My Genealogy Hound

JAMES P. VERSAW, an energetic farmer and prosperous horticulturist, making a specialty of small fruits, is a native of Sodus Township, Berrien County, Mich., and has resided within the near vicinity of his present homestead, located upon section 15, his entire life. Our subject was born October 17, 1847. His father, Francis Versaw, was a native of Canada, and, born near Montreal in 1812, left his home when a boy and became self-supporting at a very early age. He finally located in the States, making his home in Wisconsin, where for a time he traveled for the American Fur Company. He remained in that State until 1835, when he removed to Michigan and located in Berrien County. For some time he followed the occupation of boating, and then purchased a farm in Sodus Township, in 1840, and for fifty-three changing years has remained continuously upon the homestead where he yet resides. He enjoys the comforts of life and possesses a competence and excellent health. His days have been passed in unvarying industry and he is universally respected. The family name is undoubtedly Versailles, and the ancestry French. The pronunciation, corrupted to Versaw in the early days, has clung to the descendants, but is beyond all doubt incorrect.

The father was married in 1843 to Rebecca Ann McDougal, daughter of James McDougal, a pioneer of St. Joseph. Mr. and Mrs. Francis Versaw have spent together a half-century and have welcomed to their hearts and homes eleven sons and daughters. Of this large family eight children yet survive, four daughters and four sons. James P. was the third child of this venerable father and mother. He worked upon the farm in boyhood and also enjoyed the benefit of instruction in the district school. Upon October 7, 1864, his seventeenth birthday, our subject enlisted in the Union army, joining Company K, Twenty-eighth Michigan Infantry, and served with courage and distinguished service for two years. He participated in the engagements at Nashville, Tenn., also at Wissel Forks, N. C., and was likewise in numerous skirmishes. Mustered out at the close of the Civil War, he returned to his home and engaged in traveling upon business through Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Minnesota. Mr. Versaw returned home in 1867, and for a time devoted himself to agricultural pursuits, but a second time journeyed through the farther West and was away from his early home a twelvemonth. A second time revisiting Sodus Township, our subject bought a farm and again settled down to the tilling of the soil.

For a number of years Mr. Versaw uninterruptedly gave his attention to the work of the homestead, but finally and for the third time went West and spent two years in Nebraska. Since then he has continued to reside upon and cultivate his fine farm of seventy acres, all brought up to a high state of productiveness and improved with attractive and commodious buildings. Our subject gives the greater part of his time and attention to growing small fruits and berries, and has been especially successful in this department of agriculture. In August, 1871, James P. Versaw and Miss Emma Proctor were united in marriage. The parents of Mrs. Versaw, Ibbitson and Mary Proctor, were among the early and highly respected pioneers of Sodus Township. The union of our subject and his estimable wife has been blessed by the birth of seven children: William E., Harry E., Ernest M., Otis C., Pearl C., Clarence P. and Susie E., all living and all at home with the exception of William E., the eldest-born, a citizen of Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Versaw are valued members of the United Brethren Church and are active aids in religious work. Fraternally, our subject is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and belongs to the Veterans’ Union. He has been politically a stalwart Republican ever since he attained his majority. He is interested in both local and national issues and is to-day, as so many years ago upon the field of battle, a true and loyal citizen, highly esteemed by all his fellow-townsmen.