Matilda Jane (Sill) BELKNAP

SILL, BELKNAP, KEITH, AGARD, SHOEN, ROSS, LITTLE, MCDERMOTT, HEIN, NORDSTROM

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 11/3/2015 at 13:42:27

November 16, 1849 -- January 15, 1944

DIES AT AMES

Goldfield – Funeral services were held at the Glenwood cemetery Monday for Mrs. Frederick A. Belknap, 94, who died at the home of her son, C. R. Belknap, at Ames early Saturday morning. The Rev. Joy Smith, pastor of the local Methodist church, was in charge.

Mason City Globe-Gazette – Mason City, Iowa
January 19, 1944

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BELKNAP RITES HELD AT AMES;
PASSED FRIDAY
Burial Services Held Here for Aged Woman
WAS 94

Funeral services were held on Monday at 10:30 a.m. in the Adams Chapel in Ames for Mrs. Frederick A. Belknap, 94, who died Saturday. The Rev. A. H. Barker of the First Methodist church was in charge. Her body was brought here for burial in the Glenwood cemetery and short services were held at the cemetery by the Rev.
John Smith local pastor.

Mrs. Frederick A. Belknap, 94, died early Saturday morning at the home of her son, C. R. Belknap in Ames. Mrs. Belknap had been ill for several weeks.

Matilda Jane Sill was born at Stafford, Ohio, Nov. 16, 1849. She came with her parents by river boat in 1852 to Iowa, settling first in Cedar County. On the fall of 1S53 her father moved the family to Fort Des Moines for the winter and when the grass came in the spring in 1854, the family drove with an ox team north 100 miles to the prairie wilds of Wright county, becoming about the third settlers in the county. Soon the town of Goldfield sprang up near their homestead and Mrs. Belknap attended what was called a subscription school as there was not yet any public school. Later she attended and taught public school.

Mrs. Belknap was the third child lived to maturity, but all have preceded her in death, except one sister in California. In 1872 she was married to Frederick A. Belknap, of which union there were seven children, three of whom have preceded their mother in death. She and her husband took a homestead in Lyon County in 1872, but were forced to abandon it two years later because of the ravages of grasshoppers and returned to Goldfield where they farmed until 1903. The Belknaps then moved to Ceylon, Minn., where her husband died in 1917. Since 1925, she has made her home with her son, C. R. Belknap at Ames.

Surviving relatives are two sons C. R. Belknap of Ames, C. E. Belknap of Ceylon, Minn.; two daughters Mrs. Grace Keith of Ames and Mrs. B. W. Agard of Miami, Fla.; one sister: Mrs. E. M. Belknap of Perris, Calif., and 14 grandchildren and and 14 great grandchildren.

Mrs. Belknap was a lovable Christian lady who met all experiences with a truly noble spirit. It seemed easy for her to make and keep friends. She recognized persons even after she became bedfast and seemed to remember incidents in detail of the early pioneer days. The writer had a few interesting visits in late years when she related how her sister eloped by boat down the Boone river to Webster City, also the experiences connected with the drive by ox team to Wright County from Fort Des Moines. She radiated cheer to her family, grandchildren, great grandchildren and friends. She was a great reader even in later years of her life and interested in community service. I found her appreciative of little things many forget. Her religious life was not a formal one, but lived every day, shown in her acts. She was one of the charter members of the Goldfield M. E. church. -- Contributed by a friend

Those attending the funeral from out of town were Clarence Belknap, Mrs. Grace Keith and Mrs. Gussie Shoen of Ames; Mrs. Harvey Ross, Fairmont, Minn., Mrs. John Sill of Paton, Ia., Mr. and Mrs. Guy Sill, Mr. and Mrs. Cole Belknap of Ceylon, Minn.; Mrs. Inez Little of Worthington, Minn, Mrs. Doris Keith McDermott and daughter Meredith of Rock Island, Ill.; Mrs. Rosemary Keith Hein and son Richard of Welcome, Minn., Miss Jennie Keith of St. Paul, Minn., Mrs. Willis Belknap of Ft. Dodge, Mr. and Mrs. Nordstrom and daughter of Eagle Grove.

Goldfield Gazette - Eagle Grove, Iowa
January 20, 1944