Halsted, Margaret Jane (Bowers) 1855 - 1933

HALSTED, BOWERS, WARING, HARRIS

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 5/6/2020 at 10:36:42

Clayton County Register, Thur., 23 Feb. 1933. Strawberry Point column.

Funeral services for Mrs. Margaret Halsted were held at the Congregational church Friday afternoon, conducted by the pastor, Rev. Lewis Troyer. The pall bearers were Fred Miller, Wm. Prussel, J. F. Grassmeyer, W. A. Boynton, Max Opitz, and Dr. R. W. Dutton. Interment took place in the family lot of the Strawberry Point cemetery.

Margaret Jane Bowers, daughter of Solomon and Susan Bowers, was born in Ohio, May 25, 1855, and passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Charles Waring, 4 1/2 miles east of Strawberry Point, Feb. 14th, at the age of 77 years, eight months and 20 days. Her father and mother were early settlers in this part of Iowa, having moved here by ox-team shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. During the trying days of the war the mother, like many a mother, with her family composed of Margaret and one brother and one sister, faced privations; the father served as a soldier in the Union Army. The young girl grew up amidst all the difficulties and hardships of pioneer life.

She was united in marriage to Russel E. Halsted Sept. 22, 1872, at Troy Mills, Iowa. To this union were born six children. In 1884 the family moved to Nebraska, but after a stay of ten years a return move was made to this vicinity, where Mrs. Halsted has since lived. She was a member of the Strawberry Point Congregational church and a charter member of the R.N. of A. The deceased lived practically all her life on a farm. She knew the hard work and constant sacrifice demanded of farm women. She pursued her task of raising a family of six with diligence and fortitude. Typical of her generation of pioneer womanhood, she never complained at circumstances but sought relaxation and enjoyment in much reading. She was a kind and loving mother. For more than a year she had not been well and since Oct. 1, 1932, her illness had been serious, her death being caused by cancer. She was preceded in death by her husband, who died April 18, 1914, and one son, Walter, who died in 1928. She is survived by five children, George Halsted, William Halsted, Mrs. Charles (Lillie) Waring, and Mrs. Clifford (Hazel) Harris, all of this place, and Rufus Halsted of Hurdland, Mo.; also fourteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, besides two brothers, Arch Bowers of Strawberry Point, and I. Bowers of Cedar Rapids, besides other relatives and a large circle of friends.