Euphemia McMichael Kile Cleveland 1790-1873

CLEVELAND, MCMICHAEL, KILE

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 2/22/2011 at 14:36:24

Death of Mrs. E. Cleveland - an Early Resident
When an infant dies the quotation is often made that “death loves a shining mark,” but when an aged Christian departs this life, one who has been an ornament to here sex, and an honor to society, and death has been restrained until a long life of usefulness has been accomplished, the common sentiment is one of thankfulness that she was permitted to live so long to discharge life’s duties before she passed to receive her better reward. But Mrs. Euphemia Cleveland was somewhat rewarded on earth by the high appreciation in which she was held by a large circle of friends and acquaintances. The following brief sketch will give some idea of the fair reputation and noble character of this venerable woman.

She was of Scotch lineage, her father having immigrated to Columbia county, Pennsylvania, in 1783, where the subject of this sketch was born December 15th, 1790, the next year after the adoption of the United States constitution. The father’s name was Wm. McMichael. At the age of nineteen she married a man by the name of Kile by whom she had four children. He died in 1821, and in 1824 she married James Cleveland, of Hornellsville, Steuben county, N.Y. By this union she had eleven children.

She was a woman of much business enterprise, and in 1842 concluded to migrate with her family of six small children to Iowa. As there were no railroads in what is now known as the west she started with her team and wagon until she reached Erie, where she took passage by boat around the lakes to Chicago, which she reached in the summer.

From Chicago the wagon method of travel was resorted to, by the same team, over the muddy roads, the scarcely inhabited prairies, the dangerous fords, the occasional rocky hills until she reached Dubuque on the 27th of June. It was a hazardous undertaking for a woman with only her children for companions, under such circumstances. But her enterprising spirit was not to be checked. She immediately occupied a farm within six miles of our city where she remained for three years.

She then returned to the city and built the first brick house in what is now the Fifth ward, at the west end of Twentieth street. After a few years she removed to her late residence nearer to Eagle Point on High street.

But the best tribute to this departed woman is the commendation of her kindly nature, moral principles, religious devotion, spotless reputation and noble character. The large circle of her social friends who have known her for forty years will never forget her virtues nor cease to admire the beautiful method of her life, its highest adornment being the best graces of Christian character. She read and made marginal references in her bible, of the edition of 1813, for more than sixty years and all the long time was a devoted member of the Methodist church.

Her last illness of only five days, may, perhaps, be attributed to her going two miles on foot, on Sunday last, to attend divine service in a cold windy day. At night she became ill from the chilling effect of the exposure, too much for the age of nearly eighty-four, and failed hour by hour until the peaceful end of her useful life.

Of her fifteen children, only two remain. One is Mr. Darius W. Cleveland, of this city, and the other is James Kile, of Santa Barbara, California.

She was born in winter, and remembered the springs and summers for more than eighty years, and died when the autumn leaves were falling and rustling as they will around her mortal resting place in Linwood cemetery.

We have not space to say more, by way of eulogy, than that she well sustained the character indicated by her beautiful Grecian name, meaning good, well spoken of, and of admirable qualities.
The funeral will be a 2 o’clock today from the Main street M.E. church, in charge of the officers and pall bearers of the early settlers’ association, of which she was a member. (Dubuque Herald, Dubuque, IA, November 16, 1873)