Anna Cochran Sutton was born 15 November 1812 in Cleves, Hamilton, Ohio to Reuben Sutton and Mary Eleanor Miller/Laentye Miller. It is believed Reuben was of Irish descent and Eleanor may have been Dutch (It is thought that Laentye/Laentje is Dutch for Eleanor). A newspaper clipping about Leander says, "He came to Ripley County when a young man. He walked down from Cinncinati, carrying his wordly goods tied in a small red handkerchief. As soon as he came to the Stringtown neighborhood he espied Anna Cochran Sutton, who was born Nov. 15, 1812. She had red hair and Leander thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, so resolved to make her his wife. She was not so greatly attracted to him but finally he won her and they were married. . ." Anna Sutton married Leander Smith on 27 April 1837 in Ripley County, Indiana.

In the 1820 Census Anna was enumerated in her father's household in Ripley County, Indiana:

1820 Ripley County, Indiana
Series: M33 Roll: 15 Page: 49
Reuben Sutton 2 1 1 0 1 2 1 0 1 0 3
males under 10: 2 Archibald abt. 5 and David Miller abt. 2
males 10-15: 1 Joseph abt. 15
males 16-18: 1 William B. abt. 17
males 19-26: 0
males 27-44: 1 Reuben abt. 39
males 45+: 0
females under 10: 2 Unknown and Anna Cochran abt. 8
females 10-15: 1 Mary Frances abt. 12
females 16-25: 0
females 26-44: 1 Mary Eleanor abt. 38
females 45+: 0
Number in Agriculture: 3

Then she was enumerated in 1840 in Leander's household in Ripley, Indiana with their first two children.

1840 Census: Ripley, Indiana; Roll: 92; Page: 87
Leander Smith
Free White Males
under 5: 2 Martin Smith and Seth Smith
20 & under 30: 1 Leander Smith
Free White Females
under 5:
20 & under 30: 1 Anna C. Smith

Leander purchased a quarter section of land from the government. They first lived in a small log house on their property where they cleared the land, farmed, and raised hay. Leander and his brother, John built the Smith house in 1850. It was a large brick house on a hilltop on 450 E about one and half miles south of Pierceville. The money Leander and Anna made from the sale of hay was used to buy other land. They accumulated enough farms to give one to each of their nine children (Seth was given money instead of a farm since he was uninterested in farming), all of whom settled in Ripley County, Indiana. Leander also paid for substitues to fight in the Civil War in place of his two oldest sons, Martin and Seth since they had families at the time. Leander and Anna lived on their farm in Washington Township, Ripley County, Indiana the rest of their lives as evidenced by their census records.

Anna died the 10th of October, 1885 in Stringtown, Ripley County, Indiana and is buried in the Blasdel Cemetery, Stringtown, Ripley County, Indiana.