Jessie (Dickens) Payne (1861-1930)

DICKENS, PAYNE, DOWNING, BANCROFT

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:12

From Nevada Evening Journal June 9, 1930 (page 1)

Mrs. W. O. Paynes Died Late Today

Mrs. W. O. Payne died this afternoon at 2:45 at Mercy hospital, Des Moines, from the effects of a stroke of paralysis suffered yesterday, according to work reaching local friends. The body will be brought here for funeral and interment.

Mrs. Paynes was the wife of one of Story county newspaper pioneer newspaper men and politicians and has a wide acquaintance over the county. Leaving Nevada about twelve years ago, they have since made their home in Des Moines.

Besides her husband she leaves a daughter, Miss Jessie Payne of New York City.

From Nevada Evening Journal June 10, 1930 (page 1)

PAYNE FUNERAL WEDNESDAY 2:30

LAST RITES FOR FORMER NEVADA WOMAN WHO DIED IN DES MOINES

Funeral services, for Mrs. W. O. Payne, 69, who died at a Mercy hospital, Des Moines, Monday afternoon, will be held at the Morfoot Funeral Home, Wednesday afternoon at 2:30, after which interment will be in the Payne family lot in the Nevada cemetery. The service will be in charge of Dr. J. Q. Simon of Memorial Lutheran church.

The illness of Mrs. Payne was very brief. Trouble first developed on Thursday, continued to grow upon her until Saturday when she was taken to the hospital, increased over Sunday, but did not become alarming until Sunday night and she passed away Monday afternoon at 2:30. Paralysis and other complications caused her death.

The body was brought to Nevada late Monday afternoon. The only daughter, Miss Jennie Payne of New York City, is expected to arrive in Des Moines tonight and will be here Wednesday, with the husband and father, for the funeral service.

Mrs. Payne, whose maiden name was Jessie Dickens, a daughter of William and Maria Ellen Dickens was born at Linwood, Minn., June 22, 1861. In 1869, after the death of her mother, the family moved to Aurora, Ill., and six years later came out to Iowa and located near Winterset.

The family again move, in 1877, this time to Kansas, but Jessie and her sister, Ella, remained in Iowa and made their home with an uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Downing in Boone.

There she attended the Boone high school and later attended Mt. Carrol Seminary, at Mt. Carrol, Ill.

She was a teacher in the country schools of Story, Polk and Madison counties. Later she accompanied the Downings to Kansas City, where she remained for a time but in 1885 came back to Iowa and joined her sister, Mrs. Ella Bancroft at the latter's home in Winterset.

It was at the home of this sister that she was married on December 15, 1886, to W. O. Payne, then the junior editor of the Nevada Representative.

Form that time on, with the exception of a year spent in Washington, D. C., the family home continued to be in Nevada, until 1917 when she and Mr. Payne moved to Des Moines, where Mr. Payne had made editorial connections.

Mr. Payne was active in civic affairs during her 31 years residence in Nevada, although a busy woman in her home and office where she was an able assistant.

She was the first president of Chapter A. M. P. E. O. of Nevada and was for many years active in the affairs of the Nevada Cemetery society. It was during the time that she was president of that society that the west addition to the cemetery was purchased and title was first taken in her name.

Mrs. Payne was also a charter member of the Nevada Woman's club and was -- ---- ----- in Nevada ---- --- -- ------ -----.

---- was the daughter -- --- ---- -- Jessie B[ancroft?] Payne, who graduated from the Nevada School with the class of 1905 and from the State University of Iowa in 1919. She has since been in New York where she has gained some distinction in journalistic work and later as a novelist.