My Genealogy Hound

John W. Suter was born in Shelby County, Ky., in the year 1824, and is the son of John Suter, a native of Virginia, and of Scotch and English descent. The mother of John W., whose maiden name was Sallie Keller, was a native of Kentucky, and of English descent. The father moved from Virginia to Kentucky when a young man, and here he married. After living in Kentucky a number of years he moved to Springfield, Ill., where he remained six years. In 1857 he crossed the Mississippi River, and located in Scotland County, Mo., where he remained until his death, a period of eleven years, during which time he made several entries of land, amounting in all to several hundred acres. In politics he was an old line Whig, and in religion he was for many years a useful and consistent member of the Baptist Church. Mr. Suter is the second living son of a family of ten children, three of whom are living. He made his home with his parents until twenty-two years of age, and then began working for himself on the farm with his father up to the time of the latter’s death, when he bought out the other heirs of the family, and has lived upon the old home place ever since. In 1853 he married Mrs. Frances (Force) Suter, widow of J. F. Suter, who became the mother of one child by her first marriage, named James F. Suter. By her union with Mr. Suter she became the mother of eleven children, all of whom are yet living, and four of whom are married. Mr. Suter is one of Scotland County’s most enterprising farmers. He owns a fine farm of 300 acres, well stocked and well improved. In 1850 he was in the gold mines of California, and here he made his first start in life. He was also in the militia during the war, but only for about three months. In politics he has always been a Democrat, “dyed in the wool,” and he and wife are members of the Baptist Church.