John Sutherlands grandparents, Col. Castle and Nancy Ann, were both born in New York in the last decade of the 18th Century. His father, Solomon, was the youngest of 11 children. By 1828 Castle and Nancy Ann were in Washtenaw County in Ann Arbor and Scio, where Solomon was born, 1833. By 1834 Castle owned land in Deerfield Township. The 1880 History reports Castle was highly spoken of as a responsible citizen of that area.
In 1861, Solomon became the third owner of 80 acres in the W ½ SW ¼ of Section 2 in Green Oak Township and 80 acres in the E ½ SE ¼ of Section 3. These pieces abutted each other, the Huron almost divided them in half.
By 1875 the map indicates Sutherland Road, between Pleasant Valley and Kensington, with a bridge over the Huron. (Prior to that it was necessary to ford the river.) Their cabin had probably been built by former owner John Myers but soon after, Solomon and his bride, Sara Augusta Myers, were living in a fine frame farmhouse on a hill overlooking the river. Son John, b 1860 was the second child of four.
John married Widow Clara Quackenbush in 1882. He and Clara raised her son, Fred and Daughter, Elizabeth; the father, Scott, had died in 1877.
Solomon died in 1888, leaving John to care for the farm and his mother. (His sister Laura had married Charles E. Stanfield, brother William, married and moved to South Lyon, Brother Warren had died at 22.) John most likely continued farming in the tradition of his father. An 1875 ad, as noted in Yesteryears of Green Oak, says Solomon was a general farmer, growing grain, stock and fruit. He owned a steam threshing machine. Will do in good shape and low rates all work entrusted to him.
Besides farming John participated in the functioning of Green Oak Township as treasurer, Justice of the Peace and as constable during the years. Clara died in 1923 and John 20 years later. Both are buried in Kensington Cemetery as are his parents and brother Warren. By 1935 the Sutherland property is owned by the Liberty Starter Company. By 1954 that and much more is owned by the State of Michigan Conservation Department, part of todays Island Lake Recreation Area.
Compiled by Marieanna Bair from county atlases and census records; Early Land Owners and Settler of Livingston County: and Early obituaries compiled by Milton Charboneau.