"Polly" was the daughter of Captain John Hutcheson and his second wife, Mrs. Mary nee' Jones Suggett. She was described by her gr-gr-grandson, Judge C.S. Hutcheson, as "a sparkling eyed girl of keen wit". "Polly's" education was good for those times and included a year at a boarding school, the Buckingham Institute. She stated that the first reading that she did was called "The Children of the Abbey". Although no letters survive her, other family correspondence indicates that she regularly communicated via mail to her far flung family. She married in 1823 at the age of 17 and produced five children. She and her husband built a new home 8 years into their marriage in recognition of the fact that the family was growing and because they were doing well. She was particularly proud of her modest but handsome parlor hearth. Besides the normal business of running a plantation home, she had the additional burden of taking care of her invalid son, Sterling, born in 1834, of whom it was reported that he did not speak or walk, but that he was intelligent and understood all that was said. He lived with her for 54 years. During her widowed years she had great support from her eldest daughter Mrs. "Adele" Love/Brown who lived close by.
A story survives that gives a glimpse of her personality. The incident took place at the back end of the Civil War. A woman of whom it was said possessed slack morals petitioned the Colonel to ride to the Petersburg lines on one of the Col.'s horses to offer her services in the comforting of the sick and wounded. He approved. As the horse was brought from the barn, Polly noticed that the saddle was hers. Upon hearing that the Colonel had given his approval for the trip, she called him in and told him that if he was determined to "send sin to the soldiers". "Miss Iniquity" would not arrive on her saddle! Another suitable seat was found. Polly was apparently a good cook. In an Aug. 1884 letter her son Joe wrote to his daughter, Elise, the following: "Found Grand Ma in apparent fair health with the surrounding of plenty and the comforts of good eating blessing her & us all the while. Mildred was so over come the other day with Ma's good eating she said to me, "Papa does Grand Ma live this good all the time, she certainly does have good things to eat?" At the ripe age of 88 yrs & 6 months Polly passed away; but not before she witnessed the birth of her gr-gr-grandson, and husband's namesake, Judge C. Sterling Hutcheson, as seen in the above photo.
A story survives that gives a glimpse of her personality. The incident took place at the back end of the Civil War. A woman of whom it was said possessed slack morals petitioned the Colonel to ride to the Petersburg lines on one of the Col.'s horses to offer her services in the comforting of the sick and wounded. He approved. As the horse was brought from the barn, Polly noticed that the saddle was hers. Upon hearing that the Colonel had given his approval for the trip, she called him in and told him that if he was determined to "send sin to the soldiers". "Miss Iniquity" would not arrive on her saddle! Another suitable seat was found. Polly was apparently a good cook. In an Aug. 1884 letter her son Joe wrote to his daughter, Elise, the following: "Found Grand Ma in apparent fair health with the surrounding of plenty and the comforts of good eating blessing her & us all the while. Mildred was so over come the other day with Ma's good eating she said to me, "Papa does Grand Ma live this good all the time, she certainly does have good things to eat?" At the ripe age of 88 yrs & 6 months Polly passed away; but not before she witnessed the birth of her gr-gr-grandson, and husband's namesake, Judge C. Sterling Hutcheson, as seen in the above photo.
"Polly" was the daughter of Captain John Hutcheson and his second wife, Mrs. Mary nee' Jones Suggett. She was described by her gr-gr-grandson, Judge C.S. Hutcheson, as "a sparkling eyed girl of keen wit". "Polly's" education was good for those times and included a year at a boarding school, the Buckingham Institute. She stated that the first reading that she did was called "The Children of the Abbey". Although no letters survive her, other family correspondence indicates that she regularly communicated via mail to her far flung family. She married in 1823 at the age of 17 and produced five children. She and her husband built a new home 8 years into their marriage in recognition of the fact that the family was growing and because they were doing well. She was particularly proud of her modest but handsome parlor hearth. Besides the normal business of running a plantation home, she had the additional burden of taking care of her invalid son, Sterling, born in 1834, of whom it was reported that he did not speak or walk, but that he was intelligent and understood all that was said. He lived with her for 54 years. During her widowed years she had great support from her eldest daughter Mrs. "Adele" Love/Brown who lived close by.
A story survives that gives a glimpse of her personality. The incident took place at the back end of the Civil War. A woman of whom it was said possessed slack morals petitioned the Colonel to ride to the Petersburg lines on one of the Col.'s horses to offer her services in the comforting of the sick and wounded. He approved. As the horse was brought from the barn, Polly noticed that the saddle was hers. Upon hearing that the Colonel had given his approval for the trip, she called him in and told him that if he was determined to "send sin to the soldiers". "Miss Iniquity" would not arrive on her saddle! Another suitable seat was found. Polly was apparently a good cook. In an Aug. 1884 letter her son Joe wrote to his daughter, Elise, the following: "Found Grand Ma in apparent fair health with the surrounding of plenty and the comforts of good eating blessing her & us all the while. Mildred was so over come the other day with Ma's good eating she said to me, "Papa does Grand Ma live this good all the time, she certainly does have good things to eat?" At the ripe age of 88 yrs & 6 months Polly passed away; but not before she witnessed the birth of her gr-gr-grandson, and husband's namesake, Judge C. Sterling Hutcheson, as seen in the above photo.
A story survives that gives a glimpse of her personality. The incident took place at the back end of the Civil War. A woman of whom it was said possessed slack morals petitioned the Colonel to ride to the Petersburg lines on one of the Col.'s horses to offer her services in the comforting of the sick and wounded. He approved. As the horse was brought from the barn, Polly noticed that the saddle was hers. Upon hearing that the Colonel had given his approval for the trip, she called him in and told him that if he was determined to "send sin to the soldiers". "Miss Iniquity" would not arrive on her saddle! Another suitable seat was found. Polly was apparently a good cook. In an Aug. 1884 letter her son Joe wrote to his daughter, Elise, the following: "Found Grand Ma in apparent fair health with the surrounding of plenty and the comforts of good eating blessing her & us all the while. Mildred was so over come the other day with Ma's good eating she said to me, "Papa does Grand Ma live this good all the time, she certainly does have good things to eat?" At the ripe age of 88 yrs & 6 months Polly passed away; but not before she witnessed the birth of her gr-gr-grandson, and husband's namesake, Judge C. Sterling Hutcheson, as seen in the above photo.
