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DUNNING, Elitha Louisa (Kimberly) 1844-1899

DUNNING, KIMBERLY, EARLL

Posted By: S. Bell
Date: 1/8/2013 at 03:21:21

SHE MEETS SAD DEATH

Mrs. E. L. Dunning Burned
to Death In Chicago

While on Errand of Love,
Accident Occurs

George C. Dunning arrived in Waterloo last night from Chicago, accompanying the body of his mother, who met with an accident there Friday evening, which resulted in her death.

The family formerly lived here and the son brought his mother's remains for burial beside her parents.

Last Friday Mrs. Dunning went from her home in Chicago to help a neighbor and a dear friend, Mrs. West, in some culinary work. Mrs. West had just opened a restaurant and had been unable to secure sufficient help so Mrs. Dunning went to her.

The two women were working in the kitchen just at the supper hour, and Mrs. Dunning was taking care of a dish of fish frying on the stove. While she was standing over the fish. Mrs. West removed one of the lids from the stove to put in more coal. At that instant, a blaze shot upward and Mrs. Dunning's dress, a flannel wrapper, was ignited and enveloped almost immediately in flames. The two women endeavored to extinguish the fire, but could not do so.

Then one of the boarders, hearing their screams rushed into the kitchen wrapped his overcoat about the sufferer and later threw some water on her to quench the flame. A physician was summoned and ordered the injured woman taken to the Chicago hospital. There the doctors and nurses dressed her burns.

She was told her injuries were not serious and permitted to go to her home. During the night she suffered greatly from the shock and excitement and died at 7:00 o'clock Saturday morning.

Her son was out of the city at the time and did not learn of his mother's death until noon Saturday. He thinks she must have inhaled the fire, and this, with the shock was the cause of death.

Mrs. Dunning's maiden name was Elitha Louisa Kimberley*. She was born in Bellevue, Michigan, on June 28, 1844. On March 5, 1861, she was married at Bellevue, to George** Cole Dunning. Shortly after their marriage the couple moved to Centralia, Illinois. In 1864 they moved to Cairo, Illinois, where they lived two years, her husband being employed as a railway postal clerk. In 1866 they returned to Centralia, where they resided until 1873, when, on account of Mr. Dunning's failing health they decided to go to Colorado, hoping the climate would prove beneficial to him.

At Windsor, Missouri, their little daughter died and was buried, and they remained there two weeks, when the journey west was continued. The Colorado climate did not prove beneficial to Mr. Dunning and the family soon returned to Iowa, to Mrs. Dunning's parents' home, near this city. Here Mr. Dunning died, August 5, 1873.

Mrs. Dunning leaves two children, George Chauncey and Gracie Dell. Her father and mother both died in Waterloo.

She lived here until 1888 when she removed to Chicago where she resided until her death. She was, up to one year ago, a member of Grace M. E. Church of this city, when she took her letter to a Chicago church. She was a devoted worker in the church and Sunday school

The funeral services were held at Grace M. E. Church at 1:00 o'clock this afternoon, conducted by Rev. T. M. Evans. The interment was in Fairview.

There was a large attendance of mourning friends at the church, as Mrs. Dunning was well known here and her sad death brought deep sorrow to many hearts.

[Waterloo Daily Courier, Tuesday, December 26, 1899, Waterloo, Iowa]
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NOTES:

* Her maiden name was Kimberly, not Kimberley, as the newspaper had it. She was the daughter of James Kimberly and Sophronia (Earll) Kimberly. James Kimberly has a burial record in Fairview cemetery, but not his wife Sophronia.

* Elitha's husband was Warren Cole Dunning, not George Cole Dunning, as stated in the newspaper.
Warren was born August 7, 1836 in New York and died August 5, 1873.

A Findagrave memorial for Warren Dunning says he was buried in Fairview Cemetery at Waterloo, Iowa, and died in 1873.

Her son, George Chauncey Dunning was born in 1869 and died in 1900.

(Credit: Diane M. Scott)


 

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