Edwards, Sarah Jane Omstead (1855-1937)

EDWARDS, OMSTEAD, EVANS, CAMPBELL, SMALLEY, FASSETT, KAMRAR

Posted By: Debbie Greenfield (email)
Date: 2/3/2015 at 17:06:27

Daily Freeman Journal, Thursday, September 9, 1937

First White Girl Born in Hamilton County is Dead

Funeral Services for Mrs. Jane Edwards, 82, Here Tomorrow

Mrs. Jane Edwards, 82, the first white girl born in Hamilton county died last evening at 7:30 o'clock at her home, 811 Prospect street. Death was the result of a gland infection.

She had been in failing health since last December.

Funeral services will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at the Foster funeral home with the Rev. Ira J. Houston, of the Congregational church, officiating; burial in Graceland cemetery.

Sarah Jane Omstead was born on a farm in the Saratoga community July 18, 1855, her parents being Mr. and Mrs. N.G. Omstead. The father came to Hamilton county from Ohio in 1853, settling in the Saratoga neighborhood. He was married to Miss Sarah A. Evans in Ames in 1854.

The father served in the Union army during the Civil war and after the war he moved into Webster City and operated the Omstead general store, located at the corner of Seneca and Bank streets. He was later in the grain and stock business.

The daughter, Sarah Jane, attended the local schools and Jan. 21, 1877, she was united in marriage to Frank E. Edwards, this city. At that time Mr. Edwards owned and operated a store here. For a time the couple made their home in the old Hamilton house and later built the house at 814 Division street, now occupied by the C. H. Currie family.

When the South Dakota land boom was on, Mr. and Mrs. Edwards sold their home and business here and moved to Alexandria, S.D., where they lived for ten years. Still later they moved to Harrisonville, Mo. where Mr. Edwards was engaged in farming and stock business. When his health began to fail, Mr. and Mrs. Edwards came back to Webster City to stay temporarily and it was here, at the home of Mrs. Edwards' parents, that Mr. Edwards died.

Mrs. Edwards returned to Harrisonville to sell her household goods and she came back to Webster City to make her future home. About 15 years ago she built the house at 811 Prospect where she had since lived.

Mrs. Edwards was prominent in the social and civic life of this community, being active in the Congregational church, as well as Eastern Star, P.E.O., and Woman's club. She was also a past matron of Sharon chapter, O.E.S., and was a member of the Past Matrons club here.

She had seen this community advance from the early pioneer days to the present time and she delighted to reminisce about the days when she was a girl, the many hardships the family had endured and incidents which were a part of the everyday life of the pioneer settler in (unreadable) to the younger generations.

Bands of roving Indians were no uncommon sight to Mrs. Edwards and she often told her friends of times she and the younger children had run from the farm home into the thicket nearby to hide until the Indians had passed.

In the past few years, many of Mrs. Edwards' intimate friends have passed away, but she made friends easily and enjoyed visiting with the younger generation as well as the older. Until the past few months she was keenly interested in all activities about her and news of her death saddened many homes in Webster City and nearby community.

Mrs. Edwards is survived by one brother, J. N. Omstead, this city, and the following sisters: Mrs. Annabelle Campbell, Eagle Grove; Mrs. Henry Smalley, Woolstock; Mrs. Luella E. Fassett, this city, and Mrs. John Kamrar, Hollywood, Cal. Her husband, Frank E. Edwards, died in 1905. She also leaves several nieces and nephews and many close friends.