Paternal Great-Grandparents ~ Omer and Maude Vance

 Maude C. Brown married to Omer Vance

Maude was born on September 20, 1875 and died in 1959 (don't know the date)
Omer was born in 1874 and died in 1951 (don't know the dates)

Maude and Omer had four children:
*  James Vance - my great uncle - a funeral director - lived next door to my grandmother and two houses up the hill from Nanny.  His house was part of the building that was the funeral home.  Uncle Vance was married to Aunt Aileen.  They had two daughters: Virginia (the oldest) and Marjorie.  Uncle Jim had horses and was responsible for my obsession with horses.  He taught he to ride.
*  Mary Vance - my grandmother (more to come)
*  Pearl Vance - my great aunt
*  Infant Vance - a baby that did not survive

I don't remember Omer.  I was 3 when he died, but I do remember Maude.  I was 11 when Maude died.

I called her Nanny Vance and I remember her well.  I was her first great-grandchild and I was born on her birthday which made me extra-special to her.  She was pretty special to me, too.

She lived three houses down the hill from my grandmother's (my father's mother) house and I loved visiting any time we went to Smithfield to visit Grandma Austin.  We also lived in Smithfield for a while and I was able to visit often.  

Maude's daughter, Pearl, lived with her mother and never married.  The pretty cocktail ring that I wear on my right hand belonged to Aunt Pearl.  Somehow, after Pearl died, my father ended up with the ring and he gave to me years ago.  I'm grateful to have it. 


I remember picking sour cherries from the cherry trees in her back yard so that she could make cherry pie and cherry preserves.  In the fall I picked apples for applesauce and apple pies.  Aunt Pearl would come outside to check on me, and I would dump the cherries - or apples I had picked into her apron.  I don't know that I ever remember seeing Aunt Pearl without an apron.

Nanny's house was a happy place for me.

Nanny had a parakeet named Dickie that could recite nursery rhymes.  Really.  Sometimes he'd get his nursery rhymes mixed up and I'd laugh till I cried.

Jack and Jill
went up the hill
fell off the wall
fell off the wall
all the king's horses
couldn't put him together again

... kind of like that (although not that, specifically)

Maude, Omer, and Pearl are buried in the Mt. Moriah cemetery in Smithfield, PA.  I was able to find pictures of their graves, which I've included here.  

I'm grateful that I was able to know and love my great-grandmother.