The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-03-12
DEATH OF WIFE OF
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER
FIelpmeet of Country's Richest Citizen
Passed Away at Tarrytown Home
This Morning.

NEW YORK, y y, March 12.-Mrs.
John D. Rockefeller died at 1920 O'Clock
today at the Rockefeller country house in
Tarrytown where she had been i'll some
time.
Laura Celestia Spelman Rockefeller was
born in Wadsworth, Ohio, of wellto-do
New England parents, on Sept. 9, 1899.
She was her husbands junior by two
months As child she lived in Wads-
worth, in Burlington, Ia, in Akron. O..
where her father, Harvey B. Spelman,
achieved a competence in the dry goods
business. and later in Cleveland In the
grammar school at Cleveland she met John
Rockefeller when they Were II years old
Rockefeller was a country boy. She was
the daughter of one of Cleveand's lead
| ing citizens His home was little farm
| house; hers. one of Cleveland's handsom-
est residences. His associates, outside OF
school. were mostly farm hands and coun-
| try boys: hers were talented folk of affairs
| drawn to her father handsome home, for
/ her father then was Il member of the OHIO
| legislature. "A public-spirited citizen inter
csted in philanthropics and man OF
many activities Notwithstanding other
differences, the awkward youth and the
city girl had IN common love OF study
and simple tastes, and they became fast
friends
In 1SG2 Miss Spelman, described by hel
superiors as d splendid diseiplinarian and
a perfect teacher. became assistant prinu
pal Of the school. Rockefeller. absorbed
III business. took the books OF his firm t.
her of an evening and together they would
90 over his affairs. Both OF them Were
interested in church work, too; she as 1
i Congregationalist, he is a Baptist; and
neither ever attended a dance or the
theatre
Young Rockefeller prospered beyond hi,
fairest hopes As soon as he felt that ht
could ask her to become his wife he die
so. They were married on Sept. s, 1861
the eve of her 25th birthday, and started
To keep house in a little two-story bricl
residence on one Of Cleveland's sid
streets Upon her marriage, she becan
a Baptist and to her religion and he
home she devoted her entire time.
: When Mr. Rockegeller's wealth Wa
mentioned in seven figures they left thei
first home for a residence remarkable onl,
, for It's ungraciousness on Euclid avenue
: Cleveland's mile of millions. Here Mrs
Rockefeller reared her four children;
! fifth died IN infancy.
The training given the Rockefeller chi
dren by their mother IS declared to hay
been almost Spartan. Although tn
t Rockefeller wealth increased III leaps an
f bounds there was only one carriage and
Q horse cared for by a man, who acted a
G both coachman and hostler. These rwer
used mostly Sundays on the trip t
church. Mrs. Rockefeller employed tw
maids but still insisted on doing much {
the work herself She also supervise
every detail of the care and training
, her children, particularly seeking 10 il
still in their minds the lesson of thrif
1t is related that on one occasion ii
averaged up the gas bills for year an
& promised as spending money to her eide
daughter any sum she might save eae
month by watching that no lights were le
burning needlessiy.
,r The surviving children are Alta, wife
T. Parmalee Prentice Edith who marie
q Harold Fowler Mccormick. and John
70 Rockefeller. ,jr