For a number of years I had recorded him as simply Sutton Hardy, but I believe he was actually C. Sutton Hardy. Another source lists him this way as well: <http://www.geocities.com/jeffkennedy5/d0000/g0000047.html#I442>. In addition, his son Joshua T. Hardy wrote a poem to his mother in the late 1820s of which I have a copy. This poem is addressed to “Mrs. C. S. Hardy by J. T. Hardy.”
Some other accounts give a date of birth of 1766, unknown which is correct. Judging from his age on the 1850 census (78 years) I have indicated 1872 as a birth year.

Sutton Hardy

A Brief Biography by Greg W. Lasley

Some sources say Sutton died in North Carolina22, but his name appears in the Mississippi census in 1840 (Oktibbeha Co.) & 1850 (Chickasaw Co.) and would indicate he died in Mississippi.

Sutton is listed (as is Joshua T. Hardy, his son) on page 117 of the 1840 census in Oktibbeha Co., MS. Sutton's land was only a few miles from Joshua's land near Siloam which is in present day Clay Co., MS.

The below is from “History of Clay County, Mississippi” published in 1988 by the Curtis Media Corporation. The article on Sutton Hardy was written by Jack Elliott, Jr., my cousin, and 4G grandson of Sutton Hardy.

Page 474: Sutton Hardy was born about 1772 in Dobbs (now Greene) County, North Carolina, the son of Lemuel Hardy (born May 20, 1730 in Bertie County, North Carolina and died on February 8, 1797 in Dobbs County) and his wife Mary Sutton Hardy. Sutton married Martha Taylor (born 1784 in N.C. and died October 10, 1856 in Mississippi) and their children who were all born in North Carolina included: (1) Joshua Taylor born Duplin Co., N.C. on March 22, 1807 and died July 19, 1871; (2) Mary born about 1810; (3) Robert D. born June 5, 1814 and died August 13, 1885; (4) William T. Hardy born March 29, 1820 and died May 17, 1899; and (5) Martha T. Hardy born about 1828.

The Sutton Hardy family moved to Mississippi probably in 1837, judging from the fact that this date was given for the arrival of Joshua and William T. in Mississippi by an historical sketch of the Siloam Baptist Church. Joshua first settled on Town Creek “near old Colbert,” probably what is now eastern Clay County. However, by 1840 Joshua is listed, as was his father Sutton, in the census as living in Oktibbeha County, probably near Siloam (now Clay County). The other Hardy children were probably still living in Sutton’s house at the time.

The 1850 census lists Sutton and his sons Joshua and William T. as being farmers. Deed records, land rolls, and slave censuses indicate that Sutton and Joshua were landowners and had a few slaves. Joshua also engaged in carpentry. Both Joshua and William T. joined the Siloam Baptist Church in the 1850s and became deacons. Both also belonged to the Masonic Lodge at Palo Alto, William T. during the 1850s and Joshua during the late 1860s. Joshua was also a trustee of the Siloam Academy. By the 1850 census, Sutton had moved across the county line into Chickasaw County where he was apparently living on a half section of land that he owned northeast of Palo Alto. He died on April 15, 1853. It is not known where he and his wife are buried.

1850 census, Chickasaw Co., MS (now Clay Co.)
Hardy, Sutton (shown as Sullivan) 78 farmer born NC
Hardy, Martha 68 NC
Hardy, Mary 40 NC
Hardy, Martha T. 22 NC
Hardy, William T. 27 NC
Hardy, Tryphenia 21 Alabama

and in the same household:

Phillips, Zachariah 40 Alabama
Phillips, Susannah 25 NC
Martha 5 Miss
Taylor 3 Miss
Mary 1 Miss

There is a “family group sheet” of genealogical work relating to the Phillips family in the Hardy file that I have. This paperwork lists Susannah Hardy, daughter of Sutton Hardy and Martha Taylor and gives a birth date for her of 11 Aug 1822 (NC) and a death date of 12 Apr 1897 (Lamar Co., TX), and shows her buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery. This work was done by a Phillips descendant sometime in the 1970s I believe. More research needed. See <http://www.bjhughes.org/phillips.html> for more information on the Phillips line.

Time Line for Sutton Hardy:

Ca 1772; Sutton Hardy born in Dobbs (now Greene) Co., NC

Ca 1795; married Martha Taylor

Ca 1836; Sutton Hardy moved his family from North Carolina to Mississippi via Alabama.

8 Jul 1836; Sutton bought 709 acres of land in sections 13 and 18 in Oktibbeha Co., MS from George H. Young, Oktibbeha Co., land records now contained in Clay County Deed Book A p. 36.

May 1838; Sutton bought stock shares in Mississippi Union Bank and apparently used his land in Oktibbeha Co. to guarantee his payment. Clay Co. Deed Book A. I failed to record the page number but it was about 70 or 71, I believe.

1840; Sutton Hardy shown on 1840 census just above his son Joshua T. Hardy in Oktibbeha Co. (page 117). They were both probably on the land Sutton bought in 1836. Sutton’s family shows one male between 15 and 20 years of age, two males between 20-30, one male between 60-70 one female between 10-15, one female between 15-20, one female between 20-30 and one male between 50-60.

May 22, 1843; Sutton Hardy and Martha Hardy his wife sold all his Oktibbeha Co. land back to George H. Young. This is apparently the time they moved to Chickasaw Co.

14 August 1843; Sutton Hardy and his wife Martha Taylor Hardy file paperwork related to the will of Martha’s mother Elizabeth Taylor, late of Lenoir Co., NC in which Elizabeth leaves several slaves to Martha. Oktibbeha Co., Deed Book 2, p. 358

December 23, 1843; Sutton Hardy bought a half section of land in the “Chickasaw” Section of Oktibbeha Co. from a W. P. Pearsall. Oktibbeha Co. Deed Book 2 pp. 700 & 701

1850; Sutton is shown on the Chickasaw Co., MS census (this area is now near Palo Alto, Clay Co) as 78 years old with wife Martha 68, 4 children, two spouses of children and 3 grandchildren.

15 Apr 1853; Sutton Hardy died. Unknown burial location.