I don’t know who her father may have been and there is no real evidence as to what her maiden name might have been. I take note, however, that when her husband died, she chose Christopher Duke and Walter James as her sureties. Sureties, often, were a family member though sometimes may simply have been a family friend.

But the plot thickens when I add that Christopher Duke and Henry Hendrix became connected when Christopher sold Dukes Palace to Henry -- just three years prior to the marriage of Henry’s son to Dorcas’ daughter. Moreover Dorcas named her oldest son Christopher. My theory -- and this is about as far out on a limb as I have ever climbed -- is that Christopher, her suretie, was her brother and that she named her son after him -- or perhaps even there was an older Christopher Duke, father of both Christopher Jr. and Dorcas. However, since I am only guessing and also because I know nothing more about the Duke (or Dukes) family, I’m leaving Dorcas in my database as maiden-name-unknown.

Some Internet trees say she was Dorcas James, Walter’s daughter. I don’t think so but there was some connection between Walter and Dorcas.

When Walter James died in 1751, he left a complicated will. He gave his son Walter and daughter Priscilla each about 100 acres. He also gave about 100 acres each to seemingly random people, including Ruth Sutton wife of Joseph (after her father’s and mother’s decease), Elizabeth Denton and Henry Quine. He also gave personal property and cash to all those people, except in this case Ruth Sutton was left out.

Robert Barnes says that Elizabeth Denton, wife of William, was Walter James’ daughter. Barnes also says that Henry Quine was Walter’s son. Was his name Henry Quine James?

But who was Ruth Sutton, wife of Joseph? The easy answer is she was Ruth Adams who married Joseph Sutton in 1748. Why would Walter James take care of Ruth Adams -- she was actually listed first in his will? Was she possibly his granddaughter? And why did Walter James say she was to get the 100 acres “after her mother and father’s deceased”? Who were her mother and father?

If all you knew was that Walter James had mentioned Ruth Sutton in his will, and didn’t know he also said wife of Joseph, you might think Ruth Sutton was the daughter of Dorcas and Thomas Sutton by that name and then conclude that maybe Ruth was Walter’s granddaughter. But the rebuttal argument is that he did say wife of Joseph and moreover he made that strange mention of “after her father’s and mother’s decease” -- our Ruth Sutton’s father was already deceased.

She married second Joseph Thomas 4 Feb 1732 after Thomas died.

I haven’t a clue who his father may have been.

He may have been the immigrant of his line. On the other hand, the Suttons might have been in America already for one or two generations when Thomas was born. I just don’t know.

In one way I know so very little about our Sutton ancestors, but I do know some of the people they were associated with. And the mutual association between some of those people and Henry and/or Adam Hendrix, his son, is interesting to consider. It really seems like a puzzle looking for its Rosetta Stone and then the whole thing will completely fall into place.

The births of Thomas in 1722, Joseph in 1724, Ruth in 1726 and Benjamin in 1728 to Thomas and Dorcas Sutton were recorded in church records. Various Internet trees say that there was one other son, Christopher, the oldest, and that he was born about 1720. I believe the evidence is quite strong that Christopher Sutton, who was clearly closely associated with the family, was, in fact, the oldest son -- based on that association.

Joseph Thomas was not our ancestor but he is important to us nonetheless as he helps me better document people who were our ancestors. His second wife was Dorcas -- she was our ancestor, the mother of Ruth Sutton. When Joseph Thomas died, he left a will dated 4 Jul 1748 which proved 7 Sep 1748. His wife Dorcas was his Executrix and Christopher Sutton and Adam Hendrickson posted administrator’s bonds with her. Christopher Sutton was no doubt Dorcas’ son by her first marriage and the simple, logical explanation is that Adam was her son-in-law having married Dorcas’ daughter Ruth Sutton.

Joseph also mentioned his daughter Ruth Sing in his will, apparently his only child. On 16 Oct 1748, Ruth Sing married John Hendrickson. Was John, Adam’s brother?

Clay Carpenter brought to my attention that there apparently was a Ruth Sing born to Mary Sing who apparently was tried for bastardy and Clay suggests Joseph Thomas was the father of the illegitimate Ruth Sing.