Margaret (Murphy) Acres 1829-1912

ACRES, ACERS, MURPHY, ILLINGWORTH, SAUNDERS

Posted By: Joe Conroy (email)
Date: 7/2/2010 at 18:26:37

The Palo Alto Tribune
Emmetsburg, Iowa
21 Feb 1912
Page 4

Mrs. Margaret Acres.

In our last issue we mentioned the death of Mrs. Acres which occurred in Davenport Sunday, February 11. The body reached here Tuesday. Funeral services were conducted by Rev. Clegg and the remains interred in Evergreen cemetery.

Miss Margaret Murphy was born in Borris, Ireland, February 11, 1829 in the house that her father's family had occupied for four generations. She grew to womanhood and received her education in Borris. Her father was very well to do and his family were given the best educational advantages. However, the 1847 famine in Ireland reversed their fortune and they were forced to give up the old home and leave Ireland. For a number of years the family lived in Liverpool and here it was that her parents died. In 1852 she came to America with a married sister and for a time resided in New York City. From there she went to Cleveland, Ohio, where she taught school. Later she came west and lived in Wisconsin. She was united in marriage to W. R. Acres at Portage, Wis. In 1866 the family came to Iowa and located at Ft. Dodge. About forty years ago they came to Palo Alto county and settled on what is known as the Old Acres Place in Fern Valley township a few miles south and east of Cylinder. In 1884 they moved to Emmetsburg. Mr. Acres died many years ago. Mrs. Acres had many and varied experiences in the course of her life. She experienced and enjoyed the luxuries of wealth and spent her earlier life in cities. She also knew what reverses were and saw much of the semipioneer life of this county. Forty years ago the best conditions afforded here were not sufficient to furnish what we now recognize as the common comforts of life and the people who resided here then and reared families had many trials and hardships to undergo that we can scarce appreciate. Mrs. Acres was among these early settlers and knew and experienced their trials. She was hospitable and would give freely her time to assist others, as is well known by the old settlers in the vicinity of her home. The best possible advantages available here at that time were afforded her children and the fact that the family are all intelligent, prosperous and respectable speaks well for her management and their united effort in the early days. Mrs. Acres was an intelligent woman, and her earlier educational training gave her advantages that could be readily recognized by those who conversed with her. Her death was not unexpected for she had not been strong for some time. She was 83 years of age, to the day, when she died. While there is always a sadness connected with death yet she had lived a long life and her work was done. It could not be expected that she could long survive the infirmities of age. She is survived by her two sons, E. R. Acres of Decorah, Iowa, John T. of Montana, and six daughters, Mrs. Eliza Knapp of Parker, S. D., Mrs. Mollie Jones of New Orleans, Mrs. Jennie Vogel of Minneapolis, Mrs. Emma Lewis of Sioux City, Mrs. Hattie Illingworth and Mrs. Vina Saunders of this city.