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Our (Mardon
Erbland and Marsha Smith nee Erbland) personal connection with
Versailles is through
our mother, Marion Brown.
Until 1906, her father, Will L. Brown, operated a
store on the river side of
Water Street at the corner of Main
and Water Streets (image via Mapblast!©). Marion, her
sister and two brothers, as well as both of her parents, were born in
Versailles. They lived there until 1906, when they moved to
Lake-O-Springs, Ohio near what was then New Berlin (now North Canton).
Our mother's full name was Marion Arline
Brown, born 1899-05-13; she died 1996-06-21 at
Wooster, OH, and is buried
in North
Canton. She married Donald
Erbland.
Our maternal grandmother, Maude Belle
Jeffery, was born 1872-10-21 in
Versailles and died 1929-04-17 at Lake-O-Springs near North Canton, OH.
She is buried
in North
Canton. Maude's parents were Stephen Jeffery and
Susanah Terry.
Stephen Jeffery (Maude's father) was born
1830-02-13 at Coxheath, Kent County,
England. He died 1904-04-24 at Sunnyside Washington, where he is buried in
Sunnyside
Cemetery (map image via Mapblast!©.
See also Find-A-Grave.)
Stephen's parents were Stephen Jeffery (b. approx. 1774, Brenchley District,
Kent County England and d. approx. 1864 near Maidstone, Kent County,
England. The surname was spelled "Jeffery" until sometime after
Stephen moved to North America and got married. The spelling was changed
to "Jeffrey" for reasons unknown. The grave markers in the
Versailles cemetery all use the "Jeffrey" spelling.. [Incidentally "Jeffrey" is my (Mardon's)
middle name.]
Susan Terry was born 1831-09-07 at Wateringbury, Kent County England and died
1892-12-14 at Versailles, NY. Her death is recorded on Register of Death
Record #113 at Perrysburg, NY from cancer of the uterus, certified by C.C.
Johnson, M.D. Her parents were John Terry and Mary Cox.
Our maternal grandfather, Will Lincoln
Brown, was born 1863-11-22 at Versailles and died 1959-10-08
at North Canton, OH. He is buried
in North
Canton.
Will L. Brown was one of six children of Elisha
Brown, born Luzern, NY,
1817-08-20 and Marion Eliza Hills born Pomfret, Chautauqua County, NY, 1832-11-02.
Two of his brother's, Levi Brown and Simeon
Brown, also moved to WNY with Elisha from their home in the Luzern /
Queensbury area of eastern NY. Elisha and
Marion were married at Perrysburg, NY, on 1849-10-10. Their children
included: Agnes Susan Brown, born 1853-11-04; Ida Mary Brown born 1856-04-25;
Spencer Elisha Brown born 1858-12-22, Will Lincoln Brown, born Versailles
1863-09-22; Walter Norman Brown born 1874-03-23 and Marion Alice Brown born
1851-03-21.
According to the text of a document written and signed
on Nov. 7, 1973 by Marion A. Erbland (nee Brown), her parents, Maude and Will, were married on
"Dec 18, 1893 By Rev. W. David Owl —> Parsonage on Iroquois Indian
Reservation, N.Y." A note written by Donald Erbland (husband of
Marion Brown), Will and Maude were married at the "Thomas Indian School,
Iroquois, N.Y.". Will also told of having been made a member of the Wolf Clan,
Seneca Nation (one of the six Nations that formed "The Iroquois
Confederacy".) According to family records, "Noah
TwoGuns"
was Will's teacher and there is a note about a "wonderful chicken
dinner" that Will and Noah had together. The family records say that
the ceremony took place "across from the Presbyterian Church".
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