Erin Smith
Staff writer
ELIZABETHTOWN — Nestled among the trees at the intersection of U.S. 701 and N.C. 53 in the area known to locals as Sutton’s Corner sits a cemetery nestled among a grove of oak and pine trees.
There is small dirt drive that leads between N.C. 53 and U.S. 701 passing in front of the cemetery. The sounds of the traffic rumbling past seem in stark contrast to those buried within the cemetery who lie in silent respite.
The cemetery is listed on the tax records as Sutton Cemetery and outwardly appears to be a family burial sight. Some of the names listed on the headstones include Atkinson, Bordeaux and Sutton. The cemetery is well maintained, though there were no apparent burials between the time period of 1994 to late 2011. The most recent burial was Wilton Adrian Sutton, who was buried there in December 2011.
The graves quietly mark military service as well as husbands, wives and children. There are four unnamed infants who died on the same day they were born. The time period of the children’s graves is from the 1920s.
The oldest legible marker belongs to Mitchell McPherson, son of J.C. and JoeAnna Sutton. His dates are listed on the monument as May 28, 1896, to Oct. 25, 1918.
Melba Sutton Bordeaux was buried here in 1994 and there seems to be a gap in burials until Witlon Adrian Sutton is buried here in 2011. His birth and death dates are listed on his monument as Feb. 20, 1925 to Dec. 16, 2011.
There are also four veterans buried in this cemetery. They are Rodney E. Sutton, William Boyd Bryan, Vestal Bordeaux and Durwood B. Atkinson. Atkinson, Bordeaux, and Sutton, all served in World War II. Bryan and Sutton both served in Korea.
According to his headstone, Sutton was a master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and his dates are listed as 1923 to 1977.
Bryan is shown on his headstone to have achieved A1C US Air Force. His dates are Dec. 25, 1929, to Sept. 5, 1982.
Bordeaux is shown on his marker as FT 1 US Navy. His dates are Dec. 26, 1920 to Jan. 17 1980.
Atkinson is listed as NC PFC 27 Inf. 25 Div. His dates are July 24, 1925 to April 13, 1945.
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