History of the Church and the Barn

My uncles, Alec and Mac, sent some great information about the church, where Katelyn's wedding will take place, and the barn, where the reception will be held. The Vergennes United Methodist Church is on the corner of Bailey and Parnell Avenues in Vergennes township. The church was formed in 1843 by several local families including Katelyn's ancestors Jeanette and William McPherson. Many members of our family have attended and been married at Vergennes, including Katelyn's great grandparents and grandparents. Jeanette McPherson and her four children, including son William, migrated to Michigan in a covered wagon from New York in 1840. Peter McPherson, William's son, purchased the property the barn stands on today from Hector McClean in the early 1870's and built the existing house. My uncle Alec and Aunt Karen have been stabilizing, restoring, remodling, rebuilding the house and the barn since 1989. The house renovation was completed in 2011. The barn, the granary, and the ice house renovations continue with the majority of the work being completed in the fall of 2011. The barn was built to house the horses used to work the farm. The sheep were kept in an open area on the south side, potatoes in the cellar, and loose beans in the lofts. All the buildings on my uncle's property have been painstakingly reconstructed. The reception will be held on his property with appetizers and the after party in the barn and dinner in a large tent off to one side. Katelyn is the eighth generation of our family to live on this property in Vergennes township. I am pleased Katelyn is getting married here, a place rich in family history, her home. Live well. Carmen