Carpenter, Alice C. (Howard) MD 1873 - 1917

CARPENTER, HOWARD, WILLIAMSON, CONGDON, ARNOLD

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 9/15/2021 at 11:12:20

Elkader Register & Argus, Thur., 04 Jan. 1917.

One of those sad tragedies of life which come to every community - the untimely death of a young wife and mother - occurred here yesterday afternoon when Mrs. A. J. Carpenter passed away after a brief illness.

She was taken seriously ill last Friday with pneumonia, following a severe cold, and early Saturday morning a baby girl was born. Every effort of medical skill and careful nursing was made to combat the disease, but it was serious from the first, and while improvement for a time indicated a possible recovery, her condition became worse Tuesday and death gained the victory yesterday afternoon.

Alice C. Howard was born at Castile, N.Y., March 22nd, 1873, the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick E. Howard. Her father, who was a veteran of the Civil War, died when she was but a little girl.

In the fall of 1878, the widow with her two daughters came to Clayton County and for three years lived on the old Miles farm northeast of Elkader. In 1881 Mrs. Howard was married to Henry Williamson, of this township, and with her two daughters went to live on the Williamson farm east of town, that is still her home.

Here her daughters grew to womanhood and received the schooling available, later graduating from the Iowa Teachers College at Cedar Falls.

The deceased then taught at St. Olaf and elsewhere in this county for about two years and then took up the study of medicine, graduating from Hahnemann Hospital in Chicago in 1902. After a year of service as an intern in Hahndmann Hospital Miss Howard came back to Elkader and entered active practice as a physician in partnership with Dr. H. S. Patterson.

On October 19th, 1905, she was married to Arthur J. Carpenter, of this place, and gave up active medical practice, devoting herself to the duties of her home, her family and her church.

Splendidly endowed for motherhood, she was untiring in the loving care she gave first to Mr. Carpenter's motherless girl and later to the three other daughters which came to her. The baby which came Saturday will never know the wealth of mother love and care of which it is bereft.

Mrs. Carpenter is survived by her husband, her mother, Mrs. Henry Williamson, four daughters: Caroline Ruth, Gertrude, Alice Lorraine and baby Mary; a step-daughter, Gladys, one sister, Mrs. Ruth Congdon, of Cuba, N.Y., one half-sister, Mrs. Mildred Arnold, of Grangeville, Idaho, one half-brother, Miles Williamson, of Elkader, and other relatives. In addition, a host of friends will mourn her death as a personal loss and sorrow with the ones so sorely stricken.

Mrs. Carpenter was essentially a home woman, but still found time to be active in the work of the Congregational Church of which she was a member, and in social affairs of the community. She was a member of the O.E.S. and the P.E.O. sisterhood.

The funeral services will be held at this place on Saturday afternoon at two o'clock. Rev. Isaac Cassell will officiate.