Ethelinda (Martin) Cooper (1905)

COOPER

Posted By: Judy Wight Branson
Date: 12/30/2007 at 16:56:51

The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Thursday, April 27, 1905
Page 1

Sad Death By Burns

Mrs. Josephus Cooper Of Scott Township Succumbs To Injuries From Burning

About three weeks ago Josephus Cooper of Scott township received his quarterly pension voucher through the clerk's office. While cashing the voucher the same day his suspicions were aroused by the actions of some one present, a stranger to Cooper, and that night himself and his wife became frightened in the night and thought they saw someone in the yard and divined that he had come to rob them of their pension allowance. They accordingly placed their bill book containing some $40 in currency under a box of seeds in the kitchen stove for safe keeping. No more was thought of the matter until after breakfast the next morning when Mrs. Cooper ran to the stove and pulled the burning box out upon the floor. In trying to stamp out the flames her clothing caught fire. Mr. Cooper attempted to put out the flames and in his excitement gave up the attempt and ran to his daughter's home nearby for assistance. By the time the daughter arrived Mrs. Cooper was terribly burned, and after twelve days of suffering she died on last Thursday. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cooper were advanced in years and the distressing accident merits the heartfelt sympathy of all.
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The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Thursday, April 27, 1905
Page 1

Obituary -

Ethelinda Cooper was born in Monroe county, Ohio in 1823 and died April 21, 1905, being 82 years of age. She was converted in 1860, was baptized and united with the Christian church and always lived a faithful Christian life and died trusting in her Savior, although suffering intense agony during eleven days resulted from severe burning.

Mr. And Mrs. cooper had spent 63 years of married life together and the bereavement is a sore one for Mr. Cooper to bear as he is also very feeble. There were born to them eleven children, five of whom have passed on before. She leaves six children and forty-four grandchildren and many friends to mourn her loss.
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The Madison County Reporter
Winterset, Iowa
Thursday, April 27, 1905
Page 3

Obituary

Ethelinda Cooper was born in Monroe county, Ohio, June 4th, 1823, and died April 21st, 1905, being 81 years, 10 months and 17 days of age.

Her maiden name was Ethelinda Martin. She was married to Josephus Cooper in 1852 spending 63 years in the journey of life together. They were converted in 1860, baptized, and united with the Christian church in 1860 and she has always lived a faithful Christian life, and died trusting in her Redeemer, although she suffered eleven days terrible agony from severe burning of her body.

Mr. Cooper feels the separation keenly, being quite old and feeble.

There were born to them eleven children, five of whom have preceeded her. She leaves six children, forty-four grandchildren, and some great grandchildren and many friends to mourn her loss.

The memorial services were conducted by Rev. C. Schoonover at Union Chapel and her body was place in Union cemetery to await the coming of the Lord to awaken them, that are asleep in Jesus.
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The Madison County Reporter
Winterset, Iowa
Thursday, April 27, 1905
Page 3

Died as a Result of Burns.

Mrs. Josephus Cooper, whose home was in Union township, three miles east of town, died last Thursday from the effects of burns which she received twelve days previous, and was buried last Saturday.

Two weeks ago her husband, who is an old soldier, came to town and drew his pension money. He had reason to suspicion a couple of strangers who evidently had designs upon the money, so on arriving home and consulting with his wife they decided to place the money in a book and hide it in the cook stove. Nothing more was thought of it until the next morning after breakfast when on opening the oven door the book and some other articles were found to be on fire. Mrs. Cooper swept them out on the floor and undertook to stamp the fire out with her feet when her clothing took fire. Together they succeeded in partially extinguishing the flames, when Mr. Cooper started to call a daughter who lived only a few hundred yards away. On their return it was found that the fire had not been extinguished and the clothes of the unfortunate lady had all burned from the lower part of her body, only leaving a short waisted remnant to cover the upper part of the body.

She was badly burned and everything was done to alleviate her sufferings, but on account of her age, which was eighty-two, she was not able to recover, and died as above noted.

Josephus Cooper has for many years been a conspicuous character in this county on account of his record during the civil war. He was a noted scout in the West Virginia campaign, and in that capacity rendered valuable service to the army of Gen. Phil. Sheridan by leading them through the country with which he was thoroughly acquainted. He also holds a medal, given by the state of West Virginia, for conspicuous bravery in battle. He is now eighty-six years old and is in feeble health. The sad death of his wife, with whom he has lived for sixty-three years, is a blow from which he will hardly recover, and the people of Madison county who have known him so long heartily sympathize with him in this sad bereavement which overtakes him in his old age.

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