A Good Woman Gone

The death of Mrs. Herman Mehrens, which occurred last Saturday at the family home, four miles north of Blair, will cause a feeling of sorrow in many homes and hearts, especially in the eastern part of Washington county among the older settlers where she was so generally known and highly esteemed. And to add to the cup of sorrow of her family, which had been filled to overflowing by the death of a dear wife and mother, her grandson, Harvey Hurdum, ten years of ago, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hurdum, was stricken with peritonitis and passed away on the same day of his grandmother’s death. Harvey was an active, healthy, lovable little fellow and was sick only a few days.

The funeral of both was held on Tuesday, services at the Mehrens home and interment in the Blair cemetery.

Tribune 8 Jan. 1913

Death Of Mrs. Mehrens

Died, at her home four miles north of Blair, on Saturday, January 4, Mrs. Herman Mehrens, aged 66 years.

Two weeks ago Mrs. Mehrens was stricken with paralysis and though everything possible was done for her relief the efforts were of no avail.

Mrs. Mehrens and her husband were married in Omaha in 1866 and they homesteaded the farm, where she died, soon after their marriage. Two sons and five daughters, besides the husband, survive to mourn her death. They are John of Fort Stockton, Texas; George of Santa Rosa, New Mexico; Mrs. Laura Mead of Vermillion, Canada; Mrs. Alice Hurdum, Mrs. Rosnnell Mead, Mrs. Eva Grimsley and Mrs. Birdie Krogh, all living in the vicinity of Blair. With the exception of the children living in Canada, all were present with their mother when the end came.

Mrs. Mehrens was known as a good wife, mother and neighbor a kind friend and her death is mourned by many aside from the family and the tenderest sympathy of all acquaintances is tendered the loved ones in the hour of sorrow.

On the same day that Mrs. Mehrens died, another sorrow came to the family. A grandson, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hurdum, aged ten years, died at the home of his parents on a farm near that of his grandparents, the trouble being peritonitis; the boy was ill only a short time. When a single sorrow of this nature comes into the home, the lives of those left are darkened and doubly so must be the case when a double sorrow comes.

Words are always inadequate to express the sympathy we feel for our fellow beings in hours of sadness such as these, and it is only time that will soften the grief thus felt by the sorrowing ones. The only source of consolation is the knowledge that He who doeth all things well and knows exactly how to order our lives, holds all in the hollow of his hand, and when we can feel “It is all for the best,”, it is all we can do.

The Tribune wishes to join others who contribute their sympathy to these two families whose lives are so closely interwoven and who today are “Passing Under the Rod.”

The funerals of grandmother and grandson were held at the home of Herman Mehrens on Tuesday and interment made in the Blair cemetery.

Pilot 8 Jan. 1913

Last week we reported the condition of Mrs. Herman Mehrens to be improving but on Friday she took a turn for the worse, the end coming peacefully at 6:15 Saturday morning. An added weight of sorrow came to the family that same afternoon when Harvey, the ten year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Hurdum, who live nearby, died of peritonitis. He had been ailing Monday but was feeling good Wednesday, eating a hearty supper. At midnight he was taken seriously ill and death followed at about 2 o’clock Saturday afternoon. A double funeral was held at the Herman Mehrens home at 11 o’clock yesterday, Rev. Almus Adams, of Omaha, officiating. Miss Josephine Boice was born in Pottawatomie county, Ia., May 3rd, 1847, and was accordingly in her 65th year. She came to Cuming City with her parents in 1855 and was therefore one of the pioneers of the county. She was married to Herman Mehrens in Omaha, March 28th, 1866, and they settled at once on the homestead 5 miles north of Blair, where she was living at the time of her death, having lived on the one place almost 47 years. About five years ago she suffered a slight paralytic stroke and about a week later a second and more serious stroke came, which confined her to the house for almost three months. On the Sunday before Christmas day a third stroke came, and she seemed to improve for a time, but it proved the fatal one, as it so often does. She leaves a husband and seven children to mourn the loss of a loving and dutiful wife and mother: Mrs. F. E. Mead, of Vermillion, Alta, Canada; John, of Ft. Stockton, Texas; George, of Santa Rosa, N. M.; Mrs. John Mead, Mrs. Fred Hurdum, Mrs. J. W. Grimsley and Mrs. Harvey Kroh, all of this county. All but the two first named were present when the end came, and for the funeral. It was doubly sad to hold the funeral of grandmother and grandson at the same time and their many friends extend heartfelt sympathy in the double bereavement.

~~~Obituaries courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair, Nebraska Public Library~~~

Find a Grave Memorial #30149018