Chambers, Mattie Estella (Harlan) 1866-1898

CHAMBERS, HARLAN

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 4/25/2005 at 15:49:51

The Newton Record, Newton, IA, Thursday, September 15, 1898
Sad Death of Mrs. Chambers

Chambers, Mattie Estella (Harlan)

The sickness and death of Mrs. R. F. Chambers, wife of the pastor of the First Presbyterian church of this city, is one of the saddest incidents that has occurred in Newton in many a day, and has cast a shadow of gloom over not only the church with which she was so intimately associated, but throughout the entire community.

Her illness was brief and attended with most intense suffering. On Wednesday of last week, she was in perfect health, and, in company with her husband and a party of friends, spent a good part of the day at our county fair with no premonition of what one short week would bring. The day following she was taken suddenly ill with peritonitis and continued to grow worse, in spite of all efforts in her behalf, until death came about noon on Tuesday. She was conscious through all her sufferings, and was happy on Sunday when a wee baby daughter was born, whose premature life went out within a few hours.

Mrs. Chambers had only lived in Newton about two months since her husband was called as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church but during that time she had greatly endeared herself among her own church people, and won a place in the hearts of many others. Her maiden name was Mattie Estella Harlan and was born and reared in Ottumwa. Her age was thirty-two years. She was married to Rev. R. F. Chambers about three years ago.

Brief services were held at the parsonage this morning, with scripture reading and prayer by the city pastors after which the remains, accompanied by the bereaved husband, his mother, and three sisters of the deceased, were taken via Monroe to Ottumwa for interment.

Revs. Ferguson, Baumgardner, Cowan, Simon, Hanna, and Robinson acted as pallbearers.

Universal sympathy is felt for Rev. Chambers in the great sorrow that has come to him.

Originally submitted on Wed Aug 28 09:44:59 2002