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Margaret Mary Wakefield Merryman

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Birth	:	15 Apr 1834 Bartholomew County, Indiana, USA
Death	:	8 Nov 1922 Clarinda, Page County, Iowa, USA
Burial	:	Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate	:	38.4557991, -122.7039032
Plot	:	Block 3 Lot 22
Description	:	Margaret Wakefield was married twice: 1. William Howe, Feb. 21, 1854, Bartholomew Co., Indiana 2. Joseph S. Merryman, Sept. 8, 1867, Jennings Co., Indiana Children of Margaret Wakefield: Mary C. Howe Combs b: 24 Jul 1855 d: 22 Apr 1907 Josephine W. Howe Rouzee b: 18 Jun 1857 d: 22 Mar 1953 Sarah Howe b: 1859 d: after 1860 William B. Howe b: 24 Dec 1861 d: 1950 Edward Merryman b: 1869 d: after 1880 Harry Merryman b: 1875 d: 13 Oct 1956 The Evening Republican Columbus, Indiana Thurs., Aug. 27, 1916 A letter of particularly timely... Read More	Margaret Wakefield was married twice: 1. William Howe, Feb. 21, 1854, Bartholomew Co., Indiana 2. Joseph S. Merryman, Sept. 8, 1867, Jennings Co., Indiana Children of Margaret Wakefield: Mary C. Howe Combs b: 24 Jul 1855 d: 22 Apr 1907 Josephine W. Howe Rouzee b: 18 Jun 1857 d: 22 Mar 1953 Sarah Howe b: 1859 d: after 1860 William B. Howe b: 24 Dec 1861 d: 1950 Edward Merryman b: 1869 d: after 1880 Harry Merryman b: 1875 d: 13 Oct 1956 The Evening Republican Columbus, Indiana Thurs., Aug. 27, 1916 A letter of particularly timely interest has been received by Mrs. Jose Newsom, of this city, from her sister, Mrs. Margaret Merryman, of Clarinda, Iowa. Mrs. Merryman is 82 years old, and is the only surviving sister of Mrs. Newsom. She was born and reared in Sandcreek township, Bartholomew county, but has been away from this county for the past thirty years. In spite of the fact that Mrs. Merryman is advanced in age and is far away from her native heath, she is very much interested in the fact that Indiana is a century old this year. She has written to Mrs. Newsom in a reminiscent vein and her interesting letter follows: I saw in a paper a few weeks ago that they were going to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the state of Indiana. Ever since I can remember, I knew that the state came into the Union in 1816. Of late years, I have often wondered if they would celebrate the event when that time came. I was sure you would tell me all about it when you wrote me again, so was not surprised to hear it when I opened your letter. Yes, I think I could tell a great many things we did not have in my young days that people are enjoying, and will just mention a few things of which even you never knew. When we went to Columbus to celebrate a day, we rode in a wagon drawn by oxen. The roads in Clifty bottoms were exceedingly deep in mud if there had been much rain. In fact the sun never shone on the roads because of the dense shade of the trees. Now people are going over the same roads in vehicles without the aid of horse or ox. We did not have cook stoves or washboards, or matches. If the fire went out, we had to go to the neighbor or use a flint lock to start a new fire. We had no pie pans in which to make pies although there were lots of pies eaten at our house. I only went to school three months out of the year. I learned to write with a quill, and if there were none handy would run and catch a goose, pull out a quill, go on to school, and have a pen made by the way. They were the best pens I have ever written with and I do not find that the steel pens or pencils now in use can equal them. There were no envelopes, no stamps; a letter was written and folded, then sealed with a red seal about as large as a dime. I think we paid five cents for postage. There were no blackboards or nice chalk used in the schools. Until I was fifteen years old I sat on a bench not wider than a rail. My feet would just touch the floor; but these were the happiest days of my life. I treasure them in my heart as one would a valuable gift. There were no threshing machines then. I rode a horse around many a day, tramping out the wheat on a dirt floor. There were no railroads. Father drove his fat hogs to Madison for market. What a difference there is between the first passenger coach that pulled into Elizabethtown and those in which we ride now. Father took us all to see the first train arrive. Truly there have been great inventions all down the line, too numerous to mention, but a few more I remember: The flax brake, the swingle knife hackle, the little spinning wheel. Our mother spun and made all our table cloths, hand towels, meal sacks and all our underwear, from the sheep's back to our backs. Her only window in the winter was a large crack close to a stick and clay fire place. The door latch was a wooden one, made with father's pen knife. There were two strings on the outside of the door, one pulled the door shut and the other opened it. When anyone knocked, some of us would say "pull the blue string." Some times it would happen to be a stranger and we would be awfully ashamed. When mother grated the first corn meal, she baked it on a board before the fire. That was a Johnnie cake, the best bread I ever ate. The lights we had then were tallow dips or grease lamps. Many other lights have come now. The electricity we must go back to Franklin for. You know, he caught it with his kite. Now it is the main factor in running so many things. I could go on until I would write a book if I could spell better. I never studied grammar very much. We must realize that these old pioneers had just as much sense as those of to-day, but the time had not then come for modern things to appear. What a hard time they had to open up this country. There were the Indians to fight, the wild beasts to subdue, and nothing to work with. Who of us could go through what they did 100 years ago? But the sun shone just as brightly for them and the moon and stars gave the same light as they do for us. The same divine hand guided and cared for them as it does today, though they could not comprehend the power that was leading them as we do today. We should keep their memory green in our heart of hearts; they were sowing what this generation is reaping. Let us not give all the praise to man, for Jesus said, “I can do nothing of my self, but the Father, he doth the work.” I would like very much to be with you on that day of all days in the history of my dear old Hoosier state where I first saw the light, and where mother and father worked so hard to make a home for their children. But again, as Paul says, I cannot be present in body but will be present in spirit. I do hope you will have the best time of your life. You will never have that pleasure again. It will always linger in your memory. I hope you can read this while you are sitting under the trees in cool shade, if it is cool anywhere. I have been days writing this, so take your time to read it. Provided by FAG Contributor: Donna Kuhlman

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Margaret Mary Wakefield Merryman's memorial?
Margaret Mary Wakefield Merryman's memorial is located at: Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, USA.
When did Margaret Mary Wakefield Merryman death?
Margaret Mary Wakefield Merryman death on 8 Nov 1922 in Clarinda, Page County, Iowa, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Margaret Mary Wakefield Merryman's memorial?
Latitude: 38.4557991
Longitude: -122.7039032

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Joseph S. Merryman

(1824 - 1894)

Siblings

(unknow - unknow)

Children

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.4557991, -122.7039032

2. County of Sonoma Cemetery
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.4552780, -122.7027780

3. Santa Rosa Odd Fellows Cemetery
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Coordinate: 38.4573690, -122.7066530

4. Santa Rosa Memorial Park
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Coordinate: 38.4597015, -122.7071991

5. Beth Ami Cemetery
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Coordinate: 38.4590920, -122.7086070

6. Shomrei Torah Cemetery
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Coordinate: 38.4593760, -122.7086480

7. Old County Cemetery
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.4669991, -122.7083969

8. Luther Burbank Memorial Home and Gardens Cemetery
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.4355810, -122.7118050

9. Catron Cemetery
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Coordinate: 38.4796982, -122.7083969

10. Calvary Catholic Cemetery
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Coordinate: 38.4314003, -122.6847000

11. Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery and Mausoleum
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Coordinate: 38.4141998, -122.7137985

12. Bennett Valley Cemetery
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.4161987, -122.6619034

13. Fulton Cemetery
Fulton, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.4888000, -122.7786026

14. Faught Cemetery
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.5186005, -122.7574005

15. Steele Family Cemetery
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.4523730, -122.8065610

16. Mark West Cemetery
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.5482830, -122.7229580

17. Pythian Home Cemetery
Kenwood, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.4443016, -122.5812988

18. Sharp Creek Cemetery
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.5505981, -122.6713028

19. Macedonia Methodist Episcopal Church Cemetery
Sebastopol, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.3594860, -122.7727270

20. Santa Rosa Memorial Park Shiloh Annex
Windsor, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.5247993, -122.8143005

21. Shiloh Cemetery
Windsor, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.5256004, -122.8142014

22. MHR Redwood Grove Memorial
Calistoga, Napa County, USA
Coordinate: 38.5674930, -122.6536530

23. Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery
Sebastopol, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.3981018, -122.8366013

24. Pioneer Cemetery
Windsor, Sonoma County, USA
Coordinate: 38.5624500, -122.7769700