BY HARRY HOLMES RABY
NAOMI WAS BORN IN THE TOWN OF ROYALTON, STATE OF NEW YORK IN NOV. OF1837 AND CAME TO MICHIGAN WITH HER PARENTS, JONAH AND MARIA PIXLEY.THEY LOCATED ON A FARM A SHORT DISTANCE EAST OF THE FISHVILLE SCHOOL.THERE WAS SAID TO BE EIGHT CHILDREN, AND FOUR GIRLS, NAMES UNKNOWNEXCEPT FOR NAOMI'S. THE FATHER JONAH WAS BORN IN SCOTLAND IN 1801.THE MOTHER MARIA, WAS BORN IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK SOMETIME BEFORE1812. SHE HAD SISTERS; REBECCA BORN IN VERMONT IN 1803, MARRIEDNATHAN CLARK AND LIVED NEAR HANOVER MI. MARGARET, BORN IN VERMONT IN1808, MARRIED AMOS RATHBUN AND LIVED IN NORTHERN OHIO.
MARIA'S MOTHER WAS SARAH, THE WIFE OF CAPT. MOSES FENNO WHO LOST HISLIFE AT BUFFALO, N.Y. IN THE WAR OF 1812. NAOMI'S GRANDMOTHER, SARAH,CLAIMED TO BE A DESCENDENT OF "MOLLIE PITCHER" OF REVOLUTINARY WARFAME. ANYONE INTERESTED IN THIS IS REFERRED TO THE JOURNAL OF AMERICANHISTORY, VOL. 5, P. 81-96. IF EVER NEAR CARLISLE, PA., DO NOT MISSTHE STATUE OF "MOLLIE" IN THE OLD ENGLISH CEMETERY, PUT UP BY THEPEOPLE OF CUMBERLAND CO, PA IN HER HONOR.
THE DATE OF THE PIXLEY'S EMIGRATION TO THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ISUNKNOWN OTHER THAT IT WAS AFTER THE BIRTH OF NAOMI IN 1837.
PROBABLY NAOMI ATTENDED THE FISHVILLE SCHOOL AS A GIRL, AND LATERCOULD HAVE BEEN A TEACHER IN THE SCHOOL AS SHE WAS 22 YEARS OF AGEBEFORE SHE MARRIED FRANCIS. TWELVE CHILDREN GREW UP IN NAOMI'S HOMEAND ALL OF THEM MARRIED AND HAD HOMES OF THIER OWN. ALL WERE GOODINDUSTRIOUS PEOPLE AND AN HONOR TO OUR CREATOR.
NAOMI'S DEATH OCCURED IN MARCH OF 1907, AND BURIAL WAS ON THEKNICKERBOCKER LOT IN THE NORVELL TWP. CEMETERY.
THE GRAVES OF NAOMI'S PARENTS, AS WELL AS THOS OF BENJAMINKNICKERBOCKER AND HIS WIFE ARE BELIEVED TO BE IN THE OLD FISHVILLECEMETERY, THOUGH THERE IS NO RECORD TO MY KNOWLEDGE.