Martha Jane (Robinson) Harnden (1837-1917)

ROBINSON, HARNDEN, HILL, SAWYER, RICHMOND

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:11

From Nevada Evening Journal July 13, 1917 (page 5)

DEATH OF MRS. HARNDON

Pioneer of County Died There on Saturday, July 7.

Special to the Journal.
Gilbert, July 13.--The death of Mrs. J. P. Harndon at her home in Gilbert on Saturday last removes another of the pioneers of the northwest part of the county. She was a native of New Hampshire, being born at Thornton in that state on November 13, 1837, and died at Gilbert, July 7, 1917, making her 79 years, 7 months and 24 days of age.

With her parents she came to Illinois in 1838 and thus became one the pioneers of that state.

There she grew to womanhood. July 29, 1867, she was united in marriage to John P. Harndon. In 1868, Mr. and Mrs. Harndon came to Iowa and settled in Story county on a farm north of Nevada, where they continued to live until 1904, when they retired from the farm and settled in Gilbert, Iowa where Mr. Harnden died January 4, 1912.

To Mr. and Mrs. Harndon were born six children, Everel, now of Oregon; Mrs. Nellie Hill of Gilbert, Lee Harndon, who died in 1904; Alta, who died in 1897; Irene, who died in 1900, and Mrs. Nina Sawyer of Sioux Rapids.

Mrs. Harndon was one of family of four brothers and four sisters. Those are Mr. Geo. W. Robinson of Elburn, Ill., who was present, and Mrs. Mae Richmond, of Macow, Miss.

Mrs. Harnson was reared in a Baptist home of the old school and had strong convictions along lines of faith and doctrine. While a firm believer in the Bible and its teachings and a faithful supporter of the church, yet she never saw her way clear to unite with the church until April 15, of this year. On Sunday morning, April 15, surrounded by the members of her family and members of the church she received Baptism and the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper and was given the right hand of fellowship and became formally a member of the Congregational church. Her face morning told of the sunshine in her soul.

Though afflicted and having lost her sight to the extent of being unable to read, she was uncomplaining and cheerful. To her the reading of the Word was source of comfort and satisfaction.

Besides her immediate family of sons and daughters, she leaves a brother and sister, one grandson and a granddaughter, with a host of friends to mourn her departure.