| Note |
- From a Newspaper, probably Houston, MN Newspaper, no date on clippingfound in Mrs. Ambrose Spencer Dyer's (Martha Ellen Vance) poetry book.(from Ken Olson) 'The early settlers are passing. The late Mrs. Melville of Money Creek was born in November, 1830 and died December 13, 1908. The death of Mrs. Melville of Money Creek, who may be better known as Mrs. William Vance, removes from Southern Minnesota another of its early settlers, and the number of those who can tell us anything of the virgin forests of this part of the State is getting only too small. Mary Elizabeth Ricker came of a hardy stock, living in the village of Groton, Vermont, whose ancestors crossed the Atlantic from England in theyear 1670, and settled, first at Dover, N. H. The two brothers who came at that time were both killed by the Indians in June 1706, but they left behind them men of grit, vitality and stature of no mean order. Orson and Lydia Taisey Ricker of Groton lived to see ten of their thirteen children grow to maturity and Mrs. Melville was the eldest of the family. The seven boys were such 'Sons of Auak' that their combined height was about forty-two feet and their weight fifteen hundred pounds. Orson Ricker was like many of the early New Englanders, intensely earnest, both in business and religion and he and his wife were two of the founders of the Methodist church in Groton. Mary Elizabeth was married to William Vance of Groton they came west with their three young chldren in the fall of 1856. At that time there were but few log cabins scattered along that beautiful valley. John Campbell was there and his sister Mrs.Whitehouse with her husband had come just before. The Sinclairs and Robinsons were there with their young growing families. Nathan Vance, Byron Monison and Geo. Hackett would almost complete the list. Two of the Ricker boys had taken up land here in 1854, which they sold to Mr. Vance and here the young people with their family settled down for many a year of hard toil on what is now known as the George Miller farm.The children born in Groton and still living and are: Calvin Vance of Money Creek, Mrs. George Miller and Mrs. Dyer of Pipestone. Soon after their arrival another daughter was born to them who is now known as Mrs. Walter Crandall of Winona. Still another little girl came into the family, but Mrs. Vance had the sorrow of losing both her youngest born and her husband, who died in the year 1880 and was buried in the MoneyCreek Cemetery. Subsequently, Mrs. Vance was married to George Melville, also of Groton,and after living in Money Creek for some time they moved to Harvey, Ill., where Mr. Melville died. His body was brought back to Money Creek for interment. Mrs. Melville had been a member of the Methodist church since girlhood and she will be greatly missed by the Money Creek church. The body was borne to its last resting place by four grandsons and two grandsons-in-law. The brothers Frank and Elmer, and Ray and Walter Millerand Fred C. Perkins and Mark Corey, and there in one of the most peaceful, pretty and well kept of cemeteries, amid widespread expressions of esteem and regard we left the remains of one of the old settlers, who have Minnesota what it is.'
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1830 - 1908 (~ 78 years)