My great great great grandparents, William Martin Peron and Mary Jane Franklin, taken in LeMars, Iowa, circa 1902. 

 William Peron (1841-1912) was the son of Deidric Peron (originally from France) and Regina (originally from Wurtemburg, Germany).   William's sister, Mrs. Martin (Maria Peron) Speed were early Lincoln Twp. settlers.

 Mary Jane Franklin Peron (1846-1912) was the daughter of John Franklin and Elizabeth Burdine.  The Franklins were very religious and extremely stern with their children, because of this Mary Jane married at a young age with the help of her maternal grandparents, Isaac Burdine and Ruth Neville.  Mary Jane vowed she were become financially secure to rescue her younger siblings from her parents household and she followed through with that promise. 

"Will" and Mary Jane were married November 13, 1861, in Manchester, Iowa.  They moved east of Hinton, Lincoln Twp., Plymouth Co., Iowa in the spring of 1870, where Will was a successful farmer and served as justice of the peace for Lincoln Twp. area.

They were the parents of (1) Henrietta "Etta" Viola m(1) Frederick Elliott Sager, m(2) Walter Cardwell, and m(3) Orin Green; (2) Ida Maria married Jeremiah "Jerry" Harrison; (3) William Henry "Sonnie" Peron died as a young man; (4) Adelbert Franklin "Bertie" and (5) Mary Elizabeth "Maggie" Peron, both died during an epidemic in Lincoln Twp.; (6) Florence Adeline married Cilbert Wyman Harrison (yes that is a C); (7) Hattie Regina married William Sherman McKibbin; (8) Alice Miranda Peron married Elmer Richard "Dick" Thompson; (9) George Martin Peron married Elizabeth "Libbie" Finnegan; (10) Emma Jane married Herbert Galon Soule; (11) Earl Francis married Louise Kroeger; and (12) Olive Mae Peron married Thomas John "Tom" Bailey.

This is a family photo taken in LeMars, Iowa prior to their 50th anniversary that they celebrated by renewing their vows in Hinton, Iowa.  The Peron's retired to Hinton on Grand Avenue where they built a very grand home.  They had purchased property in Pasadena, California, where they summered a few times, but missed the involvement with their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, and remained in Hinton.

Pictured:  (standing) George Peron, Etta Green, and Earl Peron  

           (middle row) Florence Harrison, William and Mary Jane (Franklin) Peron, and Alice Thompson           

  (front row) Hattie McKibbin, Olive Bailey, and Ida Harrison

The Peron's became part of the Harrison clan and saw themselves as one big family.  Etta's first husband, Frederick Elliott Sager was a Harrison relative; Etta's daughter, Myrtle Mary Cardwell married Frederick Elliott Sager's younger brother, Abraham Sager II.  Ida married Jerry Harrison, son of Fred and Lucretia Roe Harrison; Florence married Cilbert son of Benjamin Carter Harrison and his first wife, Josephine Joan Ainsworth; Hattie McKibbins' grandchildren, William Joseph McKibbin married Mildred Harrison, and daughter, Gladys married Fred Nathan Harrison; Emma married Herbert Soule, a Harrison relative, and Olive married Tom Bailey, grandson of Fred and Lucretia Roe Harrison.

Emma Jane Peron and husband, Herbert Galon Soule

Married 22 Mar 1899

She died October 5, 1900 in childbirth on their farm in Lincoln Twp., Plymouth County, Iowa.

Adelbert Franklin "Bertie" Peron

William and Mary Jane Peron lost two children during an epidemic, and nearly a third child, Ida Maria, but she was one of the few who recovered.  Mary Jane's brother, John Lewis Franklin lost two of his daughters, and the Soule family who lived next door also passed.  The doctor went thirteen miles to LeMars, to get a drug to relieve the children's high fevers.  Will went to his brother-in-laws, John Lewis, in hopes of catching the doctor.  Will and team headed for LeMars themselves.  When they reached Neptune about 3 miles from their place, a blizzard began, complete white-out, and drifts as high as the borses.  The horses would not travel, so he placed them at a livery stable here and walked the trip to LeMars.  When he got to the drug store, the doctor had not made there yet.  Will grabbed plenty of medicine for the neighborhood, got back to Neptune by foot, and was able to get his team and deliver the medicines.  Will lost two toes due to frost bite.  The Franklin children, Peron's two children, Maggie and Bertie, and Nellie Soule all died within weeks of one another.

The photos to the left are the two children who died during the same epidemic. These photos were painted on to a canvas, and used for the memorial services in their home for the funerals.  A third portrait was prepared for daughter, Ida, but she recovered.