Brown, Natalie Bayard, 1869-1950.

Born on May 12, 1869, to Major George Warren Dresser and Susan Fish LeRoy, Natalie Bayard Brown was a descendent of Peter Stuyvesant and Col. Nicholas Fish, a Revolutionary War veteran. Due to the death of their parents in 1883, Natalie and her siblings were raised in Newport by their maternal grandparents, Susan Elizabeth (Fish) and Daniel LeRoy. As a young lady, Natalie Bayard Dresser studied at private schools and was a popular member of Newport and New York Society. She attended numerous weddings, and was a bridesmaid on more than one occasion. In 1889, she was the maid of honor at her brother’s wedding.

Following the death of her grandmother, Susan Elizabeth LeRoy, in 1892, Natalie received an inheritance. This inheritance allowed Natalie and her sisters to reside in a Paris apartment on the Rue de Vernat. Her affairs at home were managed by her brother. She returned home from Paris in 1897, and her engagement to John Nicholas Brown (1861-1900) was announced shortly thereafter. President of the Lonsdale Company from 1893 to his death in 1900, John Nicholas Brown was the son of John Carter Brown and Sophia Augusta Brown, and grandson of Nicholas Brown. A well liked gentleman, John Nicholas was known for his generous contributions to a variety of religious, civic and charitable organizations.

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