During the Civil War, John Clinton Dutton, age 21, enlisted on 16 Dec 1861 at Dundee, Michigan, in Company D, 7th Regiment, Michigan Infantry. At that time, he was 5' 7-1/2" tall, dark complected, blue eyes, light hair, a farmer. He was wounded in the knee by a Rebel minie ball on 17 Sept 1862 in the Battle of Antietam. Another bullet grazed a hip, and a 3rd struck food in his pocket. Because of the knee injury, he was discharged 4 Feb 1863 at Camp Alexandria, Virginia.

His father Justin Dutton owned a saloon in Dundee, Michigan. In his youth, John drank, swore, and raised Cain, until he went through the horrors of war, at which time he "got religion" and put Satan behind him. Even in his old age, walking with a cane because of his bad knee, he was a regular Methodist churchgoer, usually accompanied by several grandchildren. His niece, Flossye (Cooper) Newhart, called John Dutton "the finest Christian gentleman I ever knew."

After the war, John returned to Dundee, Michigan. In February 1866, he moved to Hardin County, Iowa, and worked for a farmer near Ackley. While walking along a country road, he met a seven-year-old girl named Becky Lacock, who was swinging on a garden gate. Becky introduced the bearded stranger to her mother, Mary Elizabeth Nott Lacock, who was working as a hired girl for a farmer named Derbyshire near Iowa Falls. John and Mary married on October 4, 1868 at Cottage, Hardin County, Iowa. They had nine children: Julia Ann, Burton Lee, John Clinton Dutton Jr., Sarah Ann "Annie" (died age 4 of diphtheria), Nelson, Beulah Lorraine, Benjamin Luther, Libby (stillborn in 1884), Clarissa Maud "Maud".

On October 4, 1918, John and Mary celebrated their golden wedding anniversary at their home in Alden, Iowa. The Great War still raged in Europe. Spanish Influenza was sweeping the globe, and the government discouraged large gatherings--closing schools, libraries, theaters, & other public places. But the Dutton clan defied the government edict. They hosted a gala affair. All their living children came home (except Ben, who was bedfast with the flu), plus dozens of grandchildren (Mary had 56 grandchildren). The youngest daughter, Clarissa Maud, and a granddaughter, Lucille E. Dutton, arrived a week earlier to help Mary prepare great supplies of food for the vast throng of relatives. Clarissa Maud brought her baby Walter--who had the flu. Helping care for him, Lucille also came down with the very contagious flu, but on the day of the anniversary, her grandfather went to her bedroom and insisted she get out of bed so she could be included in the family photo of everyone present--Lucille is in the back row at the right, next to her tall cousin Clair Dutton. Please click on the photo to view a larger version of it.

John and Mary celebrated their 67th anniversary in 1935, several months before John died of a stroke at age 95. He was buried the day before Christmas. John Dutton was buried in his Civil War uniform. Before the coffin was closed for the final time, his youngest son Ben's boys cut the brass military buttons from his coat for souvenirs of their grandfather. Mary Dutton lived another five years, dying at age 97. She outlived five of her eleven children.