Marinda Lamb, 1848-1938

LAMB, GOLDSBERRY, WOLF, FRALEY, HUFFAKER, THOMPSON

Posted By: Sandra Thompson (email)
Date: 1/19/2011 at 20:00:22

Marshalltown Times-Republican:

Marinda Lamb, 89, oldest resident of Albion where she was known by all the residents as "grandma" Lamb, passed away at 1:15 Thursday morning at the home of her son-in-law, B.F. Fraley, where she had been bedfast for seven weeks.

She had been suffering pneumonia and heart trouble and grief over the death of her daughter, Mrs. Fraley, Dec. 20, 1937, hastened her passing. She fell and broke her hip Memorial Day, 1932 and had not been able to walk since then. During this time her room has brightened continually by flowers from her friends.

Marinda Virden Goldsberry was born Nov. 22, 1848 at Lafayette, Ind., the daughter of Nelson Butler and Eliza Wolf Godsberry, and came to Iowa in a covered wagon drawn by oxen at the age of 10 years, the family settling near Illinois Grove in Marshall County. She was married to John Lamb near Prairie City in Polk County Nov. 2, 1865 soon after he returned from the Civil War.

The couple lived in Story County for 10 years and moved to Albion in 1874. At the time of her death she had lived in Albion for 64 years. They built their home room by room in the south part of town where they lived for more than 50 years until Mr. Lamb's death May 12, 1924. Since then Mrs. Lamb had made her home with her son-in-law and daughter. Mr and Mrs. Lamb celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary in 1921.

She recalled Abraham Lincoln when he was president, although never saw him, and remembered going to Marshalltown to hear Carrie Nation speak on temperance, a cause in which she was always interested. She was a member of the Christian Church in Albion which later was sold to the Friends people. The building is now used by the school as a manual training room.

Mr & Mrs. Lamb were the parents of four children, one of whom, G.G. Lamb of Galesburg, Ill., survives. A daughter Eliza died of typhoid fever at the age of 13 years; a son Willis passed away in 1933; and Mrs. Fraley last Dec. 20. Also surviving are a half sister, Mrs. Carie Trowbridge, of Portland, Ore.; seven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements have not been made pending the arrival of the son from Galesburg Thursday night.