John L. Sutton was born to John and Catherine Compton Sutton in 1795. The family resided in New Jersey. Two years later, another son, James C., was born. In 1817, John set out for St. Louis. James followed, and after a prolonged illness while traveling through Ohio, arrived in 1819. The two brothers were employed as blacksmiths and enjoyed success at their trade. James is credited with introducing iron-clad wheels, iron- and steel-pointed plows (the Sutton Plow), iron harrow teeth, and iron printers sticks to the area. He also made the locks for the old Spanish jails. In 1825, James retired and purchased 300-400 acres of land from Charles Gratiot. James married Ann Wells of St. Louis in 1829. John Sutton never married and died in 1830. James and Ann Sutton had eleven children, nine of whom lived to adulthood. James bought more land in later years. In 1840, he donated land for a school that would later be known as Benton Station School. James became involved in a steam flour mill that also manufactured lead pipe, sheet lead, flaxseed oil, steel plows, and yarn. The Suttons were also known for their beneficent aid to orphan children. The couple lived on the Sutton homestead (in what is now Maplewood) until their deaths: Ann in 1875 and James in 1877. Born in 1830, John L. Sutton was the oldest of James and Ann’s eleven children. At age nineteen, he ventured to California to seek his fortune. He returned to St. Louis three years later. In addition to working as a farmer and stock raiser, he was also involved in other enterprises such as mining in Colorado and Montana and cotton planting in the South. John married Margaret Smith of St. Louis in 1858. The couple had six children. John became the owner of the Sutton homestead at his father’s death. John died in 1909.