|
a.
|
Note: N92 Brewster, Melvina
Brewster - Ross Cemetery in Pleasant Vale Township
Melvina "Ross" Brewster
Birth Date: August 22 1834
Death Date: December 31 1912
Tombstone Inscription: maybe the wife of Charles t. Brewster
(from the ILGENWEB project - tombstone inscriptions) (note: some transcription errors have been made in these entries; the birth date is significantly different)
________________
Came to Pike Co in 1836 with her mother, first near Pittsfield, later near Barry. She was the youngest of 6 children and the last survivor.
Melvina and her mother were hired by Charles Tryon Brewster to keep house and cook for his hired men. Melvina was 17 and Charles 40 when they married.
According to Harry Walch “Melvina was a hustler, a worker; pushed things; turned us kids loose in her big house to have a good time.”
Two years after the death of Charles Melivina married Alexander Kenneth Ross.
“On the 27th of January, 1878, Mr. Ross was united in marriage to Mrs. Melvina Brewster, nee Purcell, a daughter of Aaron and Maria (Clement) Purcell, who removed from Canada to Indiana, where Mrs. Ross was born. The parents also took up their abode in Pike county at an early day, locating here when the country was largely an unbroken wilderness. Deer were frequently seen and venison was no unusual dish upon the table of the early settlers. Other wild game could be had in abundance and there was every evi- dence of frontier life in uncut tracts of timber land and the stretches of unimproved prairie. The father died in Memphis, Tennessee, while the mother's death occurred in Pike county in 1863. In their family were six children but Mrs. Ross is the only one now living. She was brought to this county when but four years of age and was reared here, obtaining her early education in one of the primitive log schoolhouses with slab benches, crude writing desks and a huge fireplace in one end of the room to heat the building. Often in those days she saw wild deer and frequently wolves and other wild animals.
She can remember the county when it was but sparsely settled and the work of improvement and progress seemed scarcely begun. She is a worthy representative of one of the honored pioneer families of this part of the state and she owns here about nine hundred acres of land. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Ross is most attractively situated, standing back about three hundred feet from the road, the walk thereto being lined on each side by evergreen trees. There is a beautiful and well kept lawn which presents a splendid setting for their residence and the home is one which would be a credit to any city. There were three children by Mrs. Ross' first marriage: Charles E., a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Annie B., who is the widow of Elmer West and resides with Mr. and Mrs. Ross ; and Minnie M., also at home.
(from “Past and Present of Pike County Illinois”)
__________
1880 Census - Melvina Ross (45), Alexander Ross (42), Annie Ross (16), Minnie Brewster (10) are living in Pleasant Vale, Pike, IL. Annie is likely Anna Brewster, not Ross.
1900 Census - Melvina Ross (65), Alexander Ross (70), Annie B West (35), Minnie Brewster (28), Lois West (14), and Minnie H West (11) are living in Pleasant Vale, Pike, IL. Melvina’s parents are reported to have been from Virginia. She is listed as a landlady, her husband, Alexander a farmer. Melvina is the mother of 14 children, 3 living. Annie was the mother of 3 children, 2 living.
1910 Census - Melvina Ross (75), Anna West (46), Minnie Brewster (40), Lois West (24), M. Helen West (21), and Alonzo Shewa (or Shews) are living in Pleasant Vale, Pike, IL. Melvina’s parents are reported to be from Kentucky. Alonzo is a laborer on the farm. Melvina is a farmer. Anna and Minnie have “income”
___________________
Birth:
Aug. 22, 1834
Iowa, USA
Death:
Dec. 31, 1912
Pike County
Illinois, USA
She was the daughter of Aaron Purcell & Maria Clement. She was first married to Charles Tryon Brewster. After his death, she married Alexander Ross.
Family links:
Parents:
Maria Clement Purcell (1802 - 1864)
Spouses:
Charles Tryon Brewster (1811 - 1875)
Alexander K. Ross (1838 - 1909)
Burial:
Brewster Cemetery
New Canton
Pike County
Illinois, USA
Edit Virtual Cemetery info [?]
Created by: Kathy Robinson
Record added: Apr 27, 2013
Find A Grave Memorial# 109617689
|
