Hester (Wallen) MOON

WALLEN, MOON, LACKEY, ORR, BUSWELL, JONES, CLIFFORD, SHAFER, BUSWELL, TEXTOR, HAGGARD, CLARK, HARTWELL, HEGGREN, WASHINGTON, FARLEY, SAWIN, MORIARTY, BRECK, HIRT, JOSEPH, ROBINSON, ORR, DAVIS, HELMICK

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 9/6/2009 at 12:23:28

Eagle Grove Eagle, Eagle Grove, Iowa
December 1940

Hester Wallen Moon

(A tribute to Mrs. Hester Moon, written and read at her funeral by her pastor, Rev. Gustave Edwin Anderson.)

One of our early pioneers has fallen. How much we owe to these sturdy souls. Mrs. Moon was just such a personality, blessed with a rich, long, full life. Her life reaches back into those early pioneering days when it was not always possible to make or preserve accurate records. From Grandma Moon's own lips in her last days came contradictory dates and events. We know she was born December 21st, either 1849 or 1850, in Licking County, Ohio. Perhaps the latter date which appears in a carefully worked out Wallen family tree record is the most certain to be correct. Be that as it may, few people are privileged to live out 89 to 90 years.

She came from hardy pioneer stock, her father Pierson Wallen had originally mirgrated with his parents from Sussex Co., New Jersey, across the Allegheny mountains and the rugged foot-hills of Pennsylvania into Licking County, Ohio, in December 1831. Her mother, Martha (Lackey) Wallen, having migrated into Ohio with her parents from Cumberland County, Pa.

In early 1850 Pierson and Martha Wallen with her elder brother, Manuel, set out for the fertile prairies of Iowa in an oxen-pulled covered wagon.

If we of today could more fully understand the hardships of such a trip, we would value even more highly the courage and valor of those sturdy, early pioneers.

There were but five houses in Marshalltown when the Wallen family settled in Marshall County. In this rugged home, ten more children came to grace the family circle of twelve children.

Hester Wallen grew to womanhood in Marshall County, Iowa, and it was a joyous occasion when on Dec. 12th, 1869, she was married to Benjamin H. Moon, who, with his two motherless children, Ad Moon and Frankie (Moon) Orr, welcomed such a capable home manager. Like her parents before, Mrs. Moon moved with her new family westward, settling in Wright County in 1878 before the railroad had reached Eagle Grove or the town had been given the name of Eagle Grove.

How happy this early family must have been as seven children were born to this union. The step-children have already preceded Mrs. Moon in death. Of her own children, the eldest, Mrs. Cora M. Buswell, lives at Riceville, Iowa. Charles E., Kate, and Burley have passed out of time. Jesse Moon lives near Eagle Grove on the old home farm, while another daughter, Mrs. Hattie B. Jones, resides in Goldfield. The youngest, Dennis Moon, is living in Eagle Grove. To his lot has fallen the responsibility of keeping up the family interest in his mother's church.

Mrs. Moon's husband was always interested in the affairs of the county, always doing a little more than taking his share of the responsibility. Mother Moon's interest, however, centered in her family, her garden and flowers. Some of Eagle Grove's early morning workers still remember with great interest her cheerful "Good-Morning" when they found her already working with her flowers when they were first going to work. Her industry frugality and desire for promptness are just some of the characteristics that made her beloved by all.

Her kind and generous hospitality was especially welcome in those early days when doctors, teachers, and preachers would find the safe, comfortable and pleasant haven of her fireside during the stormy winter time when they would be journeying from Webster City to Clarion. The Moon farm, three miles east and three-fourths of a mile north of Eagle Grove, proved the convenient half-way stopping place.

Mr. Moon preceded her in death June 8th, 1906. These 34 years of loneliness since her husband's death have been filled with the loving care of her children. Perhaps no one better than a pastor can appreciate and rightly evaluate the loving care Mother Moon has received from her especially her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Rolla Jones of Goldfield. How we love our dear ones! How hard it is sometimes to care for them, and what a blessing that they can slip away from us into a better world.

Just Thursday of last week, her sister, Mrs. Martha Orr, who had slipped into eternity ahead of her, was laid to rest at Powers Lake, N. Dak. After ten days of hovering in the borderland between life and death, Hester J. Moon drifted out of time into the loving care of her Saviour at 1:45 p.m., Wednesday, December 4th, 1940, at the grand age of 89 years, 11 months, and 14 days.

Left to mourn her earthly departure are her two sisters, Mrs. Mary Clifford of Coon Rapids, Iowa, and Mrs. Rachel Shafer of Rapid City, S. Dak., and four brothers, Lewis Wallen of Lexington, Nebr., Alexander Wallen of Newberg, Oregon, Fred and Harry Wallen of Marshalltown, Iowa; four children: Mrs. Cora Buswell of Riceville, Jesse Moon of Eagle Grove, Mrs. Hattie Jones of Goldfield, Dennis Moon of Eagle Grove; also eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Besides numerous distant relatives and a host of friends, her church and community will miss this stalwart, pioneer daughter who leaves us a fragrant memory. May her example challenge each one of us to live equally worthy and trust in the Lord who alone can give us final victory.

We miss you, but rejoice that you have been permitted to go to your eternal home for Christmas.

Services for Mrs. Moon were conducted by her pastor, Rev. Gustave Edwin Anderson at the Baptist church Friday, Dec. 6th, with interment in Rose Hill cemetery.

Those in attendance from out of the city were: Mr. and Mrs. George Textor, Mrs. Mary Clifford and Mrs. Alta Haggard of Coon Rapids; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Wallen, Cecil Wallen, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Wallen and Mrs. Lola Clark of Marshalltown; Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Hartwell of Rhodes; Mr. and Mrs. Suel Buswell, Eugene Buswell, Mrs. Mildred Heggren of Riceville; Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Washington, Miss Mary Washington of Boone; Mr. and Mrs. Russell Farley of Blairsburg; Mr. and Mrs. Rolla Jones, Mrs. Joe Robinson, Miss Berthal Sawin, Mr. and Mrs. Orville Joseph of Goldfield; Mrs. Rachel Davis, Wm. Orr of Ft. Dodge; Mrs. Joe Moriarty and son, Charles, of Des Moines, and Mr. and Mrs. A. N. Breck of Des Moines; Mr. and Mrs. R. F. Hirt of Woolstock; Mrs. Grace Helmick of Clarion.