The researcher is right Christian is the male version of Christina. But your Aunt's name could have been spelt that way for several reasons. One being it was spelt wrong [people back then did not to a good job in spelling, our census prove that], or her name was Christian and not Christina. My mother is from NC and is now 90 yrs old. Her first name is Marion, spelt like a boys name. Men in those days also had the name Shirley. There is many names out there spelt different ways, and can be taken for the wrong gender. I have the book The Heritage of Lenoir County, in it on page 392 is: John Sutton, Jr. [1760-1828] married Ferebee Isler [1765] of Jones County, the daughter of William Isler and Hester Williams. William Isler was the son of Christian Isler and Elizabeth Coleman. William was commissioned Lt. of a Militia in 1755. Hester Williams was the daughter of Col. John Pugh Williams and Ferebee Pugh. John and Ferebee Sutton settled in Lenoir County. John Sutton, Jr. was born in Lenoir County, NC in 1760. He was the son of prominent land owner John Sutton Sr. and his mother was Ann Turner, both of old Dobbs County. John Sutton, Jr, received a good deal of land deeds in Dobbs Co. from the years 1779 to 1828. He enlisted late in life in the Revol. War and was away several years before he returned and married Ferebee Isler of Jones County. Born in 1765 she was the daughter of William Isler and Hester Williams. Ferebee Isler was the granddaughter of Christian Isler, Secretary of the Palatine Colony that came to America in 1710. Baron deGraffenreid's colony of about 1500 Swiss and 650 Palatines were of his choosing and he picked young, healthy and industrious persons of various trades. The Palatines were a very religious German sect. After the colony settled in New Bern they worked hard and within 18 months had become more prosperous than many that had been in Carolina several years. They not only prospered but rapidly mixed with the English settlers and in a few years became indistinguishable in either appearance or speech from the settlers of pure English stock. Among the members of the expedition were Nicholas Isler and his two sons, Christian and Frederick. Within three years we find him making his first claim of title to land in America. His son, CHristian, born in 1694, was a man of great ability and of good education. He prospered as a planter and by judious purchase and sale of land he built himself up into one of the most important land owners of Craven Co. Ferebee Isler was also the direct descendant of Thomas Savage I who was born in England in 1594. Savage came to America at the age of 13 with the first permanent English Colony that was founded in Jamestown, VA. in 1607. He arrived as an indentured servant on the vessel "The John and Francis" a supply ship to the New World, captained by his master, Christopher Newport. In 1608, Thomas was given to the Indian Chief Powhatan by Capt. Newport and Capt. John Smith. Thomas lived with he Indians for three years and learned their language and ways. On his return to the colony he acted as interpreter and general agent for the colonists in their dealings with the Indians and was of immense value to the colony. Thomas was deeded 9000 acres on the Eastern shore of Virginia by the Indian King and was the first white man to live in the area. He was given the rank of Ensign in the Indian War of 1624. On the wall of the Memorial Church at Jamestown there is a bronze tablet to his memory. Of all the original settlers of the Jamestown Colony, only Thomas Savage and Thomas Wooten have descendants today and may claim the oldest blood of English descendants in the United States. Ensign Savage married Hannah Tying who came to Virginia on the ship, Sea Flower in 1621. He died in 1627, leaving his widow and one son, John. John Savage's son, Thomas II of Cherrystone married Alice Harmonson and it was their great granddaughter, Hester Williams who married William Isler. Hester had a brother who was Benjamin Williams, Governor of NC 1799-1802. and again in 1807. William and Hester Isler had one son and six daughters. The daughter, Ferebee Isler married John Sutton, Jr. Ferebee and John Sutton, Jr. had eleven children, three sons and eight daughters: 1. James born 1798 married Susan Walters 2. Winnie born 1800 married Richard Sutton son of William Sutton 3. Annie born 1802 unmarried 4. Harriet born 1806 married John Stroud son of William Stroud 5. Susan born 1808 unmarried 6. William Isler 1800-1854 married Sally Rouse, daughter of Willis and Nancy Dawson Rouse 7. Daughter born 1812 8. Daughter born 1814 9. Daughter born 1817 10. Ferebee born 1820 11. John Fred Isler 1822-1870 married Nancy Mewborn, daughter of Hardy Mewborn and Deborah Parrott. John Sutton died in 1828 and is buried between Bucklesberry and LaGrange in the woods behind the homeplace of his son, William Isler Sutton. ================================================= There is a Shadrack Loftin in this book it states, Walter Dunn married Cynthia Loftin, daughter of Shadrack Loftin and his wife Sarah Cox. They came through Leonard Loftin who came to NC in 1680's. June [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) 7.