I'm pretty confident that I may have found some unknown history on "Sergeant Carter's" families past.

"Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter" of Gomer Pyle USMC, was played by Frank Spencer Sutton of Clarksville, Tennessee. His father was Frank Sims Sutton of McEwen, Tennessee, and his grandfather was Caleb Cox Sutton of Hickman County, Tennessee. Caleb Cox Sutton was listed in the POW roles in 1864 as Private Caleb C. Sutton, 1st Tennessee Cavarly, CSA. Released on oath on August 2, 1864. He is also listed in Company I, 6th Tennessee (Wheeler's) Cavalry.

This was difficult to find since his family tree is not complete online and no one had linked him to Caleb (his great grandfather). I believe it is because the 1930 census had Frank Spencer Sutton's father's age as 35 when in fact it was nearer to 25 (according to a typesetters organization magazine in 1922). Frank Sims Sutton was a newspaper typesetter in Clarksville, in the 1910 McEwen census, Frank S. Sutton (age 5) is listed with his brother (age 16) who was a newspaper editor in McEwen. Their father was Robert L. Sutton, born in 1862 in McEwen, and it was easy after that.

I may be wrong but this sure looks like it may have legs.

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David Upton