Flora Jane (Johnson) Sutton (1874 - 1942)

Born 14 Jan 1874 in Eldred, McKean, Pennsylvania, United States

Wife of William Ayers — married 31 Jan 1894 in Franklinville, Cattaraugus, New York, United States

Wife of John L Seibert — married 1925 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Wife of John Sutton — married 27 Feb 1926 in New Jersey, United States

Descendants

Died 7 Apr 1942 at age 68 in Cuba, Allegany, New York, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Charlene Mulligan [send private message]

Biography

Flora was born in 1874 to James and Flora Johnson.

Children born to William Ayers and Flora Jane Johnson:

1. Irene Mae (m John Keator)
2. James Willtom Albert (m Mary Turner)

Children born to John L Seibert and Flora Jane Johnson:

1. Laura Margaret (m Alfred Core & Herbert Ford)
2. Cora Gertrude (m Charles DeBow, ??, and William Joyce)

Flora passed away in 1942.

Research Notes

What is Flora Jane Johnson/Ayers/Seibert/Sutton's mother's maiden name?

The handwriting (on the 1925 marriage license application between John Seibert & Flora Ayers) is not clear enough to decipher, and it bleeds onto the letters of the next question. No other documents have yet been found that lists a maiden name. The best interpretation I have been able to make is something like Chrefels or Krefels, but I have not been able to find any historical records under this name.

Why did John L Seibert & Flora Johnson get married twice?

Flora married William Ayers on 31 Jan 1894 in Franklinville, Cattaraugus, New York. Assuming she did not get a divorce from William, she was not able to legally marry John in 1907.

Marriage License wording ... Married before: once, dissolved by death at New York about 4 years ago

So the assumption, based on the wording of marriage license, is that Flora had to wait for William to die (1920) before she could legally marry John.

All of this is further confused by the fact that Flora is listed as the wife of John Sutton on the 1920 and 1930 and 1940 US Censuses. Why would she be living with Sutton for all this time, but bother to marry Seibert in the middle of that time?

Could John Sutton and John Seibert be the same person, just listed as a different name? One researcher says not, as he found John Sutton living just a few houses away on one of the census. This researcher (Waddington-517) has not yet been able to duplicate that finding.

Sources

• "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4PN-7YX : 2 February 2021), Flora Sutton in entry for Elmer Sutton, 1920.
• Mrs. Flora Sutton obituary, "Columbia Union Visitor" Volume 47 Issue 25 (June 18, 1942 page 6); https://adventistdigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/adl%3A398533/%3Fview_only%3Dtrue; Columbia Union Conference, Takoma Park, Maryland, USA.
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GS7W-FH9