Pike Township Family Stories
AUNT FANNY BROWN
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, page 283
By Alberta Metcalf KellyHer real name was Mary Frances Hankins Buser Brown.
After the death of her second husband, she came in 1908 to live with her sister, Ina Metcalf and the family. She was 10 ˝ years older than her sister. She died 1 August of 1936 and is buried in the Brockway cemetery by her first husband, Will Buser of Conesville.
Her life was marked by tragedy. As a young bride, she went with Will to Glendive in Montana Territory. Her husband was a brakeman on the Great Northern Railroad. With plenty of time by herself, she became the governess of Governor Warren’s children. Frances Warren was married, when she grew up, to General Pershing of World War I. Aunt Fanny saved the clipping of her marriage, as she had saved all of the letters from her Hankins family, written in 1881 and 1882.
She was married only three years when Will was killed in a train accident. She came back home to live for more than ten years with her parents. Through her sister, Oda Slater, she met her second husband, Henry Brown at Kalona, Iowa. Henry bred fancy race horses.
Together, Henry and Fanny bought a two-story brick hotel and restaurant in Lone Tree. They made their own ice cream in quantities and their orange juice from fresh fruit. Uncle Henry was always so generous to his small in-law nieces and nephews; he let them clean the candy case – their ruse for eating the tidbits.
Early one morning when he was starting the fire in the big kitchen range, it blew up and covered his face, arms and chest with third degree burns. He lived in agony for five days. Then Aunt Fanny came to live with us.
She, with six others brought from Fern Leaf chapter of Eastern Star of Lone Tree, the chapter to Nichols. She helped diligently with the Aid Society quilting and with the local Relief Corp, making Memorial Day wreaths. Her personal sadness shone at the back of her expressive brown eyes.
Return to Family Stories Index Return to Muscatine Co. IAGenWeb, Index Page
Page created December 5, 2010 by Lynn McCleary