The upstate winter weather was no deterrent for our recent visitors from Prunedale, a community near Salinas, Calif. Lynda Leah Brumm Marsh and her husband Steve visited in January to find the graves of her ancestor Thomas Jefferies of Throop as well as related families at Port Byron.

Leah's ancestor Thomas Jefferies served as a soldier in the American Revolution and some of the family lived at Port Byron. Thomas' son, the Rev. John Jeffries, is buried in the Old Port Byron Cemetery or King Cemetery and was married to Clarissa King, a daughter of Philip King and Hannah Warren. With the snow, we were not able to visit all the markers of interest but seeing Philip King's grave was one of the highlights at Port Byron.

Afterwards we continued to Throop where we walked on foot to search for the grave of Thomas Jefferies at Pine Hill Cemetery. Then we proceeded to the Centerport Aqueduct Park in Weedsport. The tour closed with a stop at the Erie Canal Lock at Baldwinsville. They left with a better appreciation of where her ancestors came from, not just dates and graves. The tour would not have been complete without sharing some of our rich canal history, a subject that has been covered so well by our town historian Mike Riley. It was a pleasure to assist the Marsh family but another surprise was just around the corner.

The next day Leah and Steve visited Auburn and were informed that her ancestor Thomas Jefferies had worked on the Elijah Miller home, now the Seward House, and that Thomas' apprentice was Brigham Young, the future Mormon leader.

With renewed excitement they contacted me with the details, which motivated me to look a little closer at Thomas Jefferies.

It wasn't long before I discovered a discrepancy. The sources all agree that Brigham Young was hired for interior painting but what was unclear was which Jeffries had hired him. The Mormon Church site listed that Young was apprenticed to John C. Jeffries and other limited sources say it was Thomas Jefferies. Brittany Chapman, an intern at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah responded that John C. Jeffries is cited in the book “Brigham Young-The New York Years.”

Peter Wisbey, executive director of the Seward House, replied that he “loves a good mystery” and that he also was able to reproduce both versions.

“The Genealogical and Biographical Sketch of the Late Honorable Elijah Miller” by Benjamin F. Hall c. 1877 says that Thomas Jeffries, a chair maker and housepainter, was hired to paint the woodwork and with him he brought the renowned Brigham Young, then a journeyman of his to assist him.

However the book “Brigham Young's Homes” as well as “Brigham Young-American Moses” both say it was John C. Jeffries. Wisbey also stated that while he can't say positively which Jeffries is correct, it is possible that perhaps the write-up by B.F. Hall simply contained an error, having used the wrong first name.

It is interesting to note that “The 1869 History of Auburn” by Henry Hall only states that Young worked in Jeffries chair shop, with no first name stated. However, in 1811 Thomas, Christopher and John C. Jeffries all contributed to the subscriptions to the building fund of the common schools and John served as one of the first vestrymen at St. Peter's Church in Auburn, and Thomas was present at the first meeting. John Chapman Jeffries was also one of the subscribers for the founding of North Street Cemetery in Auburn. The exact relationship between Thomas and John C. is not known but the Tremper and Jeffries Family Genealogy says they were likely uncles or cousins. The history of John Chapman Jeffries on page 22 also states that he manufactured chairs in his shop.

Local papers show that John C. Jeffries did advertise his trade as a house and sign painter, as well as selling chairs. Census records also show that John C. Jeffries lived in Aurelius and was employed in manufacturing while Thomas lived in Throop and was employed in agriculture. Then there is an 1877 article in the Auburn NY Journal regarding a number of papers of The Advocate of the People printed at Auburn in 1816, which again says it was John C. Jeffries that hired Young.

There is no doubt that both Jeffries families made valuable contributions to our area. The Rev. John Jeffries has associations to several churches in the county, including the Montezuma Baptist Church and The First Baptist Church in Port Byron. His brother George P. Jeffries would serve on the building committee for Free Bridge that was constructed across the outlet of the Cayuga Lake, crossing the Seneca River. Elder John Jeffries gave a prayer and sermon for the Fourth of July celebration held at the bridge in 1831. Both John and Christopher Jeffries were pioneer settlers of Throopsville.

According to the family history, John Chapman Jeffries would later move to New Richmond, Ohio where he built another chair shop. It also states that he established the first drug store there and served as mayor from 1838 to 1839, living until 1852. The family surname can be found as Jefferies, Jeffries and Jeffery.

- Sources: “Brigham Young's Homes” edited by Colleen Whitley, “Brigham Young-American Moses” by Leonard J Arrington, “The History of Auburn” by Henry Hall 1869, “Genealogical and Biographical Sketch of the late Honorable Elijah Miller” by Benjamin F. Hall c. 1877, “A History of the Tremper and Jeffries Families” by Richard Hayman Tremper 1971, Internet searches and e-mail interviews with Peter Wisbey and Brittany Chapman

Dawn Roe is historian for the village of Port Byron. She can be reached

at 776-8446 or e-mail beatatune@tds.net