Etna (Bennett) Taylor (1916)
BENNETT, BLACK, BUCHANAN, MYERS, TAYLOR
Posted By: Eileen Reed
Date: 11/8/2023 at 18:03:14
The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, May 31, 1916
Page 1, Column 5Death of Mrs. John S. Taylor
With the death of Mrs. J. S. Taylor of Des Moines, on May 26th passed one of Winterset's former ladies, highly esteemed for her personal graces and her geniality. She was born in Indianapolis in 1841, coming to Iowa in 1852, with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Bennett, who settled in Madison township. Her marriage to Mr. Taylor occurred on June 20, 1861.
From 1863 until 1884, their home was in Winterset where both took a prominent part in the life of our community. For 32 years, the Taylors have lived in Des Moines. Mrs. Taylor enjoyed the distinction of being a charter member, and the first Worthy Matron of Des Moines Chapter No. 89, O. E. S.
Burial services were held in Des Moines on Monday.
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Mrs. Black returned Thursday evening from a visit in Des Moines with her cousin, Mrs. John Taylor.
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J. W. Frankelberger and Mrs. Jacob Myers attended the funeral of Mrs. Myers’ aunt, Mrs. John S. Taylor in Des Moines on Monday.
________________________The Winterset News
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, May 31, 1916
Page 1, Column 4Mrs. John S. Taylor
Born at Indianapolis, Indiana in 1841 and died in Des Moines May 26, 1916. Came to Iowa with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Bennett in 1852 and settled in Madison Township. She was married to John S. Taylor June 20, 1861 and moved to Winterset in 1863. In 1884 they moved to Des Moines. She was a charter member of Des Moines Chapter No. 89, Eastern Star and First Worthy Matron of that Chapter.
________________________The Des Moines Register
Des Moines, Iowa
Saturday, May 27, 1916
Page 4, Column 4Death of Pioneer Woman
Mrs. Edna Taylor, wife of John S. Taylor, West Forty-second street and John Lynde road, died yesterday afternoon after an illness extending over three years. She was 75 years old.
Mrs. Taylor came to Des Moines with her husband in 1884, coming here from Winterset.
Mr. Taylor is her only direct survivor. Funeral services will be held Monday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock from the residence.
________________________The Des Moines Tribune
Des Moines, Iowa
Tuesday, May 30, 1916
Page 1, Columns 6 & 7
Page 3, Column 2Heart and Hands of Childless Woman Not Too Full to Care for Orphans Reared and Educated 17
BY MARTHA PORTER.
Most women think they have their hearts and hands full when they rear and educate a family of five or six children.
Mrs. John S. Taylor, a pioneer Des Moines woman, who was buried yesterday afternoon, reared and educated during her fifty-five years of married life seventeen children, five boys and twelve girls, and not one her own child.
Successful businessmen, school teachers, middle-aged men and women with grandchildren and earnest students in high school and colleges are today mourning the loss of this noble woman.
For the seventeen boys and girls are but a few of those whom she assisted in getting an education. Girls have been graduated from East High school in gowns equal in style and material to other girls in the class because of Mrs. Taylor's Interest and kindness. Boys have been graduated from business colleges and become successful in business life because she had made education possible for them.
"She was a wonderful mother."
This was her husband's tribute this morning. Mr. and Mrs. John S. Taylor In January celebrated the fifty-fifth anniversary of their wedding, which took place in Winterset at the home of the bride.
Yesterday afternoon when her nephew, the Rev. David Buchanan of Casey, started to conduct the funeral services at the home, Forty-second street and John Lynde road, a tall, broad, shouldered man wearing a priest's garb entered the door. He was the Rev. Father Nugent of the Church of Visitation. He came as a neighbor of thirty years on East Walnut street. In eloquent language the Rev. Father Nugent told of Mrs. Taylor's good deeds, her kindness to the needy and her motherliness and sympathy for all young people and dependent children.
This morning Mr. Taylor sat on the porch of the home and scanned a half century and more of their married life together. He narrated incidences of her helpfulness to others of which people never knew. Although not members of any denomination these two Christian people had done much for the church and its activities. They paid for the interior decoration of the old Capitol Hill Church of Christ. They never stopped to count the cost or the number of young people whom they educated in commercial colleges and colleges. Throughout the years young people came and went at the Taylor home. They were always welcomed.
"My wife began looking after children soon after we were married when my brother died and left three children," Mr. Taylor said this morning during his reminiscences. "That was the beginning. I do not know now how many more. There were five boys and twelve girls that we had in our house off and on. She was a Christian woman but she did not believe in doing for foreign missions and allowing girls to quit school because they had no clothes or shoes. One time–and that was many years ago and I'll never tell the name, for she is a married woman now and doing well in Nebraska—an East High school girl came to my house one night and told us that another girl had to quit school because she had no clothes. My wife said we would care for her and we did without anyone knowing it. My wife was that kind. When she graduated we wanted to give her money so we put silver dollars in class color ribbons for a girl we knew and did the same for the other girl. They had a great time showing their money to each other and no feelings were hurt. We sent her to normal school and she was a teacher. No, we never asked for return of money. All we wanted was for them to be good men and women."
________________________Coordinator's note: Transcribed as published, the deceased's first name on her gravestone as well as in numerous censuses is "Etna".
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