Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-03-27

an old pioneer Mrs. Caroline Shipr
came to Webster City in 1885, and in
| the sixty-One years since then her life
has been part of this Iowa comniun-
| ity. She has not been public woman
| but she has put her best self into the
activities Of the home and the church
She has gathered about her a large
circle of friends. Only few are left
of the company of men and women
who were Mrs. Ships fellow pioneers
in the earliest history of Webster City
and one by one they are falling by the
way. In these days it does not take
long to call the roll of the ancients
who are left-Mr. and Mrs. Thos.
Bonebright, Mr.. and Mrs. David
Beach, Mrs w. j. Silvers, Mrs. ]. n.
Lyon, Mrs. Chas. Stoddard, Mrs. Mary
|Brockshink, Mrs. Warren S. Worth
'ington, Mr.. B. R. Brewer and Mr..
James Brock are the names Of most
of the old settlers who came here at
about the time when Mrs. Shipp first
came to Webster City. OF course
there are other aged people among us
who were truly pioneers, but these
are most of what is, left Of the orig
inal settlers whose lives were built
city. 1t makes us wholesomely
solemn to witness the thinning of the
ranks of these social veterans, to note
the passing of the remnants of a
heroic generation.
Mrs. Caroline Shipp was a pro-
foundry religious woman of the old
school. With her husband, the late
George Shipp, she united with the
Congregational church OF this city in
1868. In the early day of the circuit
rider-and these pioneer preachers
probably did more for the upbuilding
of American ideals in the west than
any other class of pioneers-the Shipp
home was headquarters for travelling
ministers of all denominations. The
Ship house had a Prophets Room"
and it seems to have been occupied
most of the time. Some of the most
happy Of Mrs. Ships recollections
these last days have centered about
the by-gone Inequalities of her home
to the ministers who came and went
in the building of the religious 'front.'
iers of the land. She loved to recall
scenes in the early history of the
churches of the city. The old Ship
home was located at the corner OF
Boone and Broadway streets-the
house has been moved to another
location-and there Mr.. and Mrs,
Ship dispensed generous hospital
ity to long line of church workers
The house in which the present SER
vice is being held, where Mrs. Shipp
lived long years and where she died,
is the site Of the old Congregational
church that she loved so we'll. 1t
seems peculiarly fitting that this
should be so, for, in a sense more
true of her than Of most others, Mrs.
Ship lived and moved and had her
being within her church.
Mrs. Ship was type of old fash
toned religious life, and her passing
was triumph of Christian faith.
Many years she had been a shut-in
invalid. But from her chair in the
home Mrs. Ship welded religious
influence upon those about her. All
who came to see her must bring her
news of the progress of the kingdom
among the churches. She was hun
CRY for religious things. Particularly
did she want to know about the prayer
and she had a lively and an
interest in the welfare OF
young people. Visiting friends car
ried away from the invalid more good
cheer than they brought, and the sick
woman continually though uncon-
preached powerful sermons
on faith and christian character.
In Mrs. Shipp old fashioned simple
religious faith triumphed gloriously.
When she knew that her days on
earth were few she looked into the
future with calm assurance, and she
greeted with gladness the new life she
knew to be coming. Her pastor will
not soon forget his last visit with her
a day or two before the end. Her
frail body was pitifully emaciated and
life was at low ebb Death never
looked more unloyely or more OF an
unspeakable disaster. One wondered
how in the face of such scenes, re-
peated in the case of all the millions
who have trodden the vale where the
shadows pile thick, faith in immortal
ity could have established itself in
human thought and feeling. But in
a moment all was plain. When she