Maternal Line of Robin Pyatt Bellamy
Travers Brown [Parents] was born in Aug 1872 in (Annapolis, Ann Arundel Co.) Md.. He married Catharina in 1895 in Maryland.
The 1880 census shows his name as "Travers" and being 8 yrs. old.
The 1900 census shows his name as "Travis" and being a "waterman", bornin August 1870, and married 5 years.
Catharina was born in Dec 1875 in Maryland. She married Travers Brown in 1895 in Maryland.
The 1900 census shows her parents being born in Germany.
They had the following children:
M i John Henry Brown M ii Travis T. Brown Jr.
Joseph A. Brown Sr [Parents] was born in Jul 1873 in (Annapolis, Ann Arundel Co.) Md.. He married Jennie in 1879 in Maryland.
Conflict as to the year of his birth comes from the 1880 census versuswhat the 1900 census shows. Believe August 1873 as per the 1900 censusto be right.
He was a "plummer" living with his wife & child at his parents' home inAnnapolis in 1900.
Jennie was born in Oct 1879 in Maryland. She married Joseph A. Brown Sr in 1879 in Maryland.
Both of her parents were born in Md. per the 1900 census of Annapolis, Md.
They had the following children:
M i Joseph A. Brown Jr
Joseph H. Brown [Parents] was born on 27 Apr 1841 in Baltimore, Baltimore co., Maryland. He died on 28 Nov 1915. He was sealed to his parents in the SUBMIT temple. He was endowed in the SUBMIT temple. He married Mary A. in 1875 in (Annapolis, Ann Arundel Co.) Md..
BIOGRAPHY: He was a "fisherman" living in the same household as hismother and the Elijah James Russell family in 1870. They were living inAnnapolis, Md. (see FHC film #552,067, pg 719, which Wm. E. Rohr has acopy of). Joseph was unmarried then and had a personal worth of $300.It is believed by this researcher that Joseph was involved in the samefishing business as his brother-in-law, James Russell.
BIOGRAPHY: In the 1880 census of Annapolis, Md., Joseph was in the"oyster & crabbing business" ((see Ed 27, pg #39 of the 1st. Precinct,6th Election Dist. or FHC film #1254494, page 207C). It was recorded onthis census that Joseph's father was born in CT. and his mother was bornin MD. He was married to 48 yr. old Mary A. (she was born in MD., aswere her parents), with his step-daughter, 21 yr. old Jammie Parkinson(may be Jennie) (her birth place was not recorded, nor was it for herparents), also living with them (see notes with Mary).
BIOGRAPHY: As of June 5th, 1900, Joseph and Mary were still living inthe 6th. Dist. of Annapolis, Md. at 149 Prince George St. (see Ed #13,sheet #9). Joseph was still in the "oyster business". Note that thiscensus also indicates that his father was born in MD. and Joseph's motherwas born in Conn.
Per info from Katherine Russell Prosser, his middle initial may be "A".
Mary A. was born in Aug 1832 in Maryland. She married Joseph H. Brown in 1875 in (Annapolis, Ann Arundel Co.) Md..
Other marriages:Parkinson, Mr.
Both of her parents were born in Maryland per the 1880 census.
She had a daughter, Jammie Parkinson, by a previous marriage. COULD HERPREVIOUS HUSBAND BE JOSEPH PARKINSON, THE FRIEND OF ELIJAH JAMES RUSSELL,AS SPOKEN OF IN ELIJAH'S NOTES? NEED TO CHECK THE 1860, AND/OR 1870,CENSUS FOR THEM, LOOKING FOR A DAUGHTER, JAMMIE, BORN ABOUT 1859. ALSO,CHECK FOR ELIJAH JAMES IN THE AREA (HAVE A CENSUS RECORD OF ELIJAH JAMESRUSSELL LIVING IN 3RD. WARD OF BALTIMORE IN 1860).
Mr. Parkinson was born in Maryland. He married Mary A..
This is probably the father to Jammie, who was a daughter to Mary A (seethe 1880 census).
Mary A. was born in Aug 1832 in Maryland. She married Mr. Parkinson.
Other marriages:Brown, Joseph H.
Both of her parents were born in Maryland per the 1880 census.
She had a daughter, Jammie Parkinson, by a previous marriage. COULD HERPREVIOUS HUSBAND BE JOSEPH PARKINSON, THE FRIEND OF ELIJAH JAMES RUSSELL,AS SPOKEN OF IN ELIJAH'S NOTES? NEED TO CHECK THE 1860, AND/OR 1870,CENSUS FOR THEM, LOOKING FOR A DAUGHTER, JAMMIE, BORN ABOUT 1859. ALSO,CHECK FOR ELIJAH JAMES IN THE AREA (HAVE A CENSUS RECORD OF ELIJAH JAMESRUSSELL LIVING IN 3RD. WARD OF BALTIMORE IN 1860).
They had the following children:
F i Jammie Parkinson was born in 1859 in Maryland.
They had the following children:
F i Katherine Lundy
Travers T. Brown [Parents] was born on 13 Mar 1846 in Maryland. He died on 3 Dec 1921. He was sealed to his parents in the SUBMIT temple. He was endowed in the SUBMIT temple. He married Catherine in 1867 in Maryland.
He was listed in the 1870 Annapolis, Md. census (FHC film #552,067, pg715) as a "sailor". Travers was 23, his wife (Catharine) was 22 yrs old,daughter Pheobe was 2, and son Roland was 3 months old (census dated Aug.4, 1870). They all lived 3 houses away (by census taker's visitation)from Enos Brewer, who was a very good friend of Elijah James Russell (seenotes with Elijah James Russell).
Found him, his wife and kids in the 1880 census of Annapolis, MD. He wasa "Dealer in oysters & crabs" at the time. He lived across and down thesame street as his brother, John T.
The above record shows his father's birth place as MD. Have this recordon file. They lived in house on Prince George St., Annapolis.
Found him with his wife & kids again in 1900, still living same street inAnnapolis. He was a "store keeper" at the time. Owned his own home also.
Per the history of the Annapolis Police Department, Travers became theChief of Police there from 1901 to 1903.
His name may have been Travis.
Catherine was born in Feb 1848 in Maryland. She married Travers T. Brown in 1867 in Maryland.
Her parents both were born in MD. per the 1880 census.
They had the following children:
George W. Freeman was born in 1845 in Maryland. He was sealed to his parents in the Seattle Washington temple. He was baptized in 1994 in Seatt. He was endowed in 1994 in the Seattle Washington temple. He married Josephine J. Brown in Annapolis, Maryland.
He was listed as a 26 yr. old "laborer" in the 1870 census of Annapolis,Md. He, his 26 yr. old wife (Josephine, maiden name Brown), and theirdaughter (3 month old Caroline), were all living with some of hissiblings in the household of an Elizabeth Freeman (55 yrs old at thetime), right next door to his sister-in-law (Caroline) and her husband,Elijah Russell. Elijah and Caroline were living with Caroline's mother,Pheobe Brown, who is also the mother to Josephine. Could ElizabethFreeman be the mother to George, and the rest of these Freemans in thishousehold? This info can be viewed on FHC film #552,067 page 719.
His occupation per the 1880 census of Annapolis, Md. was a "oyster &crabber". They lived on East Street then. His parents were both born inMd. per that census.
Josephine J. Brown [Parents] was born in 1848 in Maryland. She was sealed to her parents in the SUBMIT temple. She was endowed in the SUBMIT temple. She married George W. Freeman in Annapolis, Maryland.
They had the following children:
William Johnston [Parents] died in 1547. He married Margaret Hay.
Margaret Hay [Parents]
They had the following children:
M i George Johnston
Melancthon Ferry [Parents] was born in May 1819 in White Hall, Washington Co., New York. He died on 13 Aug 1888 in Naperville, Du Page Co., Illinois. He was buried in 1888 in Spring Lake Cemetery, Aurora, Du Page co., Il.. He was sealed to his parents in the Manti Utah temple. He was baptized on 2 Jul 1958. He was endowed on 19 Dec 1958 in the Manti Utah temple. He married Maryette C. Woodman in 1845 in DuPage Co., Illinois. They were sealed on 10 Jul 1959 in the Manti Utah temple.
Other marriages:Ford, Sarah E.
Seldon, Nellie Ellen
He may have been born in the area of Whitehall, New York. See notes withhis father, Sylvanius Ferry.
BIOGRAPHY: He helped move his folks, one brother & one sister, fromeastern New York to the Wabash Valley, Indiana in 1837. He rode a horseand drove 3 cows, while the rest of the family moved by emigrant wagon.In 1840 they moved to Naperville, Du Page county, ILL.
AREA HISTORY: Naperville was in the heart of the Illinois frontier, thefirst settlers having come there in 1831. In the early 1850's, most ofthe Naperville streets were furnished with planked walks. More thanlikely, Melancthon took part in the first election ever held inNaperville, which was on May 4, 1857. In the first history of Du Pagecounty, published in 1857, Naperville was described as follows: "It(Naperville) has upwards of 2,000 inhabitants, 2 hotels, 12 stores, 6churches, 1 bakery, 1 bank, 2 Post Offices, 1 grist mill, 10manufacturers, 1 saw mill, 2 breweries, 1 tin & stove warehouse, 1printing office, 2 quarries, 2 extensive lumber yards, 2 nurseries, manylibraries (9), and 1 incorporated academy. It was the county seat from1839 until 1880."
BIOGRAPHY: Later, Melancthon bought land to farm for $1.25 an acre fromthe government. This land is located just east of the Ferry road on theC.A. & E. Electric Railroad. Later he bought other land, a few acres ata time. In 1853 or 1854 he bought a part of the present (1927) Ferryfarm, the price ranging from $12.50 to $25 an acre. He built the mainpart of the present (1927) house and moved into it in 1854. It isinteresting to note that Mr. William Simpson was the carpenter who builtthe house & later became his son-in-law. He (Melancthon) split rails &made fence for part of the farm and set out hedge, which surrounded otherparts.
BIOGRAPHY: Melancthon was married to Maryette Woodman about 1845; had 6children, 3 of whom grew to maturity and married: Delia married WilliamSimpson -- had 3 children.
Ira married Sarah Briggs -- had 6 children; 4 ofwhom are now living (1927).
Etta married George Simpson -- had 2 children.BIOGRAPHY: After the death of Maryette, Melancthon married Nellie EllenSeldon -- had 2 children:
Minnie Grace married Allen Travers Russell
CharlesBIOGRAPHY: His son Ira stayed on the farm and married in 1870. Ira diedin 1887, just 40 years ago (1927), leaving 6 children. His (Ira's)oldest son, George, was married in 1895 and is still living on the oldhome place with his family (1927).
BIOGRAPHY: Three generations have been born and raised on this farm.
The above comments came from hand written notes that were handed out atthe Ferry family re-union on the Ferry farm on June 18, 1927.
More comments from these re-union notes are with the data on his fatherand his brother.
BIOGRAPHY: Another history source (The Warrenville Heritage Cookbook,page 6) stated the following about the Ferry farm: "The farm was operatedby Melancthon, his son James Ira (Elmer's grandfather), George W. Ferry(Elmer's father), Elmer's brother Lorin, and by Elmer (Ferry), up until1971. It was also the childhood home of Lillis (Ferry) Hoover and Viola(Ferry) Avery."
BIOGRAPHY: Melancthon shows up in the 1850 census of the town ofNaperville, dated Aug. 28th. (see FHC film #007,678, page 22), beinglisted as 31 year old N.Y. born "farmer", with $1800 worth of realestate. Living with him are his wife, 23 yr old N.H. born, Maritta C., 4yr old daughter Adelia E., and 2 yr old son James I., both born in IL.At this time, the area of Naperville Township was made up of 459 homes,and/or farms.
BIOGRAPHY: By 1860, the rural area of Naperville was made up of 190homes, or farms, while the incorporated City of Naperville was made up ofan additional 230 residences, per the census. Melancthon shows up atthis time (June 1, 1860, FHC film #803,175, page 1)) in Naperville as a41 year old N.Y. born farmer with $9800 worth of real estate and $1800worth of personal property. Living with him are, his 33 yr old N.H. bornwife, Marriett C., 14 yr old Cordelia A. (daughter), 12 yr old Ira J.(son), 10 yr old Melinda V. (daughter), 8 yr old George S. (son), allborn in IL. Melancthon and Marriett also had a 30 yr old Germany bornIsreal Lint (laborer) and 20 yr old IL. born Margaret Maxwell (schoolteacher). Margaret could have been schooling Melancthon's children.
BIOGRAPHY: Melancthon Ferry shows up in the 1870 census (dated July11th.) as a 51 yr old N.Y. born farmer, with his second wife, 27 yr oldOhio born Sarah, living in the 7th Ward of Aurora, Kane county, IL. (seeFHC film #545, 735, page 96). There were no children living with themthen. Sarah would only live about two more years. At the same time(1870), four houses away, lived Melancthon's future in-laws, Calvin &Mary Selden (see notes with Nellie Seldon), parents of Melancthon's thirdwife, Nellie. However, Nellie Seldon was living in Little Rock township,Kindall county, IL. in the household of a minster from N.Y., Mr. CharlesHobbard.
BIOGRAPHY: Per the probate records of Du Page county, Melancthon ownedland in sections 3 & 4 of Naperville Township in 1862. In 1874, perthese probate records, he owned land in sections 3 & 5 in NapervilleTownship.
BIOGRAPHY: Per the "1874 Du Page County, IL. Atlas and Land OwnershipMaps" that Wm. E. Rohr acquired via the Internet, it appears thatMelancthon owned about 22-23 acres of farmland, in 1874, in section 6just west of what is now the intersection of the Diehl Rd. and the EolaRd., just off of I-88 and just north of Eola, IL. (this Eola was markedon the 1874 map as "Eola P.O.", which at that time was located on LundSt., across from a cheese factory). This was a few blocks north of hisbrother's farm, Joseph Ferry, which was in section 30. This 22 acres mayhave been another track of acreage he owned, in addition to a farm inAurora, IL., if he did indeed own a farm in Aurora.
Note: At this time (July 2001), we're not sure if the Ferry farm,mentioned in the notes from the Ferry Reunion, was in Du Page county orin Kane county, because of the above and below paragraphs. We think itwas in Du Page county because there is now a "Ferry Road" in the samearea of the above mentioned farm and we're thinking it was named afterSylvanius Ferry.
BIOGRAPHY: Some data came from the 1880 census & soundex. In the 1880census of Aurora, Kane county, IL. (FHC film #1,254,217; Ed #74, sheet 1,line 1), dated June 1, 1880, Melancthon was 61 yrs old N.Y. born andlisted as a "Retired Farmer". It further shows his father's birth placeas Mass., and his mother's as N.Y. Besides Melancthon, his 38 year oldVermont born wife, Ellen (may be Nellie's middle name), daughter MinnieG. (4 yrs old) and son, Charles M. (one yr old), and a 15 yr old femaleservant, Mary Welter, all three being born in Illinois, were living withMelancthon in the 1880 census.
Big Woods Road was renamed Ferry Road, when the C. A. & E. Railroad wasbuilt in the 1900's. (Roads in those days were named generally for thefarms they passed through. Examples: Ferry, Diehl, Williams andWiesbrook, just to name a few.)
Temple ordinances completed again in the Seattle Temple on below dates:
Bap: 21 Feb 1995
End: 15 Sep 1995
SP: 4 Oct 1995
SS: 4 Oct 1995BIOGRAPHY: Melancthon's other marriages: Sarah Ford on 22 Jun 1862
Nellie Ellen Seldon(maybe about 1875)AREA HISTORY: No doubt our Ferry ancestors were an important part of thegrowth of the Naperville area. Naperville was formally organized in 1850with a population of 1,628 people. In 1855 there were 2,055inhabitants. The Ferry families were there when the whole area wasgrowing very much. They were living in Naperville when they had a majorflood of the Du Page river in the spring of 1857, which destroyed severalbuildings in town, including three stores. This happened in March whenthe river, swollen by the heavy rains and melting snow, overflowed itsbanks and inundated all the business portion of town. Soon after thestream commenced rising, the mill-dam gave way and let down upon the townan avalanche of water, bearing upon its swift current large sheets ofice, which demolished everything in its way. That following winter(1857), Naperville was incorporated.
FAMILY HISTORY: An excerpt from information given to Wm. E. Rohr in Jan.2002 by Elaine Ferry reads:
"The Ferry family members were always active in community activitiesand have been life long members of Big Woods Congregational Church, alsoholding offices in the church.
In early 1962, the Northern Illinois Gas Co. bought the land south ofthe Ferry Road (meaning the Ferry Farm), which they widened and blacktopped, and erected their offices and laboratories.
In 1971 the remaining portion of the farm, including the home site,was resold (at the Ferry Farm Homestead Auction on June 26, 1971) toContinental Can Co. for their commercial usage, but was never occupieduntil now. Early in 1982 it was resold again, to Illinois Bell, and itis to be used for research by them. To date no building or developmenthas been made. Now 1998 - Land has been resold and is now underdevelopment but who now owns, or is developing, no details available."It was also noted, as of December 2001, that "The land has been farmed byone of the last farmers in this area, Ronald Frieders, up until the late1980's, when now it is all leveled and being re-developed with warehousesand more commercial use."
DEATH & BURIAL: Once had his death date as Aug. 18th, 1888 (one sourcewas from "Early History of Melancthon Ferry Family"). The Spring LakeCemetery record shows him being 68 years old when he died in 1888.
Maryette C. Woodman [Parents] was born on 22 May 1826 in Rumney, Grafton Co., New Hampshire. She died on 15 Sep 1861 in Naperville, Du Page Co., Illinois. She was buried in 1861 in Big Woods Cemetery, Naperville, Du Page co., Il.. She was baptized on 24 Jan 2002 in Arizo. She married Melancthon Ferry in 1845 in DuPage Co., Illinois. They were sealed on 10 Jul 1959 in the Manti Utah temple.
BIOGRAPHY: She had had 6 children by 1927 but only 3 had grown tomaturity & married by 1927.
BIOGRAPHY: She, with her husband, Melancthon, show up in the 1850 censusof the town of Naperville, dated Aug. 28th. (see FHC film #007,678, page22), as 23 yr old N.H. born, Maritta C. they have two children livingwith them; 4 yr old daughter Adelia E., and 2 yr old son James I., bothborn in IL.
BIOGRAPHY: Her name in the 1860 census for Du Page county, IL. waswritten as "Manich C."
BIOGRAPHY: On the cd, Vital Records Index North America, her name wasMarietta on her daughter's marriage record (Etta Adell Ferry to GeorgeSimpson).
BIOGRAPHY: Her name on her gravestone is spelled "Mariett".
CEMETERY HISTORY: The Big Woods Cemetery is a small cemetery next to theBig Woods Church. They are located on the Eola Rd. just a little waysfrom the Ferry Rd., near the corner of Eola & Butterfield roads ( in theNaperville area). This church was organized in Aug. 8, 1838 in a logcabin in the areas. The present building was built in 1849. It is nowcalled Big Woods Congregational Church. Three other churches that camefrom Big Woods' early organization were the Batavia Congregational,Aurora First Congregational, and the Aurora Second Congregationalchurches. It is said in the records that "Though the school rosters (BigWoods School) may contain new names, the names on the church roster stillmatch many of those on the tombstones." This could be very important asthere are at least two markers, maybe three, in the Ferry group thatcan't be identified.
The address for the above mentioned church (and maybe cemetery) is:
Big Woods Congregational Church, Eola Road, Naperville, IL. 60563. Phonenumber is 630-898-0451 (Wm. E. Rohr called them on 12-21-01 and leftmessage requesting information on Ferry members buried there).Another address for information is: Naperville Cemetery Association, 705S. Washington St., Naperville, IL. 60540. Phone 630-355-1057.
CEMETERY HISTORY: The following came from the "Quarterly Publication ofthe Chicago Genealogical Society", Vol. 5, No. 4, page 133:
BIG WOODS CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH CEMETERY
Eola Road, Naperville Township, Illinois
Organized 1835
" When the first settlers came to the area which is now NapervilleTownship, they found abundance all around. The rivers and streams teamedwith fish, great numbers of small animals on the prairie, and thousandsof birds made their homes on the great trees. Along the western borderlay a heavily wooded area, which became know as the Big Woods. Asettlement grew up along its eastern border. It is know as Big Woods,although by 1837 little timber was left.
The first settler in the area was Stillman Hill, who came in 1825. Itis not known that anyone came with him. Between 1834 and 1840, he wasjoined by the Blackmans, Browns, Ferrys, McKees, Paxtons, Warnes, andWhelpleys. Some of their descendents live nearby.
In 1834, the Pottawatomie Indians lived in small villages scatteredabout the countryside. They were friendly to the settlers. ChiefShabbona is said to have warned the settlers of impending attacks by theSac, Fox and Sauk during the Blackhawk War. In accordance with a treaty,about 5000 Pottawatomie headed for reservations at Fort Leavenworth,Kas., Skunk River and De Moines, Iowa in 1835-36.
The Big Woods Congregational Church was organized in 1835. Its firstservice was held in a cabin belonging to Stillman Hill. The larger partof the congregation were Presbyterians but there were Methodist in thegroup and one Catholic family. It was decided to organize as aCongregational church. Charles Brown gave land for a church. In 1849,the log cabin was replaced by an edifice which is the congregation's hometoday. It is one of the oldest churches in the Chicago area.
The churchyard is located next to the edifice. Several years ago, theonly record of burial was destroyed by fire. Today, the cemetery isincorporated as a separate unit.
The inscriptions on the gravestones are badly eroded. Several cannotbe read entirely. Therefore, certain dates and names are missing in theindex of burials. No doubt some markers are missing altogether.
From the inscriptions on the stones, one learns that the lives of thechurch members were closely united. Marriages within the group werefrequent. Included in the index are cross references to maiden names,which are underlined.
Maiden names, when given, are underlined and listed alphabetically.Footnotes follow at the end of article."BURIAL: There are 12 grave sites, within the Big Woods Cemetery, withthe name Ferry on them. However, some do not have a first name on them.
They had the following children:
F i Delia Almina Ferry M ii James Ira Ferry F iii Melinda Viola Ferry was born on 28 Aug 1850 in Naperville, DuPage Co., Illinois. She died in 1861 in Naperville, DuPage co., Il.. She was buried in 1861 in Big Woods Cemetery, Naperville, DuPage co., Il..
BIOGRAPHY: Was born on Melancthon Ferry farm, per a letter from BerthaSimpson to Mr. & Mrs. Allen T. Russell, dated Dec. 21, 1939.
BIOGRAPHY: As per the 1860 census of Naperville, DuPage co., IL. (seeFHC film #803,175, page 1), her name was "Melinda V." and she was 10 yrs.old then (June 1, 1860). She was not listed in the 1850 census that wasdated Aug. 28, 1850, so she was probably born after August of 1850.
DEATH Per the above mentioned letter, Viola Ferry died when she was 12years old.
BURIAL: On her grave marker in the Big Woods Cemetery (next to the BigWoods Church near the corner of Eola Rd. and Butterfield Rd., just downthe Eola Rd. from the Ferry Rd.), it reads "M. Viola".
Found a 28 yr old IL. born Melinda Bumson (father born in N.Y., motherborn in CT., per the census) married to a 34 yr old Prussia born GeorgeBumson living in Winfield, DuPage co., IL. in the 1880 census (FHC film#1254204, page 234C), with two daughters and a son. This couldn't be ourViola because of her death date.M iv George S. Ferry was born in 1851 in Naperville, DuPage Co., Illinois. He died in 1867 in Naperville, DuPage co., Il.. He was buried in 1867 in Big Woods Cemetery, Naperville, DuPage co., Il..
BIOGRAPHY: As per the 1860 census for DuPage co., IL., he was 8 yrs. oldat that time (June 1, 1860).
BIOGRAPHY: Was born on Melancthon Ferry farm, per a letter from BerthaSimpson to Mr. & Mrs. Allen T. Russell, dated Dec. 21, 1939.F v Harriet Ferry was born in 1854 in Naperville, DuPage Co., Illinois. She died in 1856 in Naperville, DuPage co., Il.. She was buried in Big Woods Cemetery, Naperville, DuPage co., Il..
BIOGRAPHY: Was born on Melancthon Ferry farm, per a letter from BerthaSimpson to Mr. & Mrs. Allen T. Russell, dated Dec. 21, 1939.
DEATH: Per the above mentioned letter, Harriet Ferry died when she was 2years old.
BURIAL: She is buried in the Big Woods Cemetery with her parents, butthere is no death date on her grave marker; only her DOB.F vi Etta Adell Ferry
Melancthon Ferry [Parents] was born in May 1819 in White Hall, Washington Co., New York. He died on 13 Aug 1888 in Naperville, Du Page Co., Illinois. He was buried in 1888 in Spring Lake Cemetery, Aurora, Du Page co., Il.. He was sealed to his parents in the Manti Utah temple. He was baptized on 2 Jul 1958. He was endowed on 19 Dec 1958 in the Manti Utah temple. He married Sarah E. Ford on 22 Jun 1862 in Du Page Co, Illinois.
Other marriages:Woodman, Maryette C.
Seldon, Nellie Ellen
He may have been born in the area of Whitehall, New York. See notes withhis father, Sylvanius Ferry.
BIOGRAPHY: He helped move his folks, one brother & one sister, fromeastern New York to the Wabash Valley, Indiana in 1837. He rode a horseand drove 3 cows, while the rest of the family moved by emigrant wagon.In 1840 they moved to Naperville, Du Page county, ILL.
AREA HISTORY: Naperville was in the heart of the Illinois frontier, thefirst settlers having come there in 1831. In the early 1850's, most ofthe Naperville streets were furnished with planked walks. More thanlikely, Melancthon took part in the first election ever held inNaperville, which was on May 4, 1857. In the first history of Du Pagecounty, published in 1857, Naperville was described as follows: "It(Naperville) has upwards of 2,000 inhabitants, 2 hotels, 12 stores, 6churches, 1 bakery, 1 bank, 2 Post Offices, 1 grist mill, 10manufacturers, 1 saw mill, 2 breweries, 1 tin & stove warehouse, 1printing office, 2 quarries, 2 extensive lumber yards, 2 nurseries, manylibraries (9), and 1 incorporated academy. It was the county seat from1839 until 1880."
BIOGRAPHY: Later, Melancthon bought land to farm for $1.25 an acre fromthe government. This land is located just east of the Ferry road on theC.A. & E. Electric Railroad. Later he bought other land, a few acres ata time. In 1853 or 1854 he bought a part of the present (1927) Ferryfarm, the price ranging from $12.50 to $25 an acre. He built the mainpart of the present (1927) house and moved into it in 1854. It isinteresting to note that Mr. William Simpson was the carpenter who builtthe house & later became his son-in-law. He (Melancthon) split rails &made fence for part of the farm and set out hedge, which surrounded otherparts.
BIOGRAPHY: Melancthon was married to Maryette Woodman about 1845; had 6children, 3 of whom grew to maturity and married: Delia married WilliamSimpson -- had 3 children.
Ira married Sarah Briggs -- had 6 children; 4 ofwhom are now living (1927).
Etta married George Simpson -- had 2 children.BIOGRAPHY: After the death of Maryette, Melancthon married Nellie EllenSeldon -- had 2 children:
Minnie Grace married Allen Travers Russell
CharlesBIOGRAPHY: His son Ira stayed on the farm and married in 1870. Ira diedin 1887, just 40 years ago (1927), leaving 6 children. His (Ira's)oldest son, George, was married in 1895 and is still living on the oldhome place with his family (1927).
BIOGRAPHY: Three generations have been born and raised on this farm.
The above comments came from hand written notes that were handed out atthe Ferry family re-union on the Ferry farm on June 18, 1927.
More comments from these re-union notes are with the data on his fatherand his brother.
BIOGRAPHY: Another history source (The Warrenville Heritage Cookbook,page 6) stated the following about the Ferry farm: "The farm was operatedby Melancthon, his son James Ira (Elmer's grandfather), George W. Ferry(Elmer's father), Elmer's brother Lorin, and by Elmer (Ferry), up until1971. It was also the childhood home of Lillis (Ferry) Hoover and Viola(Ferry) Avery."
BIOGRAPHY: Melancthon shows up in the 1850 census of the town ofNaperville, dated Aug. 28th. (see FHC film #007,678, page 22), beinglisted as 31 year old N.Y. born "farmer", with $1800 worth of realestate. Living with him are his wife, 23 yr old N.H. born, Maritta C., 4yr old daughter Adelia E., and 2 yr old son James I., both born in IL.At this time, the area of Naperville Township was made up of 459 homes,and/or farms.
BIOGRAPHY: By 1860, the rural area of Naperville was made up of 190homes, or farms, while the incorporated City of Naperville was made up ofan additional 230 residences, per the census. Melancthon shows up atthis time (June 1, 1860, FHC film #803,175, page 1)) in Naperville as a41 year old N.Y. born farmer with $9800 worth of real estate and $1800worth of personal property. Living with him are, his 33 yr old N.H. bornwife, Marriett C., 14 yr old Cordelia A. (daughter), 12 yr old Ira J.(son), 10 yr old Melinda V. (daughter), 8 yr old George S. (son), allborn in IL. Melancthon and Marriett also had a 30 yr old Germany bornIsreal Lint (laborer) and 20 yr old IL. born Margaret Maxwell (schoolteacher). Margaret could have been schooling Melancthon's children.
BIOGRAPHY: Melancthon Ferry shows up in the 1870 census (dated July11th.) as a 51 yr old N.Y. born farmer, with his second wife, 27 yr oldOhio born Sarah, living in the 7th Ward of Aurora, Kane county, IL. (seeFHC film #545, 735, page 96). There were no children living with themthen. Sarah would only live about two more years. At the same time(1870), four houses away, lived Melancthon's future in-laws, Calvin &Mary Selden (see notes with Nellie Seldon), parents of Melancthon's thirdwife, Nellie. However, Nellie Seldon was living in Little Rock township,Kindall county, IL. in the household of a minster from N.Y., Mr. CharlesHobbard.
BIOGRAPHY: Per the probate records of Du Page county, Melancthon ownedland in sections 3 & 4 of Naperville Township in 1862. In 1874, perthese probate records, he owned land in sections 3 & 5 in NapervilleTownship.
BIOGRAPHY: Per the "1874 Du Page County, IL. Atlas and Land OwnershipMaps" that Wm. E. Rohr acquired via the Internet, it appears thatMelancthon owned about 22-23 acres of farmland, in 1874, in section 6just west of what is now the intersection of the Diehl Rd. and the EolaRd., just off of I-88 and just north of Eola, IL. (this Eola was markedon the 1874 map as "Eola P.O.", which at that time was located on LundSt., across from a cheese factory). This was a few blocks north of hisbrother's farm, Joseph Ferry, which was in section 30. This 22 acres mayhave been another track of acreage he owned, in addition to a farm inAurora, IL., if he did indeed own a farm in Aurora.
Note: At this time (July 2001), we're not sure if the Ferry farm,mentioned in the notes from the Ferry Reunion, was in Du Page county orin Kane county, because of the above and below paragraphs. We think itwas in Du Page county because there is now a "Ferry Road" in the samearea of the above mentioned farm and we're thinking it was named afterSylvanius Ferry.
BIOGRAPHY: Some data came from the 1880 census & soundex. In the 1880census of Aurora, Kane county, IL. (FHC film #1,254,217; Ed #74, sheet 1,line 1), dated June 1, 1880, Melancthon was 61 yrs old N.Y. born andlisted as a "Retired Farmer". It further shows his father's birth placeas Mass., and his mother's as N.Y. Besides Melancthon, his 38 year oldVermont born wife, Ellen (may be Nellie's middle name), daughter MinnieG. (4 yrs old) and son, Charles M. (one yr old), and a 15 yr old femaleservant, Mary Welter, all three being born in Illinois, were living withMelancthon in the 1880 census.
Big Woods Road was renamed Ferry Road, when the C. A. & E. Railroad wasbuilt in the 1900's. (Roads in those days were named generally for thefarms they passed through. Examples: Ferry, Diehl, Williams andWiesbrook, just to name a few.)
Temple ordinances completed again in the Seattle Temple on below dates:
Bap: 21 Feb 1995
End: 15 Sep 1995
SP: 4 Oct 1995
SS: 4 Oct 1995BIOGRAPHY: Melancthon's other marriages: Sarah Ford on 22 Jun 1862
Nellie Ellen Seldon(maybe about 1875)AREA HISTORY: No doubt our Ferry ancestors were an important part of thegrowth of the Naperville area. Naperville was formally organized in 1850with a population of 1,628 people. In 1855 there were 2,055inhabitants. The Ferry families were there when the whole area wasgrowing very much. They were living in Naperville when they had a majorflood of the Du Page river in the spring of 1857, which destroyed severalbuildings in town, including three stores. This happened in March whenthe river, swollen by the heavy rains and melting snow, overflowed itsbanks and inundated all the business portion of town. Soon after thestream commenced rising, the mill-dam gave way and let down upon the townan avalanche of water, bearing upon its swift current large sheets ofice, which demolished everything in its way. That following winter(1857), Naperville was incorporated.
FAMILY HISTORY: An excerpt from information given to Wm. E. Rohr in Jan.2002 by Elaine Ferry reads:
"The Ferry family members were always active in community activitiesand have been life long members of Big Woods Congregational Church, alsoholding offices in the church.
In early 1962, the Northern Illinois Gas Co. bought the land south ofthe Ferry Road (meaning the Ferry Farm), which they widened and blacktopped, and erected their offices and laboratories.
In 1971 the remaining portion of the farm, including the home site,was resold (at the Ferry Farm Homestead Auction on June 26, 1971) toContinental Can Co. for their commercial usage, but was never occupieduntil now. Early in 1982 it was resold again, to Illinois Bell, and itis to be used for research by them. To date no building or developmenthas been made. Now 1998 - Land has been resold and is now underdevelopment but who now owns, or is developing, no details available."It was also noted, as of December 2001, that "The land has been farmed byone of the last farmers in this area, Ronald Frieders, up until the late1980's, when now it is all leveled and being re-developed with warehousesand more commercial use."
DEATH & BURIAL: Once had his death date as Aug. 18th, 1888 (one sourcewas from "Early History of Melancthon Ferry Family"). The Spring LakeCemetery record shows him being 68 years old when he died in 1888.
Sarah E. Ford was born in 1841 in Oh.. She died in 1872. She was buried in 1872 in Big Woods Cemetery, Naperville, Du Page co., Il.. She was baptized on 24 Jan 2002 in Arizo. She married Melancthon Ferry on 22 Jun 1862 in Du Page Co, Illinois.
BIOGRAPHY: She only lived a short time after they were married.
BIOGRAPHY: Sarah shows up in the 1870 census (dated July 11th.) as the27 yr old Ohio born wife of a 51 yr old N.Y. born farmer, MelancthonFerry, living in the 7th Ward of Aurora, Kane county, IL. (see FHC film#545, 735, page 96). This is the source used for Sarah's DOB and placeof birth.
