The Lamar register., 1921-12-07
DEATH OF PIONEER WOMAN
Mrs. Margaret McMillin Passes Peace
fully Away in Her S9th Year.

1t was with feelings of deep regret
that all the old time citizens and many
other friends of Mrs. Margaret Nc
Millin, better known to most of us as
Grandma McMillin, heard of her death
at her long time home on the ranch
just west of Carlton on, last Sunday
afternoon at 4:30 o'clock. She had
been in bed for some weeks but it was
only the gradual failing of strength
due to having far outlived the allotted
span of life. She suffered no pain
and the silent messenger came at last
with such a gentle touch that it seem
ed as if he only whispered the call of
well done and welcome to a new home.
She was over 8S years of age and of
these long years of life over AZ years
or nearly half had been spent in the
territory now comprising Prowers
county and on the ranch where she
died. She came to Prowers county in
the spring of 1878 with her husband,
J. NJ. McMillin, and son, Marcena j.
McMillin, and settled on the ranch near
Carlton in log cabin still remember
cd by many old timers. Only one other
white woman ut that time lived be-
tween Carlton and Las Animas. 1t
was over eight years before the town
of Lamar was started. To those of
us even who came here in the boom
of sc and 'S7 and consider ourselves
pioneers it is hard to realize the hard
ships and trials which confronted a
woman in this valley at that early
date. 1t was only the year before that
the Sinta Fe railroad had extended
its lire from the former terminus at
Old Granada through to La Junta and
was beginning to look still farther
westward. The buffalos were still
plentiful on the plains and only scat
tered COW camps were inhabited by
white people. She made a real home
in this environment that was soon
known far and wide for its hospitality
and homelike atmosphere, and always
maintained the same genial spirit of
welcome to the many different kinds
of settlement and people which fol-
lowed up to the present state of de
velopment. All who were here in the
old days well remember her and it
Was with sad hearts they gathered on
Tuesday afternoon at the Adams Kirk
patrick mortuary to pay their last re-
spects to one who has earned the rich
est honors of a long and well spent
life. Her body now rests in Riverside
cemetery. Among the pallbearers was
County Clerk Jno. w. Prowers, prob
ably the only resident of the county
who was in the valley when she came
here.
Margaret Ann Johnston was born
near Darlington, Beaver county, Pen
nsylvania, on September 81, 1888. She
became a member of the Presbyterian
church early in life. She was married
October %, 1860, to ]. Madison Nc
Millin. To this union one son was
born, Marcena ]. McMillin. She came
to Colorado March s, 1878. She was
a faithful attendant at Sunday school
and church services while she was able
to attend. She is survived by her son,
five grand children, two great grand
children, Donald Seymore Green and
James Craig McMillin. She was a
member of a large family, but only
one sister survives her, Mrs. Adeline
McMillin of Darlington, Pennsylvania.
She had strong religious principles
and never allowed any work to be
done in her home on the Sabbath. She
was, kind and genial and made many
friends and was very hospitable to-
wards all.