Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-02-16
OBITUARY.
MRS. MARY A. MILLS


lily records were lost in the ocean vow
age, or in the removals and Shifting of
locations incident to a new coun,re.
still tradition may be trusted on every |
question except that OF dates
1t may not be embarrassing to the |
readers of the HERALD to Learn the |
motives that led the father and mother
OF Mary to snap the bond of allegiance
that held them forever as English sub
jects, and throw themselves into that
human tide that rJlled across the At
lantic as if the moon itself had lifted
them over the sea as it moves The
.obedient waves. The history Of the
Coumbes familyis but a repetition of the
fortunes of thousands OF families that
preceded or followed them.
Thomas Coumbe and his family came
to this county with that earlier migra-
ton of independent, courageous men
and women, industrious, religious. who
impaired strength and stability to our
institutions. He had been farmer in
the old country in good circumstances.
He had large tracts of land under his
care and cultivation He was an expert
miller and operated mills both in
England and this country. He had
cattle and horses and sufficient pastur-
age for his stock. He traded, bought
and sold to the merchants of the
metropolis and other cities. and
why should he leave his ma
tive land and seek shelter
under other skies? Some Englishmen
may feel proud of titled nobility as if
its glory and state reflected some honor
upon themselves. But such pride if
Thomas Coumbe entertained it. did not
repay him for the less of equality in
social and political rights to which, as a
man, he felt he was entitled and, which
the privileged classes denied him.
Early in the thirties' he embarked with
his family on board of an emigrant ship
and sailed for America, where worth,
not birth determines the rank of the free
citizen among his fellows. He. with
numerous household of sons and daugh-
tiers and children of the third generation
found home in Danville, Knox Co,
Ohio. but the impulse westward had
not vet lost its force, and the family
followed the setting sun until they
found more permanent residence on a
farm east OF Lancaster. But there was
one in that group that never forgot her
English home, its shapely trees that
ran on each side of the highway, the
green and well trimmed hedges
that ran in every direction, enclosing
field and garden. Such landscapes had
permanent location in her memory
and grew and flourished there, exempt
from winter frost or summer storm,
even till the day of her death. She
must have been five or six years of age
when she took her last look at her
native land. Long before this time she
had become acquainted with the mighty
ocean and almost adored it. She
would tell with great zest how she and
her plsYmates would stand upon the
beach and watch the sailing ship till 1t
folded its white wings below the hori-
zon, and then they would throw hand
fulls of sand at the retreating tide to
chastise it for marring their play
ground. 20, these were happy. happy
daysr' she would exclaim with strong
emphasis ana emotion.
On the morning of the Esd of January
'9S, was startled by telegram from
Lancaster that Mary was dangerously
sick. The message was mandatory. At
half past s of that night | began r,y
journey on train of the Rock Island &
Chicago railroad, and Fastening over
the great plains of Colorado and Kan
sas, where the traveller in full day sees
not tree or house within the scope of
his vision. Here earth and sky,form
detached and isolated universe and the
only moving or living object within this
vast area is our lonely train kwhlch,
compared with the dimensions above
and around it, was reduced to mere
span. Before we reached Chicago we
were wayaid by the most tempestuous
storm of rain, sleet and snow can now
remember. and when we reached Chi
csgo its streets were flooded and rem
dered almost impossible and business
was suspended. l reached Lancaster,
from which l had been absent since
July in Denver and the mountains.
Mary was PROSTATE. and nurse, friends
and physicians were around her. She
had other attacks before with the same
symptoms as the present, and when she
n