Erastus Hezekiah Sipperley House

This house was built as the farm residence of Erastus Hezekiah Sipperley, who farmed this land following his service in the Civil War. Sipperley purchased the property while still a single man from his married siblings in 1868; he was married in 1870. According to the 1891 Portrait and Biographical Album of Oakland County, he built this house in 1885. The Rochester Era also reported as follows on July 31, 1885: "E. H. Sipperly [sic] is building a fine brick residence on his farm southeast of Rochester. Gass does the brick work."

Sipperley was born in Troy Township, Oakland County, Michigan, on February 29, 1836, the son of pioneers John and Elizabeth Wood Sipperley, who had migrated from New York state in 1835. Erastus Sipperley entered service with the 22nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War and returned home to Oakland County following the surrender in 1865. He married Annette Evritt [sometimes Everett] in 1870 and established his home on a 100-acre parcel in section 13 of Avon Township. This house was built as his family home. A photo of the house appears in the book Rochester, Michigan, 1907, and in the 1908 Standard Atlas of Oakland County, Michigan.

Sipperley lived in the house for the remainder of his life. He died in the house on January 16, 1920. His lengthy obituary in the Rochester Era read, in part, as follows:

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It was during the twenty-sixty year of his life when the spirit of patriotism called upon him to enter service for his country that he left home—and mother—and voluntarily joined the Union army Aug. 11th, 1862, and became a private in Company B, Twenty-second Michigan infantry. The war ended—Private Sipperley was mustered out June 26th, 1865, and returned home.

Five years later on February 9th he was married to Annette Everett, daughter of Andrew and Prudence (Wells) Everett. To this union eight children were born, two of them—George and Edward are deceased.

The story of his enlistment in the army, the Civil war, his experience, Lincoln, slavery, emancipation, Old Glory, America—all these—were proudly told and re-told by Brother Sipperley during the later years of his life. His soul was filled with patriotism and the Stars and Stripes waved at his home always whenever occasion demanded.

Never did he forget the Red, White and Blue on Memorial day.

. . .

He is survived by his wife, sister Mary, wife of John Mason; two sons, Homer of Rochester and Herbert of Detroit; four daughters, Mrs. Robert Jenney and Mrs.Albert Behm of Rochester, Mrs. Gilbert Warde of Niagara Falls and Mrs. William Jenney of Detroit; six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

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George and Sophronia Sipperley, husband and wife, Gardner and Rachel Sipperley, husband and wife, and Oliver and Mary Sipperley, husband and wife, to Erastus H. Sipperley, E 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of Section 13, Township 3N 11E, and other land in Section 13, consideration $500, January 25, 1868, Oakland County Record of Deeds, liber 91, p.586.

"Erastus H. Sipperley," in Portrait And Biographical Album of Oakland County, Michigan. Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1891, pp.195-196.

Rochester, Michigan, 1907: a Souvenir. [Rochester, Mich.]: W. M. Barnes Directory Co.,1907.

"United States 1890 Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K8SG-NXL : accessed 31 Aug 2013), Erastus H Sipperley, 1890.

"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS9K-PQ7 : accessed 23 August 2020), E Hezekiah Sepperoy, Avon township Rochester village, Oakland, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 81, sheet 19B, family 444, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,735. 

"United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLRV-KVJ : accessed 23 August 2020), Hezekiah Sipperley, Avon, Oakland, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 116, sheet 7B, family 137, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 668; FHL microfilm 1,374,681. 

Standard Atlas of Oakland County, Michigan. Chicago : Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1908.

"E. H. Sipperly is building...," Rochester Era, July 31, 1885, p.1.

"The Late E. H. Sipperley," Rochester Era, January 30, 1920, p.1.