Cyrus and Mary (nee Brewer) Barrett
Cyrus the Third was born in Hillsdale County, Michigan in 1860. His parents, Cyrus and Mary (Bates) apparently moved to Hillsdale County, which is just hop, skip and a jump away from Williams County, OH.
In those days there was a great dispute between Ohio and Michigan and who would eventually get to claim the Toledo Strip part of their state. In 1833 Michigan was seeking admission to the union and they wanted to clain the Toledo strip as their own, but Ohio fought to do the same. This area, this strip eight miles wide, is right where Williams County Ohio and Hillsdale County Michigan are located to this day. President Andrew Jackson stepped in and the war ended but Ohio got the eight mile strip. Michigan got the upper penninsula as their compensation for giving Ohio the Toledo Strip. This was in January of 1837, 23 years before Cyrus was born. Between the 1850 and 1860 censuses Cyrus 2 and Mary moved back to NY for a few years, then returned to Hillsdale where Cyrus 3 was born in 1860. Mary was born in Meadville, Crawford County, PA on Apr 22, 1861. Her father was a Physician and her family moved to Summerfield, Monroe County, MI prior to 1870 where they are shown in the census. I often wonder about how they met, and the circumstances surrounding it. After all, Summerfield was quite a distance in those days, from Fulton County, OH.
Cyrus and Mary (Brewer) were married on Dec 4, 1879 and their first child, LaVern, was born in 1881. They then had William, my grandfather, on April 19, 1884. Their third child, Nora, was born on Aug 17, 1885, then Chalres on Mar 20, 1892. I can remember my dad talking about his uncle Charlie. I never got to know my great grandparents, or my grandfather for that matter.
Cyrus and Mary lived in Swanton for a while and my uncle Clifford lived with them in 1920, when he was a teenager. I don't know when he moved in with them, if he was there as a small child or when. Clifford is my father's half-brother.
Mary died in March of 1930 and Cyrus died in September of 1843. Cyrus and Mary are buried in the Swanton Cemetery, in Swanton, OH. You can see those pictures below.
On the left is a picture of Cyrus and Mary with three of their children, LaVern, William (my grandfather) and Nora. On the right is their eldest daughter, Vern, with Will Dannenberger and two of their children. When I look at the photo of my great grandparents I can see some family resemblances. What can you see that is similar between Mary and William and the Barretts that came later, through Williams line? I think it's the ears.
barrettancestrytribalpages.com
