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Note: N19 Son Charles Edward wrote:
My maternal grandfather was a ne'r do well unfortunate man, much given to drink, with a large family living from hand to mouth ub sine itger fikjs; abadibed giyses ub tge bew ciuntry of western New York. My mother was sort of adopted in her childhood by a comfortable family the man of whom I remember in childhood as grandpa Messenger, This family moved to Ohio when she was ten or twelve years old and settled in the woods in Concord township-Lake county, the town adjoining Mentor where Garfield had his country home when assassinated, and about 20 miles north of Russell where father went just before my birth. I was there visiting a number of times in childhood and that family visited us. At age fifteen she married to William Brown to whom I never heard reference except as "ma's first husband. ........
My mother Ruth Paddock Brown lost her first husband and baby by death when she was sisteen.She was overcome by her loss and went back to New York state to get among her own people and became a very engaging young widow. Aunt Rhoda, her sister, told me that when Ruth came back there from Ohil and got braced up from her grief she was 'handsome as a picture'. She was much undersized as father was over. She was small and slight with very small hands and feet. Her features were small, her hair dark, as I think, she had freckles, and was plump with full and fine form. She had been a widow fro about four years when she met and married father.......
Mother died in June 1850 and I became eight years old in September. My recollections of her are meager. She had been ill and broken physically perhaps two years before. She was a little woman with very small hands and feet. I have been told by my Aunt Rhoda, mother was an enticing young widow who met my father, that she was pretty as a picture. She must have had the ability to work and did it. I have heard family talk that when they were early married and father was building the Chemung canal, she cooked for thirty men. I remember her as the director and manager of our very large household and directing many things, making soap in spring, getting 75 and 100 mince pies made and baked, making a barrel of boiled cider apple sauce, making sausage and putting down the pork and attending to smoking hams. I have no recollection of anything to show that mother had any social life in the way of going out to company, or receiving company according to ordinary life among neighbors in the country. She went on trips to her foster parents the Messingers, in Concord 20 miles away, went to the falls, our market town to do trading, had much company in visits of relatives, and had much attention from the numerous preachers who were much at our house and were lavish of praise of her mince pies and other delicacies and complimented her hospitality.
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