The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-08-08

| visits of her numerous relatives. A
number of the members of the fam
lily assembled to celebrate her 1O1st
anniversary, and she enjoyed the oc-
casion and seemed younger and
!, .saore sprightly and active than some
of her guests. To the end she re-
tanned clearness of vision, both of
the eye and the mind, and the late
evening of her life was an untroubl-
ed and peaceful one, made happy by
the solicitous care Of all who knew
her.
Mrs. Sharp reached the rare age
of 1O1 years, months and Is days.
Her home was near Danville, and
there, on a farm purchased by her
husband in 1S45, her days have
passed in peaceful and useful activ-
ity until the shadows began to
lengthen her work was transferred
to younger and stronger shoulders.
Mrs. Sharp was born in West Alex
ander, Washington county, Pennsyl-
vania, March IA, 1911, the daughter
of Thomas and Delilah Hamphill,
and was the oldest of eight children
In 1888 she was married to Mr.. John
Sharp, and in 1914 travelled with her
husband down the Ohio river and up
the Mississippi to St. Louis, and then
on the Illinois river to point near
Mt. Sterling, ILL.,, where they resld-
ed for a year. In 1S45 they retraced
their journey to St. Louis and took
passage on one of the upper Misslss-
ippi river steamboats, for Burlington,
Iowa. Mr.. Sharp made his residence
and then in 1916 Mr.. Sharp pur-
chased 100 acres of farm land near
Danville, Iowa, from the government
paying SIS per acre for it. There in a
beautiful spot he built a home, and
the location has since been the
homestead of the Sharp family,
which, in time, took on larger pro-
portions. A brother of Mr.. Sharp,
William, had preceded him a short
time in that locality, and had built
a small house in the same locality.
Mr.. and Mrs. Sharp and their small
family shared this primitive dwell
ing with the brother until home
could be built for them. That home
is the one in which Mrs. Sharp lived
to the end. Mrs. Sharp was the sole
survivor of her family. The hus-
band passed away in 1862, leaving
a goodly estate and the land which
he purchased for IS per acre is now
valued at 5000 per acre.
Mrs. Sharp is survived by four
daughters: Mrs. George Hill, OF
Burlington; Mrs. Margaret Smith,
of Van Vert, Iowa; the Misses Mary
and Sarah Sharp, living at the old
homestead, and one son, James o.
Sharp, who lived with his mother.
Another con, John P. Sharp passed
away in recent years. There are ten
grandchildren and twelve great
grandchildren, in whom the good
woman took the liveliest interest.
She will be held in kindly remem-
brance by very large circle of
friends and acquaintances.
Mrs. Sharp had become a member
of the United Presbyterian church at
the age of IA and therefore been a
Christian for eighty-seven years.
The funeral of Mrs. Sarah Sharp,
one of the county's honored pioneers,
!: was held from the family home near
Danville Wednesday afternoon at 1
o'clock. Many friends paid the last
honors to the good woman. e
The house was crowden with
friends and relatives, who wished
to honor the patriarch who had lived
SO long in that community. The fun
eral service was said by Rev. L. v.
Marsh, of the Middletown circuit,
5 4 ! : u -4-. - z u 5