Lotta Curtis Randall 1870-1898

RANDALL, CURTIS, KNAPP

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 3/26/2013 at 22:48:14

An Untimely Death
It is with deepest regret we have to record the death of Mrs. Lotta Randall, which occurred just before noon Sunday. She was taken sick Tuesday evening, and tho sick but five days her suffering was intense. Services were held at the house Sunday evening, when the remains were taken in a special car to Davenport. She leaves one child, her little boy, her aged father and mother, brothers and sisters, and innumerable friends to mourn her loss.

Mrs. Randall has been teaching in the primary department of the city schools. Altho only occupying that position since the fall term, she has won the love of all her pupils and the respect and confidence of their parents. The love and care for her own little boy made her intelligently sympathetic with the children under her care. And not content with their daily school exercises, her aim appeared to be to teach them to be good, training them in bible knowledge as any Christian mother would.

Not along from school will she be missed, but her many friends will feel that her “going away” has left a vacant place. It will be hard to fill. Many there are who will mourn her untimely death. (Weekly Northern Vindicator, Estherville, IA, February 17, 1898)

Obituary
After an illness of about five days Mrs. Lotta Curtis Randall died at her home Sunday [February 13, 1898] morning. Probably no death has occurred in this city for many months that caused such a shock to our people and brought forth so much genuine grief as this sad taking off has produced. On Tuesday of last week Mrs. Randall was at her duties in the school room but on the following morning was very sick. Physicians pronounced the ailment appendicitis and Dr. Spaulding of Luverne, Minn., was called in consultation with Dr. Anderson. An operation was settled upon as the only hope of every saving the patient. This was done on Friday evening and it was thought for a time afterwards that it would prove successful as the patient rallied and seemed very hopeful. She began sinking, however, the following day and shortly before twelve o’clock Sunday the spirit took its flight.

In 1890 the subject of this sad sketch became the handsome bride of Mr. J. H. Randall, a young attorney of Davenport. Soon after their marriage the young couple went to Genoa, Neb. where Mr. Randall at once entered into the practice of his profession. A railroad accident caused his untimely death in 1894 and for the past two years the bereft wife and little son have made their home with Mr. and Mrs. M.M. Knapp of this city, Mrs. Knapp being a sister of her lamented husband. No lady in Estherville, young or old, has more friends than Mrs. Randall had. She was a person of most excellent qualities, social, moral and intellectual and her influence was largely felt where ever she worked or mingled. At the time of her death she had charge of one of the primary rooms in our school.

Brief ceremonies were held at the house Sunday eve, after which the remains were accompanied by the Knapp family to Davenport for burial. The funeral took place on Tuesday from the residence of Mr. P. Curtis, father of the deceased. The floral offerings are said to have been simply beautiful, one of the finest pieces having been contributed by the teachers of the Estherville schools. It was in the form of stars and crescent. (Emmet County Republican, Estherville, IA, February 17, 1898)

Sudden Death of Mrs. Lotta Randall
One of the saddest deaths we have been called upon to chronicle occurred in this city Sunday at 11:30 a.m. when Mrs. Lotta Randall passed from this earth to her heavenly home above. She had been sick only four days, being taken with cramps of the stomach after returning home from performing her duties in the school room Tuesday evening. A doctor was summoned early Wednesday morning and it was found that she had been suffering from a severe attack of appendicitis and that an operation would have to be performed. Dr. Spaulding, of Luverne, Minn., was sent for and, assisted by A. Anderson, performed the operation on Friday evening. She was very weak from undergoing such a nervous strain and gradually sank until death ended her sufferings as above stated. She was conscious up to within a few hours of her death and fought the battle for life bravely to the last, all the time telling those around her that she was not going to die, but the Lord saw fit to remove her from this world and she was compelled to submit.

This sudden demise was a great shock to the people of this community and many expressions of profound regret and sincere sympathy have passed from the lips of her innumerable friends. Brief services were held at the Callwell home, where the deceased had made her home the past few months, Sunday evening and the remains taken south in a special car to Davenport to be interred beside the body of her late husband who had gone before. The deceased was twenty-eight years and one month of age at the time of her demise and leaves a lonely orphan boy [Worth Randall], six years of age, to battle for himself without the fond blessings of a kind and loving mother.

Mr. and Mrs. Knapp and daughter, Mrs. Randall, Mr. and Mrs. Curtis, father and mother of the deceased, and the little boy accompanied the remains to Davenport where funeral services were held yesterday. Peace to her ashes. (Estherville Democrat, Estherville, IA, February 16, 1898)

Note: Calculated dob 13 Jan 1870
Per 1880 census, daughter of Phineas Curtis and Louisa Curtis