World War I
Wilbur Smith Sutton was born Aug. 16, 1889, at Colby, KS, the oldest of four children of Frank and Almedia Sutton. Within a couple of years after his birth, the family had moved to a farm in Lancaster County, Nebraska.
According to a family history of the Sutton family provided by granddaughter Val Morfeld, the family came to Nebraska in a covered wagon and established a home near Ceresco, and then moved on to Greenwood. On July 25, 1918, when he was 28½ years old, he enlisted or was inducted into the Army at Rushville, NE. In September of that year, he was shipped out to France on the ship “Orca,” and served in a medical unit, Camp Hospital #48. On Oct. 16, 1918, he wrote home, in a letter provided by Val. Part of the letter states: “Am not very busy any of the time, but we can never tell just when we will be. This is surely a funny-looking country over here. . . The people here don’t drive their horses, but lead them. I have seen five
horses on drags, each horse having a section. . . When they put more than one on a wagon — or rather, cart, for that is more what they are — they put one in the shafts and one ahead. They also use quite a few oxen. I do not know much about the front. It is a long way from where I am stationed. I am just as safe here as I would be at home and maybe I am better off than I would be there because I get to bed at a regular time. I have not missed a meal since I came away from home, not even on the ship. . . .Had a nice long ride in box cars over here. I don’t fancy that part of it very much. They ride too much like a Ford. I don’t know, but it seemed like the one in which I was had eight corners on the wheels.”
In June of 1919, he returned to the United States on the ship, U.S.S. Montana and was discharged on July 7, 1919. For several years he lived on the farm with his parents. In the 1920 census, his brother Forest and his wife, and well as his widowed sister Bertha and her son were also living on the farm.
On July 7, 1923, Wilbur married Mary Schneider. They couple farmed near Ashland until 1957 when they retired and moved into town. Then in 1967 they moved to Osmond.
According to his story in the Osmond Centennial book, Wilbur enjoyed reading very much, and each day walked to the post office to pick up the mail. Val recalls that her grandfather loved to read Louis L’Amour books.
Wilbur died suddenly at Osmond General Hospital on Oct. 25, 1971, at the age of 82, after having been a patient there for several days. Funeral services were held at the United Methodist Church, and he was buried in Hillcrest Memorial Park at Norfolk.
He and Mary had one daughter, Mardelle, who was married to Leon Buckendahl.
