Martha Merritt McDonald, 1844-1926

MCDONALD, MERRITT, CATLIN

Posted By: Clay County IAGenWeb Coordinator (email)
Date: 3/28/2013 at 12:13:39

Mrs. Martha P. McDonald, a former resident of Spencer and a pioneer of Clay county, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. A.O. Catlin, at Warsaw, Indiana, last Saturday afternoon, August 28, 1926. Funeral services were conducted at Phelp's funeral parlors Monday morning. Rev. B.J. Trickey of the Spencer Congregational church conducted the services. Death was due to heart trouble, and Mrs. McDonald had been ill for some time.

Martha P. Merritt, the daughter of Andrew and Matilda Merritt, was born at Dubuque, Iowa, December 28, 1844, and at the time of her death was eighty-one years and eight months old. She was married to George H. McDonald in 1868 and they came to Clay county about 1870, homesteading on a farm five or six miles southwest of Spencer. To this union were born two children, a son, George, and a daughter, who is now Mrs. A.O. Catlin. The McDonald family moved to Spencer in 1882 and resided on West Fourth street for several years. Mr. McDonald passed away in 1907 and is buried in Riverside cemetery.

Following the death of her husband, Mrs. McDonald went to Glenrock, Wyoming, to make her home with her son, George. In recent years she had been keeping house for her grandson, George McDonald, Jr., who attended college at Laramie, Wyoming. In October of last year she was strickened with apoplexy and was taken to the home of her son at Glenrock. During the winter she recovered somewhat and went to the home of her daughter, Mrs. A.O. Catlin, at Warsaw, Indiana, where she remained until the time of her death.

She is survived by her son and daughter and seven grandchildren.

Mrs. McDonald was one of Clay county's pioneers and shared with her husband the hardships and pleasures of pioneer life. She was a life long member of the Methodist church. She will be remembered by all who knew her as a kind and loving friend, wife and mother. Her many friends in this community extend their heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved relatives.

Source: Spencer News-Herald, Spencer, Clay County, Iowa; September 2, 1926.

Interment in Riverside cemetery
 

Clay Obituaries maintained by Kris Meyer.
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