Iowa
Old Press
Centerville Loyal Citizen
Centerville, Appanoose co. Iowa
Wednesday, April 3, 1867
Let the public not forget that Saturday, the 13th of this month,
is set apart for the memory of our fallen soldiers. The
suggestion to close stores and suspend business on that day, from
10 o'clock a.m. until 2 p.m., meets with general approval.
Arthur Stoff, pastor of the Baptist church in this place,
commences his ministerial year on Sabbath, the 7th of April. He
will be absent from his charge the second Sabbath in each month.
Mr. J.A. Breazeale has just returned from Chicago with a new
stock of goods.
We were glad a few days ago, to take by the hand, our longtime
friend, Mr. J.G. Thronburg, of Unionville, Mo.
Mr. H.C. Bowen, has gone to Ohio on a short visit among his
friends.
Mr. Wm. Dickey has lately returned from Chicago, where he has
been laying in a new stock of spring goods.
Town Election
The town election last Monday resulted in the election of the
following named officers:
M. Bevington, Mayor
Councilmen - T.O. Wilson, N. Earlywine, J. Lankford, J.S.
Whitsell, J.F. Walden and E.B. Winner.
Marshal, L.W. Brannon
Mr. W.E. Allen has lately returned from Chicago with a large
stock of boots and shoes. He has also a large stock of leather
and will manufacture boots or shoes to order on short notice.
Died. Rosie Bell, daughter of Cornelius and Leah
Peterson, at Numa, Appanoose county, Iowa, November 20th, 1866,
aged six weeks.
Died.
March 20th, 1867, in Pleasant township, Appanoose county, Iowa,
Mrs. Milly Morris, aged 97 years. Deceased was born in Pasquotank
county, North Carolina, on the 11 day of the 12th month, 1769.
She was six years old when the Declaration of Independance was
declared; remembered well of seeing the long lines of
Revolutionary soldiers as they passed and re-passed her father's
house. The writer has often heard her telling of their sufferings
and hardships, and of hearing the cannon's roar, and of the
sufferings of the people during their long and hard struggle for
independence.
She was married in 1788 to Isaac Morris, with whom she lived for
about 33 years, enjoying th epleasures of life, and raised a
family of thirteen children - ten sons and three daughters. But
the hand of Providence removed her husband to that land from
which none return, in about the sixtieth year of his age. Mrs.
Morris still continued to keep house, and had the care of the
farm which she and her husband had made in the State of Virginia.
Meantime her family had all become men and women, and married and
moved to themselves, and mostly lived in the State of Ohio.
Then she concluded to close out her own estate, and go and live
with her children, staying a while with one and then with
another; all the while laboring and helping those with whom she
was staying. Thus she spent about thirty years more of her life.
Finally she conveived an idea that she ought to visit her
daughter in Iowa, Mrs. Beamer; and in 1855 she came to this
county, and always being contented under all circumstances; she
was well pleased with the new country in the far west, and was
afterwards heard to say "I thought Ohio was a good country
but this certainly is a better one."
She continued to enjoy good health in her new western home for
about nine years, and then she began to decline; but still
retained her mind in all the vigor of youth. She was social and
cheerful under all circumstances, even in her declining years she
retained all those social qualities that made all feel happy in
her presence; and while the last few years of her life was more
trying than is the lot of most persons, from the fact that her
vision was entirely gone and her hearing very imperfect, yet she
was never known to murmur or complain, but bore the infirmities
of age with the christian's hope.
But about the 1st of March, 1867, it became apparent to all who
knew her that she could not last long. She slowly wore away until
the 20th, when God in His wisdom removed her from time. Thus
passed from this world one who had been an acceptable member of
the M.E. Church for about three-fourths of a century. No doubt
she was raised up by God to be one of the number that were to
live through all the important decades of the last century; for
she experienced the ills of the Revolutionary war, and she felt
for those that had to suffer in the late rebellion, and was often
heard to say that she hoped the war would not last as long as the
Revoluntionary war did; and that all the boys would live to get
home again.
And here we would do injustice to her memory if we failed to say
that she was well represented in the Union army in the late
rebellion; for she had in two branches of her family, and all
from this county, eight grandsons to volunteer; six served a full
term of three years each, and one then re-enlisted. The other two
were discharged for disability; making in all more than twenty
years, from this county. The other branches of the family did
well, but the exact time is not known, but it is thought that it
would make from one-half to three-fourths of a century. She was
often heard to say that she did not know how many of her children
were in the service; but she could pray for them any way, and it
is not known that she lost more than two.
She, too, has passed from her labor of love, but her virtues will
be remembered by all who knew her, especially those of her own
offspring; for above all mere secular gifts is a parent's good
name. But there are some things that are better than that,
namely: Those transmissible, moral qualities which put the soul
from the first under the dominion of the higher instinct. And
from mother Morris this has been inherited by a long line of
children, grand children, great grand children and great great
grand children; for which, if they sould live for long ages, they
would not be able to thank God enough in this world.
[by] John Hughes
[transcribed by S.F., June 2014]