Dunham, Addie L. (Mrs. Oscar J.), 1857-1941

DUNHAM, FINCH

Posted By: Lydia Lucas - Volunteer (email)
Date: 2/20/2017 at 22:38:20

From the Rock Valley Bee, March 28, 1941:

Funeral Mrs. Dunham Here This Thursday

Arrangements have been made for funeral services here Thursday afternoon for the late Mrs. Oscar C. Dunham who passed away Saturday while en route to San Francisco to visit her daughter, Florence, there. Another daughter, Mrs. Earl Van Valkenburgh of Worthington, Minn., requested that arrangements be made for the funeral here.

Mrs. Dunham was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Finch. Her father was the pioneer Sioux county millwright whose water power mill on the river here was known far and wide and became known as the community of Rock Mills before the town was established and before the railroad was built. His first mill was washed out by a flood in 1881 but was rebuilt.

One of Mrs. Dunham's daughters was the wife of Thomas McDonald, chief of the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads and before that head of the Iowa highway department. Mrs. McDonald preceded her mother in death as did another daughter, June, who is buried at Valley View cemetery here. Mrs. Dunham's husband, who died about 1922, was also buried here. Besides the two daughters above named, two sons survive their mother--Fred Dunham of Sioux Falls, S.D., and Bert, Philadelphia, Pa.

The funeral here will take place at the Methodist church on this Thursday at 3 p.m., in charge of the Rev. L. A. Rachuy. A ladies' quartette, composed of the Mesdames Hegg, Steck, Vande Weerd and Gunnink, and accompanied by Miss Zoa Smith, will sing three hymns requested by the family--"Lead Kindly Light," "Abide With Me," and "The Heart of God." Pallbearers will be W. B. Hansen, E. R. Scanlan, J. H. Kearns, Fred Relander, H. J. Long and Paul Collenbaugh.

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From the Rock Valley Bee, April 4, 1941:

Last Rites Mrs. Dunham Are Held

A large gathering of friends paid last respects to the memory of Mrs. O. C. Dunham, funeral services for whom were held on Thursday last in the Methodist church, conducted by the pastor, the Rev. L. A. Rachuy at 3 P.M. Many old friends of the family from Doon were also present. Among those here were Mr. and Mrs. Fred Dunham, now residing in Minneapolis, Mr. and Mrs. Bert Dunham, now residents of Detroit, Mich.; Mr. and Mrs. Van Valkenburgh of Worthington, Minn. (Madge); Mrs. Hogan of Pipestone; Mrs. Hubbard of Sheldon.

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From the Sioux Center News, April 3, 1941, Rock Valley news:

MRS. ADELAIDE LAVINA DUNHAM (Obituary)

Mrs. Adelaide Lavina Dunham, nee Finch was laid to rest on Thursday afternoon. Mrs. Dunham passed away in the Franklin Hospital in San Francisco, Calif., on March 20, 1941 having attained the age of 83 years, 3 months and 25 days.

Mrs. Dunham was born at Cedar Falls, Iowa, November 23, 1857, and came out to this northwest corner of Iowa with her parents Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Finch when a young lady. Her father founded a mill known as Rock Mills just north of Rock Valley present site which was wiped out by the flood of 1881 and a part of the old mill dam can still be found. Miss Finch taught school in the new school building in Rock Township school district No. 5. She entertained both pupils and homesteaders by her reading. In 1876 she was married to Oscar J. Dunham and was the mother of six children: Mrs. Earl Van Valken Burgh of Worthington, Minn., Florence of San Francisco, Fred Dunham of Sioux Falls and Bert Dunham of Philadelphia, and two daughters Mrs. Thomas McDonald and June preceded her in death as did her husband May 23, 1922. [Followed by the same information about the funeral services as above, except that Clarence Schemmer replaced W. B. Hansen as pallbearer.]

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A similar obituary also appeared in the Rock Valley news section of the Alton Democrat (April 4).

The Sioux County Cemetery Index has Dunham, Addie L., b. 23 Nov. 1857, d. 18 Mar 1941, Mother, Valley View Cem Rock Valley IA. Her husband was Oscar J.