Rosana Campbell Courtney

CAMPBELL, COURTNEY, HAYES

Posted By: Marie Salisbury (email)
Date: 6/23/2025 at 14:07:37

fron 1904 obituary collection in the Maquoketa Historical Society, dated Feb. 26

Otter Creek: The community was greatly shocked Friday when word was sent out that Mrs. Courtney had died that morning about 4 o'clock. She was attacked by the most insidious foes to humanity, pneumonia, and while for a week previous it was known she was very ill, still but few thought the end was so near, as she was ill but twelve days. The funeral was held Sunday morning, Rev. Father Leahy officiating and in the presence of the large congregation in the Otter Creek church delivered a beautiful touching eloquent eulogy on deceased. Quite a number came from LaMotte, Bellevue and other distant places to pay tribute to the deceased. She was laid to rest in the parish cemetery and gently and tenderly the snow flakes fell like a benediction on the mound of clay. Rosanna Campbell was born at Paisley, Scotland, Apr. 18, 1837. When she was a year and a half old her parents, Wm. and Agnes Campbell emigrated to America settling at Fall River, Mass., where they remained until 1844 when they came to Jackson county, Iowa taking up government land in Richland twp. where they spent the balance of their years both dying in 1850, within a week, of cholera. In Feb. 1863, Rosanna Campbell became the wife of James Courtney, a native of Mass. having come to Iowa in 1837 with his parents who settled in Perry twp. when it was a wilderness. Mr. and Mrs. Courtney knew what the strenuous life of the early pioneers meant. While yet the dark clouds of the Rebellion still hung over the nation they began housekeeping in Perry twp. In 1870 they came to Otter Creek, locating on 160 acre farm where they resided until called to that far off from which no traveler returneth, he going about 15 years ago, and now she also is gone. She leaves five children to mourn the loss of a kind mother, Mary A., Mrs. Thos. Hayes, Joseph, Daniel B., and Thos., two children, Thos. T, aged 3 years and James W. aged 3 months died in 1872. Two brothers also still survive, Jas. Campbell, an employee of the C.R.I. & P. R'y at Horton, Kansas and Wm. P. Campbell, farmer Stephens Neb. Mrs. Courtney was a women whose many sterling qualities made her lasting friends. She had known many hardships in her earlier life but she walked they ways of home, truth and light.