6 May 1915; Standard;3;4

IN MEMORIAM: MRS. ELIZABETH DAVIS

Elizabeth WORK was born in Windsor, Ohio, May 6, 1831, being exactly eighty-four years of age at the time of her death. Her mother died when she was eleven years of age. Miss WORK was married to Dr. R.DAVIS, of the same city October 2, 1849, in Windsor. Dr.DAVIS practiced medicine in his home city until 1853, when he and his family moved to Illinois, stopping at Como. -------

The trip to Como was a long one, and arduous, being made by boat. The trip consisted of going down the Muskingum river to the Ohio river, thence down to the Mississippi river at Cairo. The trip was then up the Father of Waters to Rock Island, and then up Rock River to Como, then a struggling yet hopeful little town. The trip was long and the mother with her three little step-children and the two little ones of her own, had her hands full, but her heart was brave and the love for her husband was indeed strong.

The doctor practiced medicine in Como, but in 1856 bought a tract of land on the south side of the river in Montmorency of A. A. Church. The farm was part of Swan Lake, with the house located on the hills of the south side. The lake at that time was one vast sheet of water and was over a mile across. It was covered with swans during the summer time, while the long legged sand hill cranes were numerous on the adjacent sand knolls to the south. What a home for a woman reared in the Ohio city! Yet she was true to her family and lived her life there.  

After a year or two in this prairie home, the farm was sold and they went back to Como. After two years the husband bought a farm in Hahnaman township, seven miles south of Sterling. The trip was made to this farm in a wagon. Other children came to bless this couple until the family was large. The new farm was three miles south of the one they formerly possessed. The country at this time over a half century ago, was indeed wild. Mrs. Davis many times has told of the deer which used to browse near her home, many miles from any neighbor; told of the howling of the wolves at night time. There were weeks and weeks passed without seeing a soul outside of her own little household. Only a stout and a brave spirit could have endured such a life.

The doctor was ambitious and added acres to his farm until he owned over 1100 acres, in fact as his wife often remarked, they were land poor, and the family was forced to go without even the necessities of life at times. Finally the land was settled around them; neighbors were numerous. The sloughs which had to be forded to go to Sterling were drained and the price of land rose, until the doctor with his broad acres was a wealthy man. he died at his home on this farm in 1887. After two years, Mrs. DAVIS moved to Sterling and erected the house in which she died, 1012 Sixth avenue.

Mrs. DAVIS is survived by two sisters, Mrs.OVERLEY, of Sterling, and Mrs. M. J. DAVIS, of Fairmount, Neb. The following were her step-children: Mrs. Naomi BAXTER, of Rock Falls; Mrs. Martha PREY, Lincoln Neb., and T. Benton DAVIS, Minneapolis, Minn. Her own children being Condie, who died Feb. 1, 1915; Mrs. Jariffa PREY who died April 27, 1915, at Alton, Mo.; two sons who died when young; Mrs. Elathiel DEVINE, Hahnaman; Mrs. Minnie FERRIS, of Sterling; Mrs. Alice ENGLEBRECHT, Elba, Neb., T. M. DAVIS, Sterling; Mrs. Dora BREECH, Sterling; Reuben DAVIS, Batavia; Mrs. Jessie DAVIS, Oak Park, and Dr. John DAVIS of Sterling, besides hosts of friends. She leaves twenty-five grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren.

The funeral will be held Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at the home Rev. E. C. HARRIS, pastor of St. John's Lutheran church, will have charge of the services. The interment will be in Riverside cemetery. The pall bearers will be Lester DEVINE, Lyle DEVINE, Reuben DEVINE, LeRoy DAVIS, Paul DAVISand Leo DAVIS.

Mrs. DAVIS has been a very rugged woman, but finally her constitution gave way by advanced age, and for the past two years and seven months she has been almost helpless, being in bed all of the time. During this time her daughter, Mrs. Dora BREECH, has been with her night and day, devoting her entire time to her.

In 1889 she joined the Presbyterian church in Sterling and was a constant member, hardly ever missing a Sunday. Later she joined St. John's Lutheran church, and has been a consistent member since. She was conscious most of the time in her last illness, and happy, and would join in songs with her daughter. Mrs. DAVIS was a good woman, devoted to her family, a woman of a thousand, "and her children shall rise up and call her blessed.

Mrs. DAVIS died exactly to the hour of the anniversary of her birth -- eighty-four years; a strange incident. She gave all of her children a good education, and all seven of her daughters and one son taught school in Whiteside county.