The Paveys Move to Irvington

Jacob and Clarissa Pavey moved to Irvington in the fall of 1909 so that their children could attend Butler University. Mr. Pavey, a retired farmer, owned land in both Boone and Hancock Counties before relocating his wife and three children to 37 South Hawthorne Lane. They rented the house and later remodeled or rebuilt a home at 5338 Julian Avenue. The Paveys had married in 1886 in Boone County. There was a sizable age gap between the pair as Mr. Pavey was fourteen years older than his wife. They raised three children, Mary, Jesse, and Lena, all of whom went on to prominence in their fields of study.

Their oldest child, Mary, graduated from Butler University. She earned her Ph.D and became head of the Ball State University English Department. It would be Mary who would take care of her elderly parents in their final years. Jesse I. Pavey, their only son, became an active businessman in the lumber industry and would later become the Mayor of South Bend from 1938 to 1945. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, he ordered the police to arrest any suspicious person.  Jesse had graduated from Butler University where he was the captain of the football team. Their youngest daughter, Lena, graduated from Butler University in 1913, and became a teacher. She later married Avery Morrow and moved to Gary, Indiana.

Mary Pavey on her graduation day from Butler University in the spring of 1912. Behind her, you can see the front porch of 37 South Hawthorne Lane.

Possibly Jesse Pavey, the son of Jacob and Clarissa Pavey, in the spring of 1913 and next to 37 South Hawthorne Lane

Jesse Pavey, who spent his college years in Irvington, would later become Mayor of South Bend from 1938 to 1945.

Two Pavey women sat on a porch swing c1910 at their home at 37 South Hawthorne Lane

37 South Hawthorne Lane in 1915 

The historic images are courtesy of the Irvington Historical Society. To learn more about the Society, clink on this link:  http://www.irvingtonhistorical.org/