Sunday Obituary: Nancy Catherine Campbell Halstead: 1856-1940

It's Sunday, and I'm currently watching the Chicago Bears pummel the Seattle Seahawks in a very snowy playoff game. Well, it's not really even a game at this point, so I though I'd share some more family history!

Nancy, left, with daughter, Jessie, and grandchildren

Today's Sunday Obituary is dedicated to my great great grandmother, Nancy Catherine Campbell Halstead. Nancy was born on November 13, 1856, in Palo Alto County, Iowa. She married William Leroy Halstead in Missouri in 1880, and they raised eight kids. She passed away on March 14, 1940, in Cushing, Oklahoma.

One of the things I love about these old obituaries is that they often tell us more about the lives of our ancestors than, perhaps, we would find out from our living relatives who actually knew them. I knew Nancy's daughter (my great grandmother, Jessie Luetta Halstead), and I know her grandson (my grandfather, Woodie Brittain), but I don't recall either of them ever telling me much about their own ancestors. In the case of Nancy, I had no idea that her family were some of the earliest Oklahoma pioneers.

I have a poor copy of this obituary from my Grandma Edith's records, but it doesn't list the newspaper in which it appeared, so here's the text as well as some photos that have been passed to me from other cousins I've met online:

Nancy with her husband, William Leroy Halstead

March 14, 1940 
Cushing, Oklahoma

Pioneer Cushing Woman Dies Today

Mrs. Nancy C. Halstead, age 83, died at 2:20 o'clock this morning at her home southeast of Cushing. She was a pioneer of Oklahoma, coming to Lincoln County in 1893 where she and her husband homesteaded the Skinner place five miles south of Cushing, later moving to their present location where they have lived the past 30 years. She became a member of the Methodist church several years ago.

Funeral services are to be held tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 o'clock in the home, with Rev. Golden Shook, pastor of the Methodist church
in charge. Burial will be in the Avery

Avery Cemetery, Avery, Lincoln County, Oklahoma

cemetery under direction of the Garrison Mortuary.

Surviving relatives include her husband, William Leroy Halstead of the home; four daughters, Mrs. Mary Thompson of Cushing, Mrs. Gertie Bradshaw of Lebanon, Missouri, Mrs. Jessie Brittain of Avery and Miss Myrtle Halstead of Avery; four sons, C.D. Halstead of Oklahoma City, Charley Halstead of Beaumont, Kansas, J.R. Halstead and L.E. Halstead of Avery; two sisters, Mrs. Elizabeth Folley of West Bend, Iowa and Mrs. Ida Elkins of Jefferson, Iowa; thirty grandchildren and forty-two great-grandchildren. 

 

Sunday Obituary: Lars Hansen Madsen

Lars Hansen Madsen with his wife, Johanna Bruhns, and family

As I understand it, Sunday is the day of the week when a lot of genealogy bloggers share their ancestors' obituaries. Today, I'm joining this tradition by showing you all the obit of my maternal Great Grandpa Lars (Louis) Hansen Madsen. I was fortunate to get to know my Grandpa Louie -- I was six years old when he died, and I still have fond memories of visiting him at his home in Livermore, California.

Grandpa Louie immigrated in 1908 from Risemark, on the tiny island of Ærø, Denmark. Until that time, he had grown up on the family farm, Bakkegaard (which loosely means "farm on the hill"). He was a successful farmer in the Livermore area, and a very loving family man. My strongest memories of Grandpa Louie are:

1. The butter mints he kept in a lovely little lidded candy dish (which now resides on my sofa table).
2. His Danish accent. It slayed my sister and me, and he'd patiently oblige us when we implored him to say "three hundred and thirty three" over and over again. It sounded like "tree hunderd und turdy tree" to us and we little girls thought that was just hilarious.

When Grandpa Louie passed away in 1971, his obituary appeared in a Danish newspaper. A Danish cousin interpreted it for us, and here's the copy that Grandpa Louie's daughter, my Great Aunt Rae, shared with the family:

 

It reads:

Birthdate: Sept. 24, 1893    Died: May 8, 1971
Ærø died in California

Lars Hansen Madsen, in Livermore near San Francisco, died after a short stay at the hospital at 77 1/2 years. Lars Hansen was the last of a large flock of children grown up on "Bakkegaard" in Risemark. Laurits Hansen Madsen and wife Kirsten (nee Therkelsen), late parents. Five of these children traveled to California. The oldest, Hans Madsen, left in 1891. He was married to the now 100 year old Maren Caspersen, from Dunkaer Mark, who still lives in Livermore. Lars Hansen traveled 1/2 year after his confirmation in 1908 with other relatives (Sine & John; Christine & Rasmus), over to his brother and most of them live in Livermore. His wife and a daughter died a few years ago, but another daughter and son still live in Livermore. 

He was 14 years old when he came to America, and couldn't speak English. He finished trade school at Mocho School. On our tour recently, we lived with my wife's cousin, Tillie Henningsen, in Hayward. An older healthy dame of 83 years. She drove us 40 kilometers to Livermore for a (??) visit with old Maren Madsen, with whom we had a long talk. She cannot see anymore, but has a good memory. The next day, we were called on the phone by Lars Hansen Madsen, who was well and quick-witted and very interested in hearing news of his old home, so we had a long talk. It was quite a shock and sorry when I received a letter from Maren Madsen's oldest daughter, Kate Meyers, that her uncle had passed on.