MUSCATINE COUNTY IOWA REGISTER OF OLD SETTLERS BOOK ONE

Source: REGISTER OF OLD SETTLERS , BOOK One, page 89
submitted by Ronna Thuman, November 14, 2007

DEATH OF AN OCTOGEGARIAN

.—Mrs. Mary Nyce, of West Liberty, died yesterday in her 86th year. In Asa Gregg’s history of Wapsinonoc township, she is mentioned as the first white woman who made her home in that part of the county. She located there with her family in 1836. P. S.—Our West Liberty correspondent gives further particulars.

WEST LIBERTY.
Death of Grandmother Nyce—The Old Settlers of 1837 that are still Living—A Glance into the Past—Personal, & c.

From our regular Correspontent.
WEST LIBERTY, Oct. 30, 1879.

Another old settler gone. This morning Mrs. Mary Nyce died at the home of her daughter in West Liberty. At the time of her death Grandmother Nyce was within one day of being 85 years old. Several months ago she went to visit her son John, who lives about three miles north-west of town, and while there an accident occurred from which she never recovered. Standing near the barn, on the large double doors was blown against her by a sudden gust of wind, knocking her down and so injuring her that she has been bed-fast ever since.

Mrs. Nyce with her husband came to this vicinity in the fall of 1836, and put up a cabin near the county line in Cedar county, on the claim that now constitutes the farm of the son, John Nyce. The husband, Mr. Enos Nyce, died in the fall of 1839, and for forty years Grandmother Nyce has been walking the daily rounds of life alone, for most of the time living on the farm with her son, but for the past few years with her daughter in West Liberty.

The list of old settlers is getting to be short that I will give it entire in this connection. Thoses coming in 1836 are now all gone. In 1837 Asa Gregg , Wm. A. Clark, Samuel Hendrickson, Galentine Gatton and Mrs. Nancy Stuart are all that are left. All honor to their old age.

Those of us who came after 1850 know little of what was endured by those who came before 1840. We found a country all fixed up by the hand of Nature and made tenable by the exertions of these oldest settlers.

Mrs. Nyce will be buried in the West Liberty cemetery to-morrow, at 2 o’clock p. m. Rev. A. V. Francis will conduct the services at the M. E. church.

Mr. Stephen Wood, an old-time resident of Cedar county, now of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, is visiting friends in this vicinity. While the face of the country has been changed wonderfully since Mr. Wood left here, still he meets with many old landmarks and does not feel quite as a stranger in a strange land. He thinks Kansas a good State and I have no doubt it is much better in some respects since so many of the Mr. Wood kind of men have gone to it from Iowa. -- WAPSIE --

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