he worked until his retirement. My mother shares these memories of her father-in-law:

In 1963, I was napping after lunch while the children were napping when he called and told me that the President had been shot. We watched the events on television as they unfolded over the next three days. He truly loved his grandchildren and could often be found stretched out in his favorite chair after dinner with one or two of the youngsters on his tummy! After Mother Sutton's death in 1969, he remained at the house, usually going over to Isaly's for his noonday meal and kibbutzing with the waitresses there! He flew out to Wheaton several times to be with us for the holidays. We were stunned to get the telephone call from Rita on Thursday when she told us that he had died. He had risen the Saturday before in some discomfort and called someone to take him to the hospital and he remained under treatment there until Thursday, April 20, 1972, when, after eating lunch he quickly passed away. Some family members felt that his case had been misdiagnosed as indigestion by the doctor, when he should have been treated for heart problems.

James E Sutton's Sr. WWI Military tombstone:

James E Sutton military tombstone

References

Last data update: Jul 22, 2026

1900 United States Census document, Evansburg Boro, Butler County, PA; Enumeration date: June 9th, 1900, page 10, lines 27-34 Citation post date: 2009-07-08

1910 United States Census Document, Evansburg Burough, Butler County, PA; Enumeration date: April 15th, 1910, lines 38-48 Citation post date: 2006-06-11

1920 United States Census Document, Evansburg Burough, Butler County, PA; Enumeration date: Jan 7th, 1920, lines 36-43 Citation post date: 2006-06-11

1930 United States Census Document, Evansburg Burough, Butler County, PA; Enumeration date: Apr 2nd, 1930, lines 62-65 Citation post date: 2006-06-29

Application For Adjusted Compensation for Service, WWC Form No. 1, Application dated August 5, 1924 in possession of family descendents. Citation post date: 2006-06-16

Find A Grave internet website for grave markers, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/117237385/james_edison-sutton Citation post date: 2025-12-09

Personal genealogical research information and notes provided by Bruce Sutton, Citation post date: 2006-08-06

Personal genealogical research information and notes provided by Grace (Ramsey) Sutton, Citation post date: 2006-06-09

Personal genealogical research information and notes provided by James E. Sutton III, Citation post date: 2006-06-09

Personal genealogical research information and notes provided by Nancy Lee (Hesselgesser) Sutton, Citation post date: 2006-06-09

rootsweb, World War I, WWI, or "The Great War" (1914- 1918), online website, accessed 6/16/06, Data on U.S. Army Divisions during World War I Citation post date: 2009-07-02

U. S. Military Discharge Papers, Honorable discharge papers from the United States Marine Corps dated 24 May 1919 in possession of family descendents. Citation post date: 2006-06-16