E 664 .n83 MS Copy 1 N* a*' *H f**^ ^_ r » * ^ >* .* *Xl. X^ # '*? < • - v . *0 **«.' - t ,\ » J. S1.MI&\3l-^\ H^I^MORIAM. V *t M =^<^. f^r^/iji^^Ji^^^a^^ n ^«- QUL cr>' J -/ ^^^. IN MEMORY Caroline Joy French Morton, WIFE OF J. STERLlNCi MORTON, ARBOR LODGE, (NEAR) NEBRASKA CITY, OTOE COUNTY, \P:HRASKA. SHtPARD & JOHNSTON, PRINTERS. 140, 142. 144, 146 MONROE ST.. CHICAGO. NOTE. Two principal motives have prompted the printing of this little l)ook : one was to do homage to the memory of the sub- ject of it ; the other was to help and inspire others, and especially her children, to be as she was and to do as she did. The record of her life is brief. It is strange that so little time should suffice to recount what the memory recalls of the events in the life of a dear one who has gone from us while the heart is full of affection and mourning. But no attem^^t is made here to give a record of all that may be recalled of a lile very full of kindly acts. All that has been sought has been to give in the simplest narrative of facts a truthful portraiture of character. It may heliJ those who knew and U)ved her to remember her. It is hoped that it will h.'l[) both them and others to follow her steps and to imitate her \irtues. J. M. WOOLWOKIH. L'oKii.ANDT, Omaua: Cukist.mas, iSSi. CAROLINE JOY MORTON. If it has ever fallen to your lot to stand by the side of the form of a friend whom you have long dearly loved and whose spirit has gone forth, you have, I am very sure, been certain that this is not the end of life. All the cares and labors and toils, all the struggles and strifes and efforts which have filled these years, now over, could not have come to this impotent conclusion. The strenuous ^nv\t which, growing day by day, had come to the full maturity of manhood or womanhood, could not have been now suddenly and forever quenched. Whatever your doul)ts before this experience came upon you, now you have an assurance that there is a life beyond death, and that in that life you will be conscious of one another and rejoice together again, and more, far more, than ever. It was to you the one consolation in the midst of a sorrow which would else have been despair. 8 IX MEMOKIAM. Caroline Joy Morton was born on the 9th of August, 1833, at Hallowell, in Maine. Her father was Hiram Joy. He was of Irish descent. His ancestry, as far back as the family records in this country go, were sea-laring peojile. They who go down to the sea in ships learn to cast out fear, and meet danger and toil and watching with steady nerve and toughened muscle. Their children have a heritage of courage and resolution, and the breath of the salt .sea air is their constant stimulant. Her mother was Caroline Hayden. She, too, was reared in tlie rugged hill country of Maine, and breathed the same strong air and dwelt among the same stern and vigorous scenes. Hiram Joy, when a l)oy, was api)renticed to the trade of a saddler and harness-maker. Hard, steady, honest work was his lot, and he bent l(j it with a native fidelity and docility. And he had a strong desire to help himself His education was such as the district school of those early davs, in tliat new country, could gi\e. It was not much, but what it was he made wholly his own. And so heritage and educ ation and ( ircumstance all ((jntributeil to make liim a man — a strong, hard-working, practical, tenacious man. In 1834 he remo\ed to Detroit, CAROLINE JOY MORTON. Michigan, and followed the trade to which he had been bred. He had early success in it, and kept to it witli his natural force and tenacity. In the spring of 1835, after a violent iUness of a few weeks, his wife died, leaving the little girl, who was the only pledge of their married life. They only who have had the same experience, or have seen close at hand others in like con- dition, can understand what a calamity and what a risk were here. The desolate father and the unconscious child, — what now should be their way in the world? He was of a temper and a training to find distraction in his work ; but she, the little girl, not able to care for herself, nor even know the nature of her loss : according as she should foil into good hands or ill, so was she to be and so was to be her life. Of all sweet charities, the care for little friendless children is the sweetest — in hospitals and orphanages, if more cannot be done; but a home for the tender soul made its own by the love and pity of strangers is the best refuge. It is a sad thought of this world and the men and women in it, how many motherless children there are and how few such homes are open to them. But happily the little Caroline was one of these few, and she 10 IX MKMORIAM. never ceased through all her years to bless her lot ; and with good reason. Her mother had near neighbors wliom she loved and trusted, and to whom had not come the gift of children; and with her dying breath she charged them with her baby, to rear in virtue and all godliness of living. Deacon David French and Cynthia Eldred French were fit to be so trusted : mild in their wavs, loving in their natures, and Christian in their lives, they accepted the charge and they kept it with fidelity. After- ward she bore the name of Caroline Joy French. I'ntil her marriage their house was her home, and till tlieir death they were to her father and mother, and slie was to them a daughter. In 1S50 her father Joy removed from Detroit to Chicago. He met the usual vicissitudes of life, but accumulated an ample fortune, enjoyed general respect antl confidence, and died in 1868. Caroline was first sent to an Ei)iscopal school in Canada, o])])C)site Detrf)it, where she remained until slie was nearly four- teen years old. She was tlien rem()\ed to the \\'esleyan Seminary at Albion, Michigan, remaining there until nearly seventeen. She was then placed at the celebrated school for girls m Ctica, CAROLINE JOY MORTON. I I New York, which was under the charge of the Misses Kelley, graduating in her twentieth year. Her school life was much the same as that of such girls generally. Tractable, diligent, con- scientious in the jjrompt performance of all her duties, and at the same time genial, vivacious, generous and happy, she was a favorite with teachers and scholars alike. To her Alma Mater she always bore a loving loyalty, and to the Misses Kelley a most affectionate respect and admiration. It always pleased her to speak of them and the school, and she did so as one appreciating what both had done for her. While she thoroughly mastered what are generally called the solid studies of such schools, she \>as an apt and delighted pupil in music, drawing and painting. Her love of music was natural and very strong. She was well instructed upon the piano-forte. When she left school she was a very fine performer on that instrument, her years being { (insidered ; and in the other arts she showed taste, skill, and a desire to excel. So many young ladies do something in thesi- ways and give promise of excellence, that it may seem super l] nous to mention them. The difference is, that generally when The serious cares of life 12 IN MKMORIAM. press upon them they cease their practice, and soon lose the skill whicli they have gained ; while all through her life she almost daily found time, in the midst of many duties and occu- pations, to study and improve herself in these accomplishments. Her best education was at home. Through her girlliood her foster-parents loved her tenderly, as the best natural parent loves his own child. I5ut their affection was ju(li( ious. She was made to understand tliat her business in her girlhood was to do everything, and omit nothing, that would improve her physical, mental and moral nature. She was taught that health was to 1)J cared for as well as books, and that kindliness, charity, and regard and respect for others, were as necessary as any advantage personal to herself. Definite religious training was imparted. The clear, decisive, positive teachings ol religion were constantlv impressed upon her mind, and she accei>ted them with dot ility and faith. She never forgt)t them : and when in her turn ( hildren were given to her, she seriously and rigidly imposed on them what she had received. But she was not onlv taught all souml religious knowledge, but she was trained to tiie conscientious performance of religious duties. Slie CAROLINE 1<)V MORION. 13 was not reared in a dark, austere, formal, ascetic system. Reli- gion was to her the thankful enjoyment of all the good gilts of God, and her service to her divine Lord was willing, sweet and sincere. There was also another line of insliuction for lier. Her mother carefully taught her the duties of good housewilery. The art of wholesome cooking, and the other work of the well- regulated kitchen, and the care and service of chamber, dining- room and i)arlor. were familiar to her even as a child. And amidst it all was one lesson of prime value wliich she learned and never forgot : it was the ethics of use and the immorality of waste. She was generous ; she was made on too large and liberal a mould to be penurious, or to deny to herself or her children, or any others whose pleasure was in her care, any l)roper indulgence ; but she was taught that wastefulness, even in the little things about the house, as well as criminal extrava- gance, was wrong and led to other wrongs. At this time she was in ])erson and mien a striking and handsome young woman ; tall, slender, vigorous, active and graceful, with luxuriant brown hair, hazel eyes, clear dark com- H IN MK.MoRlAM. plexion, always dressed with taste and a due regard to occasion and circumstance, she was observed and admired by all who saw her. Her genial, cordial, gentle manners ; her direct, honest, vivacious conversation ; her pure, truthful, sincere nature, drew to her the affections of all who knew her. Her circumstances were very happy. Her father lavished ujion his only child all his affections ; and they who stood to her as father and mother were very indulgent, giving her all that wealth can buy and the largest freedom consistent with their Christian convictions and teachings. And so it was that, inheriting from her ancestry, hardened by the sea. a strong, resolute and vigorous nature, receiving from those who were charged with her care the nurture and training of loving, Christian parents, and educated in the best methods of the best schools, she entered upon the duties and responsibilities of lite an admirable Christian woman. lCver\body wished her Godspeed. At the age of fourteen s]ie was engaged to be married to him who b.-came her husband. Nor in all her girlhood had she any experience incompatible with her promise, nor did her heart ever for a moment draw back from it. In fulfillment ot CAROLINK 1()V MORTON. that early betrothal, on the 30th of October, 1854, at the resi- dence of Mr. David French, corner of Congress and IJrusli streets, Detroit, she was married to J. Sterling Morton by the Rev. Joshua Cooke, minister of the Jefferson Avenue Presby- terian Church of that city. The young husband was her senior about a year: he had been educated at the University of Michigan and Union College. He inclined to adopt journalism as his profession. On the day of their marriage the ycnmg pan- bade adieu to the homes of their youth and turned their faces westward, to make for themselves a home in Nebraska. It was a new land. Six months had not passed since the Intlians had ceded to the United States their title to this territory. Few pioneers had penetrated its borders. It was an absolutely unoccupied and vacant country. There was a certain romance in this adventure. They gave up homes that had been made for them and the ministries which had there waited on them, the culture and elegancies to which thev were wont, the indulgences and pleasures of cities and of competence, for a new land where even grain for food was yet to be sown, houses to be built, and the first l6 IN MKMOKIAM. foundations of society to be laid. They came in a spirit of adventure, to do for themselves what their fathers had done before them : to begin their lives with the life of a new com- munity, to impress themselves on its institutions, and become a part of that great moral and political establishment which should fill these regions with a consistent, organized and beneficent societv. It was the kuiic large spirit which from the earliest history of men has drixen them always westward from the homes of their childhood to new countries, where they should plant new seats and establish a new civilization. This young woman, vigorous with the nature which she inherited from a stalwart ancestry,' brave, resolute, self-reliant, joined her young husband in this work, and bore her part in it with a heart never for a moment doubtful of the issue. The se(niel shows that she was of the right stuff for the task, and that her reward was eipial to the effort anil the sa( rifue. llow far their new home was from the phu e of their child- hootl ma\- be seen by tracing their journey and the modes ot their travel. They went b\- rail from Chicago to Alton on the Mississippi river, thence to St. Louis on that river by steamer; CARULINK JOV .MORTON. 1/ from St. Louis up the Missouri to St. Joseph liy steamboat, and from there to Council lUuffs by stage. Tlie whole distance occupied seven full days and nights of hard, tedious riding. Early in November, 1854, Mrs. Morton wixs settled with her husband in Bellevue. Bellevue was the initial point of settlement in the new Territory. For many years before, Col. Peter A. Sari)y, representative of the American Fur Company, had here a trading post at which many treaties between the Government and the Indians were negotiated and executed. Here, too, was the extensive mission, of the Presbyterian Church, to the Omahas, under the charge of the Rev. William Hamil- ton. The governor of the Territory, Hon. Francis Hurt, had established himself at Bellevue, and it was expected that it would be made the capital of the new Territory. The home of the young i)ioneers was a log cabin of two rooms. It was upon the bluff, about a mile below where the dejjot of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company now stands, and where the Missouri sweeps by in a wide and easy curve. In the mild, sunny fall of the year the spot was one of beauty. The \alley, dressed in the dull russet of the I 8 IN MKMORIAM. season, stretched many miles away : the view was met to the east by rugged l)hitT> far beyond the river on the Iowa side, and by gentle soft hills on the west : while up and down, the river, its current not turbid to the view, but silvered in the distance, ran on in its (piiet course through miles and miles of the sleei)y valley. Below the bluff on which the cabin stood, all that remained of the tribe of the Oniahas had their tepes, and were the nearest neighbors of the new comers. It was a strange experience for the young wife. She was almost alone. In the little hamlet the only other women were the wives of the Hon. Fenner Ferguson, the Rev. William Hamilton, Mr. Tozier, Mr. Israel Bennett, and perhaps one or two others whose names cannot be recalled. \\"nh her own hands she cooked such hard fare as could be had, and per- formed all the other offices of the little home. I'.ut there was no sigh for the good things left behind ; no contrasting the hard present with the pleasant past. She looked with caretul and abiding hope and faith to the future. alwa\s seeing in it honor and abundance and happiness for her and for him to whom she had given lierself. There came often to them others CAROLINE JOV MORTON. IQ who had entered on the same life, to claim their hospitality and their cheer, and a hearty welcome and brave words were given out of a generous and sNinpathizing heart. Many of these guests are gone, but some remain who recall with peculiar pleasure the humble home, the }oung wife, the cheerful, merry words, the welcome, and the generous hospitality. In a few weeks after his arrival in the Territory, Governor Hurt died. The Hon. Thomas B. Cumming, the Secretary, succeeded to the executive, and convened the first Legislature at Omaha, where the capital was permanently fixed. This dampened the hopes of Bellevue. and in April, 1855, Mr. Morton and his wife removed to Nebra.ska City. He "claimed" the tract of land near that city, where they were always afterward to live, and in June they began to build the home which is known as Arbor Lodge. Here now began in truth the real work of life : the making of a home in which should dwell not only herself, of whom she took the least account, but her husband and the children who should be gi\en them; in which should dwell, besides, the undoubtin'f affections of husband and wife, the kindly charities 20 IN MKMoKIAM. of generous souls, the woman's ministries for all within the household, and the reverent, constant and faithful obedience of God's holy will and commandments. 'rhe place was the naked prairie, except where a little stream with wooded banks divided the field in two. The strong, heavy grass formed a tough sod wliich had never been broken. No sign of the white man's abode or steps was anywhere to be seen. It was an utter solitude, save as the bright sun shone through the clear, dry air down upon the green grass, ever waving in the continual wind. The young i)eople together marked the si)ace for the house; a slight elevation, from which could be seen the wide valley and the distant hill on which Kearney was afterward built. The house was a long, one-story building, with ami)le porch in front. Its rooms were, for the country and the time, large, and all its parts betokened comfort and hosi)itality. It was the good beginning of a home. The wife entered most heartily into the work of reclaiming from its wild nature the land about, joining to her husband's her own ta.ste in laying off roads and lanes, and planting trees and shrubs and hedges. Tlie lough sod was broken and sown. CAROLIXK JOV MORTON. 21 fences were built, and a\eniies of trees were marked and planted. The work went on year by \ear. The soil became soft and tractable under al)undant culture. The orchards of all fruits of this climate were planted, a few acres at first, more and more every year; barns, stables, sheds and cribs for grain were built. The animals of the farm, of the best blood, were bought and bred and reared. Flowers and (lowering shrubs and vines, and evergreens in great abundance, attested the woman's presence. Time lent its aid ; and the whole, along with the mistress and the family, trees of ornament and fruit, hedges and vines and flowers, under her nursing oversight grew, until Arbor Lodge, with its more than seventy acres of orchard of every kind of fruit, and all its other acres rich and mellow, and rejoicing in the good culture it had received, became a very bower, well described by the name it bore. It was not, of course, all her work ; but it was all work done under her inspiration. She knew every tree and shrub and vine, and of each had some swet;t memory, and many were » called by names given l)y her or her boys in token and memo- rial of .some sweet association. There was the little coniter IN ME.MORIAM. brought by her own hand from the mountains, and guarded now by a stone, marked with an inscription none can read without a tear. There was the apple tree of special flavor, whose fruit she most enjoyed, and known as "Mother's Tree." And so it was all about. The place is now, to those who loved her most, all alive in every spot with memories of her: her spirit, as it formed and guided and nourished, seems now to dwell in every thing. A few years ago the house, which had shared the constant growth, room being added to room, as there was need, was too straightened for the fLimily, and was unequal to the taste and wishes of its mistress. The faithfulness and real poetry of the dwellers in it now showed themselves. The house was not aban- doned or cast away and a new one built. The very timbers and frame and structure of the old one were sacred. Whatever greater elegance might be had in a new ht)use, it could never have the far higher grace of association. Anil so it was kept, built ui)on and rebuilt, and there it ^taiuls to-ilay, an ample, handsome, delightful mansion, but still the house in whi. h this gentleman and lady began their life and have reared their ( hildren. CAROLINE JOV MORTON. 23 It is within the renovated, enlarged and rebuilt house that Mrs. Morton is most seen. Music of the best and highest order always sounded through this home, and there stands the piano which shall never more under her skilled fingers sing for us songs without words. L'p;jn it is the cover those same fingers embroidered ; and so clothed are table, chair and sofa in every room. Paintings of decided merit, irrespective of the painter's name, are on the walls, — some her own work and some her choice. Bric-a-brac, some collected, and much more decorated or made by her, are everywhere. The whole house seems written all over, in every place, with the sacred words, " wife and mother," for all was done by her for husband and for sons. What a contrast was Arbor Lodge when her eyes closed on it forever and when first they saw it ; and what a life to have wrought that work ! Her first boy, Joy, was born in Detroit, on the 27th of September, 1855. Then, on the 2 2d of May, 1857, came Paul, in the same place. Mark was born on the 2 2d of November, 1858, at the hotel in Omaha then known as the Herndon House, now occupied by the Union Pacific Railroad Company 24 IX MEMORIAM. for its general offices; and Carl was l)orn at Arbor Lodge on the 1 8th of February, 1865. Arbor Lodge is Mrs. Morton's memorial ; but she lives truly in these sons. As she in lier youth had been trained and educated with care, affection, a discreet indulgence and well tempered severity, so she reared her children. What most she taught them was truth, sincerity, fidelity, respect for men and reverence for God. Much she did by precept, but far more by constant and intimate companionshi]). She entered heartily into all that interested them. Together they often went out, with generous provision for the hunger which was sure to come, and spent the whole day in the fields and woods, gathering nuts, lichens, ferns, shrubs and flowers: always carefully di^^l)osing of the treasures that they brought home, so that they might after- ward be put to use. And often, too, they passed the whole day together in the house, enjoying music, games, reading, and the telling of tales full of humor and fun. In the midst of all she was the heedful mother, correcting faults and approving what was good ; and al.>o a sister, putting no restraint on any of them, and sharing every feeling, impulse and emotion. The CAKOLIXK I<)V MORTON. 25 mother was in this woman. How her eyes were gladdened by what she saw ! She heUl her early marriage to be the happy circumstance of her lite, and she rejoiced that the same good fortune came to Joy and Paul ; and when they brought their wives to her, she took them to her heart as daughters. Those were the radiant days of her life. She was too good a woman ever to forget that when she was a little motherless child a kind friend had taken her home and reared her with judicious care. She was always remem- bering this when she saw another such an one, and her heart went out to it with especial tenderness and sympathy. Her friend Mrs. Chandler died very suddenly, leaving behind a little one who needed a home and a mother's care. She took the little Dela to Arbor Lodge to rear and train and make a woman of, such as otliers had made her. With what love and tenderness and patience and judicious care she did her duty to the child, and with what anxiety she gave n\) the charge when she gave up all the rest of the world, the\- only know who saw it all. In 1S58, Mr. Morton was appointed Secretary of the Terri- 26 IN' MKMORIAM. tory, and much of his term he was acting Governor. The duties of his office called him to the cai)ital. and he had his familv with him. Omaha, at that time, was a town of perhaps two thousand inhabitants. There were enough to make a pleasant society, but not so many but all could know one another. During her residence there Mrs. Morton entered very heartily into social life. She was genial, affable, charitable. She was at this time a handsome lady ; perhai)s she never appeared to better advantage than she did then. Many who shared that early life remember her as she was then with especial pleasure. But it was in the society of her own home that she held the largest place. In the earliest days, when hospitality was a necessity, she learnetl, if ever she needed to learn, to exercise it generously and graciously. Her door was always open to all comers. The poor were never sent empty away, and her friends shared whatever she had with an unlimited freedom. Arbor Lodge was always a gay !n)use. It was a place of dancing and games and jollity. The young especially resorted thither with an assurance of welcome- and pleasure. .\m\ there was another charit)- whi( h this good lady exer- CAROLINE lOV MoRTON. 2/ cised : the care and help of the poor. Those whom others did not care for slie took as her own charge. There was a poor half-breed Indian boy, who had l)een pn; at the school near Nebraska City by his father, but wIkj had lieen neglected by him. He drifted away from good influences, and at last com- mitted some trifling offense, for which he was lodged m jail. The story accidentally came to Mrs. Morton's ears, and at once she set about securing his release and providing him with proper care. She asked no aid in the task, but went about from man to man all over the town, getting their signatures to a petition for his discharge; and having gained that, she col- lected money to send him to his leather, seven hundred miles away. When a neighbor told her that her servant, a poor motherless girl, aspired to be a teacher, Mrs. Morton adopted the case as espec ially her own charge. She inspired the girl to educate herself and then to secure a place in the country to teach. When she was suffering excruciating pains in her last sickness she heard that there wis a vacancy in the High School in Nebraska City, which she thought the young teacher could fill. Dr. E. M. Whitten, her attending physic ian, was a member 28 IN Mi:M<»kIAM. of the Board of Education, and she besought his aid. He dis- couraged the effort, because there were many other applicants who had friends of influence. But Mrs. Morton was not to be put off: indeed, in tlie \ery fact that the girl was friendless she found reason for lier ai)pointnient. The evening came on which the election by the board was to be had. The doctor was attending her, but, suffering greatly as she was, she refused his services, and charged him to hasten to the meeting and tell the members that this was a poor friendless girl, who had educated herself and was worth)- of the place; that she would go to them in jjcrson antl beg the appointment but she was too ill to do so; and from her sick bed she asked this favor of them. When the doctor came the next morning, heetUess of her own (ondition, her first cpiestion was, "What did the Board do?" When told that they had unanimously granted her recjuest, the expression of gratitude and happiness on her worn and emaciated features told of the self- forgetful, generous nature of tlie invalid. Her suffering oidy made her more heed- ful of others. Her approat h to the gates of Paradise made her N])irit more than ever lo\ing and charitable. CARoI.IXi: JOV MORTON. 29 Mrs. Morton was not a liiglilv intellectual lad\' : she made no such pretensions. Her numerous occupations ami her im- ])erious duties in so many directions did not leave her time or strength or inclination for studies and labors of a severe char- acter ; l)ut she was thoroughly intelligent. She kept well up with current literature and with ])assing events. She was well informed upon the topics which occujMed jniblic attention, po- litical, social and religious, and she discussed them with dis- crimination and temperance. The relations of Mr. and Mrs. Morton were singularl)' happy. It was in their childhood that they plighted their affections, and in their earl\' maturity that they were married. There was too much force and vigor in the wife for the man to outgrow or weary of her. Witli no separate wish or ambition. l)ut with common purp )ses and commDn views of lite, its just modes and aims, they were each the complement of the other, and the two together were one. To her, her husband was the admirable man, She shared his trials, his hopes, his disappoint- ments, his ambitions, his growth, and rejoiced to be in all good and ill fortune his true helpmeet. To be his wife in all 30 IN MI-.MnRIAM. service and affection was her i)ride and joy. This was the peculiar felicity of a very hajjpy life. And now, just as the hard work was done and the full reward was at hand, the end came. The beautiful house, the perfected homestead, rooms and decorations, trees, flowers, walks and drives, animals and servants, and friends and sons and husband, memories, charities, friendships, affections, and the dear light of day, — just when they were most cherished, were all to be given up. She looked bac k 011 all these blessings, not with repining, but with devout gratitude to the (liver of all good gifts. She looked forwartl with the same courage and faith whi( h she bore through life. She always had a perfect con- tentment with what was given her ; she had realized all she aspired to. In her last illness, she said : •" My sons have ne\er made my hair gray. Very few women have lived so long and so hapjjily in a human home and sheil so few tears as I." It was her habit during her husband's absence to keeji a daily diar\-. The last entry is dated February 2. 1S82. She writes: '• I am suffering great pain to-day, but perhaps when the trees blossom again and the birds begin to sing I shall be better ; but CA KOI, INK loV MORTON. 3^ when I look around me and see how comfortable a home I have, I feel very thankful, and had almost as lief be sick as not." Mrs. Morton, by a fall on the third day of July, 1880, injured her knee. She gave it little attention, and shortly after- ward had another misfortune with it. She suffered great pain. The best medical attendance failed to relieve her, and the disease progressed rapidly. During her illness prayers were read for her at every service in St. Mary's Church, where she was a communicant, the knowledge of which was a great comfort and help to her. Her rector visited her frequently, and prayed with her and for her, and administered the help and consolations of the church. A few days before her death she called her hus- band and her eldest son to her bedside, and said: '"Let me read the prayer for the sick." She wished to read it herself, to express her prayer to her heavenly Father with more fer- vency. She read it with clear and decided, but pathetic and pleading, tones, and then committed to Him the issue. The last day was the 29th day of June. She lay in the library, the windows of which open to the east and receive the first light of the coming day. The time was sunrise. The win- ^- IN MKMOKIAM. dous were open, and the first warm breath of the morning came in fresh and sweet from the fields and flowers. Her breath was drawn with the sound of a hillaby, as though hush- ing a babe to slee]) : the same note she had used when fjuiet- ing lier infant children. Jo)- said, " Paul and Mark cannot " get here. They will never see you in life again. Won't you "send them a kiss 1)\- me?" She kissed him twice distinctly and perfectlv. It was the last conscious act to send a kiss to each absent son. She closed her eyes and the heart was still. The night was over and the da\- had come. The late afternoon of tlvj secoi'id day following Mrs. Mor- ton's deatli, Arbor Lodge was the scene of a striking event, which was in harmony with her life. \W common consent all business in Nebraska City was suspended antl the pall ot mourning was ujion all t\v: silent and emi)ty streets. About f nir o'clock the p^iople of the town a-iil multitudes from every part of the county, and rejjresentatives from all jjortions of the Stale, took their way tow.ird the desolate home. There were all classes in the compan\- ; but most to be i^b-ierved was the throng of the poor and of lln)se not largely blessed witli worldly CAROLINE JOV MORTON. 33 means. The number of them was very great, and the sorrow of face and tone and manner si)oke of a personal bereavement. Thev to whose wants had for so many years been given kindly and untiring ministries ; they whose misfortunes and sorrows had been cheered b}' words and acts of thoughtful sympathy ; they who had seen this life of tender, vigilant and unselfish service for others ; all came to this mansion with their other fellow citizens and fellow mourners for the one common purpose. It was a June afternoon, ami, save in the hearts of this throng of people, all was peaceful and sweet. Her own four sons, Joy, Paul, Mark and Carl, carried her forth, assisted by four of the near friends of the fomily. With the setting of the sun she was laid to rest in the cemetery, \\'yuka, and the grave was strewn with flowers by the hands of her own boys. The little field thus consecrated by the sacred dust now deposited in it has been fitly marked. A shaft, twenty feet high and three feet in diameter at the base, has been erected in the midst. It is in the form of the trunk of a forest tree, which has been riven and broken at the top. At its base lie fitly disposed emblems of the life now ended — a sheet with the 34 IN MKMORIAM. music and words "Rock of Ages," the needles and materials of embroidery, the painter's palette, pencils and brushes, grace- ful ferns and large lichens, a va;e upD.i its side with broken lilies, .and iw twining to the top. One branch hangs, symbol- izing the broken life. U[)C)n the opposite side is the cavity of a decayed knot, in which arc three tledglings which have left the nest ; while on the top of the trunk, looking down upon her little ones, is the ai.\iou> mother, and one other, the youngest of the brood, under her wing. The little field is protected by a fence of stone, the base being a perfect resemblance of rows of stumps of trees cut to a uniform height, upon which are logs lying hcjrizontally as the\- are laid in a log house. The whole is symbolic of a life in the new (H)untr\-, in familiar s\mpathv with nature in her tenderest nK)ods. 'I'he inscri|)ti()n is: C'akoi.ink, wife of J. Sthklinm; Morton. Died at Arbor Lodge, June 29, 1881, aged 47 year^. She was the m;jther of Joy, Paul, Mark and Carl Morton. THE SUNDAY AFTER BURIAL AT ST. MARY'S CHURCH. On tlic Sunday following the burial of Mrs. Morton there was a special mark of the event at St. Mary's Church, Nebra.ska City. Mrs. Morton had been a faithful, earnest worker in the chnrch. Something of its beauty is due to her, and her death was felt by each of the congregation as a personal bereavement. Thongh there had been no announcement, there was expecta- tion that some allusion would be made to her death. The service was the usual morning prayer of the Church, the Rev. Mr. O'Connell, the rector, officiating. In commencing his sermon, Mr. O'Connell referred to Rev. XIV. I "And 1 heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, From hence- forth blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; even so saith the Spirit; for they rest from their labors and their works do folh)w iheni." He said : With sad hearts and tearful eyes we joined, dear brethren, last Thursday, in the long and mournful cortege which followed to the grave the mortal 3 36 IX .Mi:.M< )R1.\M. remains of our dear departed sister, Mrs. Morton — one who again and again joined with us so heartily in the prayers and praises of our beloved Church, and i sacred Altar to partake of the blessed memorial of Christ's dying love. We all know of licr intense suffering during her long and painful illness, and willi wlial great patience and brave fortitude slie bore it all. Never before have I stood beside the sick bed of any one who suffered so much, and yet was so patient and uncomi)laining; and never have I come away from that bed of languishing w uliuut being myself greatly refreshed and strengthened in my own soul. When the holy season of I-ent began I sent her lliat most excelknl devotional book, l)islio|) Huntington's "New Helps to a Holy I.L-nt." She faithfully read the portions assigned for each day, and also diligently followed the Lenten service in her Prayer Book, which she kept ever close to her pillow, till the unfortunate accident which so prostrated her as to make it impossible for her to read herself Three times did I arrange, witli her most willing consent, for the admin- istration of the Holy Comnuinion; l)Ut when the a})pointed ilays came for the rece|;tion of this sacred mystery, which is the source of so much grace and blessing to the soul of the worthy recipient, her physicians thought it would be belter to pRO., J. W. Waldsmith, lilSCHOF & ZiMMERER, karsten.s & b.a.ch1,er, Mrs. Gilhert, Lloyd & Weimer, d.wvson c0llin.s, V. \V. RoTTMAN, R. II. Drkkv, NOELTINC. & KrECEL, S. H. Calhoun, S. J. Faris, R. M. RoLEE & Co., Sample Store, Alex. Calmali:t, A. F. MoLRING, S. H. Morrison, LoRTON & Potts, Rout. Hawke, ji>HN II. DaHL, A. JollNSO.N, J. H. Hensel, Philip Potter & Co., H. AlRD & Co., C. C. Bickel, li. H. Bartling, J. W. Anderson, Lewis Ring, C. II. KOKIE. NOTICES OF THK PRESS. IN MEM< »RIAM. Intelligence of the death of Mi's. J. Slorlint^ Morton will sadden the hearts of many among our Omaha readers tliis morning. For such we cannot hope to add aught befitting to the words of manly sympathy spoken by a long time personal friend of Mr. Morton's family in our columns this morning. As respects the alllicted husband and sons, it is a satisfaction to know that in principle, sentiment and action, their lives have been such that we may bL'sjieak for them the only consolation possible in the supreme earthly atllic- tion — the consoling conviction of an immorlality whicli shall be made "blessed" by reunion, in more perfect life with the loved and lost. To the late Mrs. Morton that beautiful and gracious poem of Wordsworth, " .\ rhmtoni of Delight,'" has true and rare application: "A perfect woman; nobly planned To warn and counsel and command : " and these qualities, which so adorned and ennobled the home life whose little world she created for father and chil.lren, displayed in manly and upright characters whose foundations she wrought, will by their sweet, all- per>ua///>lha>i. DEATH OF MRS. J. STERLING MORTON. The telegraph informs us of the death of Mrs. J. Sterling Morton. She died at her home, Arlior Lodge, near Nebraska City, at an early hour yesterday. This is sad news to a large circle of fri&nds who, well knowing that she had long been dangerously ill, ha.l still hoped for a favorable result. These hopes were perhaps based on her great natural vigor and courage, her skill- ful medical attendance, and the tender care of her loving friends, rather than upon llie symptoms of the disease with which she had long struggled for life. Mrs. Morton came to Nebraska about the year 1854. She was then a young anlc to all by the exhibition of so many of the Christian graces. Myself and friend were nut at the door by Mr>. Morton and assured of a cordial welcome. In her home of luxury Mrs. Morton was the truly cultivated Christian lady. All felt the charm thrown around that beautiful home. Christian hospitality so spontaneous is seldom seen connected with luxury. My friend and myself were made to feel that Arbor Lodge belonged to us, or that we were a part of the family. It is true, "she shall return no more to her home; neither her home know her any more." Sad is the thought that the keystone has fallen out of that home arch. '1 he pall of death is thrown over that (juiet home. The society she graccil, the church of which she was an honored member, will long feel the loss. But the fragrance of her Cliri-lian character will lung be felt by all who knew her. Many that have shared the hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Morton would be glad to sit, a.- did Jol)'s friends, in silence for days, and weep with this family so bereaved. May the mantle of love worn i)V the deceased fall upon llie hu-.band and children. r. W. llowi-.. CAROLINE JOV MORTOX. 45 PASSED OVER. DEATH OF MRS. J. STKRI.INc; MURToN, Tills Mt)RNIN(;. Just as the clock was striking eight, this morning, the sjiirit of Mrs. Caroline J. Morton, wife of J. Sterling Morton, ascended to the God who gave it, and all her earthly trials and suflcrijigs were over. Since January last she has been confined to her bed with arthrilis, one of the most painful diseases known, and has suffered almost everything. During the last two months but little hopes were entertained for her recovery; still she did not complain, but bore her suffering with fortitude and resignation. Aliout a week ago she began to show signs of failing, and this morning " She passed to peaceful slumber like a child, The while attendant angels built the dream, On which she rode to Heaven." Mrs. Morton was born in Maine, in 1833; at an early age moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she grew into womanhood. Siic was married at Detroit, October 30, 1854, and with her husband came to this, then unset- tled, country, arriving here in Novemlier, 1S54. Tiiey remained at Omaha and Bellevue until April, 1855, when they came to this city. Upon their arrival here Mr. Morton preempted one hundred and sixty acres one mile west of town — now known as Arbor Lodge — where her death occurred. Coming into this country when she did, .she was compelled to undergo all the dangers, hardships and inconveniences to which pioneer life is subject. She witnessed the growth of the city from nothing to what it now is, and died surrounded by all the luxuries that money could purchase. Mrs. Morton was a kind and indulgent mother, an earnest Christian, and 46 IN MKMoRIAM. an active worker in the cause of tlie cluirch. She has lieen prominently identified with all charitable enterjjrises of the city, always ready to help the sick and Heedy or visit and care for those wlio reijuired assistance. She will also he sadly missed in the social circle which she so graced. She leaves a husband, four sons, and a large circle of friends, to mourn her loss. — jYtl/ras/cu City A'e-u}. The funeral of Mrs. J. Sterling Morton took place Thursday afternoon, at five o'clock, from the family residence, and the remains were followed to their last resting-place by a large number of friends in this city and from abroad. The pall bearers were the four sons of the deceased — Paul. Mark, Joy and Carl Morton. They were assisted by Messrs. D. P. Rolfe, I.yman Richardson, L. F. Moore and A. A. Ilrowii. — Iln'tL ni:.\Tii OF THK Wild-: of j. stf:ri.ix(; mortox. . Mrs. Morton, wife of Hon. J. Sterling Nk)rton, of Nebraska City, Neb., died yestenlay. Her danger was very brief — so brief, indeed, ihat her son, Mr. Paul Morton, assistant general freight agent of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, though summoned jiromptly, was unable to see her alive. Mrs. Morton possessed that sum of (jualities which distinguisheil her in no small degree. Her character was broad, yet gentle and gracious in the extreme, and in the iierformance of kindly deeds her life was an exem]ilifica- tion of i)raclical Christianity. The regret for Mrs. Morion's death, which cannot luit be witlely felt in the home circles of Nebraska, will be shared by many well kn.nvn people in Chicago. — C/iiidi^o 'J'iiiit's, yunc jo. CAROIJNK JOY MOKION. 47 " REST IN PEACE/' How impressive a sight, to see a mother lowered down in the grave by her four sons, — and how appropriate ! The first ones to receive her care at their liirth, ihe last ones to give lier their care at licr death I Joy, Paul, Mark and Carl — pcKir little Carl — the sons of J. Sterling Morton, thus hon- ored tliem-elves, and have put an epitaph upon their darling mother's tomb more lasting ami more impressive than any that could be written. She is gone, but she has left behind her four sons, young men still, and Carl, a mere i)oy ; but men nevertheless, noble and brave, who have set an example which will no doubt be, as it ought to be, largely imitated. No stranger's hands should touch the dead : no stranger's hands are needed. Wiiose iiands will touch the casket with gentler care, and whose tears are more fitting, as tlie very last dew of life on " mollier's grave"? 'J"he task is a hard one: it takes courage, but the boys have done it n<)l)ly, and the iieart of every friend around thehi suffered in its own sorrtjw and through their fnst martyrdom. Vet those sons had but their own sorrows; moreover, they are young, the oldest being hardly twenty-six. Put what of the father? What of J. Sterling Morton, the husband? Pc^ides.his own sorrow, he had the sorrow of his four sons to withstand. The (lowing tears of a son are always hard lo a father; but in a sad, terrible in-tance like this, the tears of four beloved boys are nearly all that human nature can endure, and J. Sterling Morton's heart came well nigh In-eaking I Put his heart was gone for the time being; and tlie funeral of hi- wife, the mother of his children, is the funeral of his heart, because for more or less of a period it remains enclo.scd within the confines of that . J. Sterling .Morton, of Nebraska City. She expired at her residence, \\'edne>day, the 29th ult., in the forty-seventh year of her age, after a long and painful ill- ness, alllicled with an incuraiile malady. Surrounded by her sorrowing Timily, she passed peacefully away. Her feet had long trod near the shores of the unseen river, and death had no terror for llie gentle lady whose memory is enshrined in so many affecti n\-. The intelligence of her ]irobably fatal illness has gone abroad in the State where she has lived for so many year--, and the universal sympathy expressed in this possible bereavement evinces the warm and iriidfi regard which her life of womanly duties and gentle ways inspired carui.im; j()\' MORION. 49 in the hearts of all who knew her. Coming to Nebraska when it was yet a wilderness, she helped to fashion its rude surroundings into the graceful civili/ation which has made it the home of a society as cultured and relined as can be found in the West. In those early days the influence of a lady like Mrs. Morton was priceless. It was as the pilgrimage of those ] ious women who go abroad in the world to redeem the fallen and uphold the weak. In her gentle presence the rude frontier shared in the refinements of distant homes. Grace and purity beautified a life devoted to the good wdiich a warm heart and gei)erous nature could find to do. The poor were cared for, the struggling found encouragement, and the humble-t knew in her a friend and helper. To them the announcement of her death will come like a pergonal bereavement. The ties which are severed are not like those wliicii belong to older communities. Isolation endeared, mutual sorrow intensified, and magnanimity and virtue made holy a life filled with generous deeds and loyal friendshii^s. As Cornelia, the Roman matron, pointed to her sons as jewels brigliter than a crown, so can Nebraska point to her pioneer women as legacies of honor more brilliant than a diadem. Mrs. Morton was born in Maine in 1833, and at an early a^e moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she grew into womaidiood. She was married at Detroit, October 30th, 1854, and with her hu^iaiid came directly to Nebraska, arriving here in November, 1854. She has lived here ever since, honored and beloved by a large circle of accjuaintances. Four sons were born to her, — Joy, Paul, Mark and Carl, — who with their father survive the sad bereavement. Across the threshold of their des date home e\en th-' tenderness of friendship may not venture %\ itli consolation. Only those who have experienced the anguish of such broken ties can share in a sorrow like theirs. IX MEMORIAM. The funeral of Mrs. Morton was appointed for six o'clock yesterday evening. Tiie following dispatch describes the funeral rite : Xemkaska City, June 30. The funeral of Mrs. J. Slerling Morton took place at five o'clock this afternoon. Siic was tenderly borne to her last resting-place by her four sons — Joy, Paul, Mark and Carl. Friends were in attendance from Omaha, Lin- coin, Brownvilie, and otlier places. The funeral cortege was the largest and most imposing ever witnessed on an occasion of this kind in the hi-tory of the city. The business houses were all closed at four o'clock. The sad event has cast a gloom over the entire comnuiiiity where Mrs. Morton was universally esteemed and beloved. — Ihrahl. MRS. MORTON'S FUXER.M.. The last sad rit'j lias been performed, and tiie tribute to tiie dead from those who knew her best and loved her most was a grantl outpouring of our people to witness her burial. The funeral cortege was the largest ever wit- nessed in Nebraska City. 'i"he service was brief, but impressive, and con- sisted of simply reading the beautiful Ijuriil service of the Episcopal Church, and prayer. The pall bearers were tlie noble sons of the lamented deceased — [oy, I'aul, -Mark and Carl, — assisted by l.ynian Riciiardson of Omaha, L. O. .Moore of Chicago, D. P. Rolfe and " Lot " Brown of this city. The grave was strewn with flowers by Joy and Paul. Thus closed the life of Mi^s. J. Sterbng Morton. — Nebraska Press, ytt/y i. CAROLINK JOV .MORTOX. 51 HIS LAST. Tlie Omalia Kfpiihlican says: "A friLMicl called yestcrtlay with a coj^y of the Ktpubliiaii of June 30, containing the late Mr. Hitchcock's touching notice of the death of Mrs. J. Sterling Morton, in which occurred the fol- lowing, which seemed almost prophetic of the writer's impending departure : 'As wife, as mother, as woman, her work was nobly done; and although to u> blind mortals it seems hard that she should be cut off in the very meridian of her life, yet the good Loril knew that her work was fully done — that the tired one should rest.' And so, said our friend, may we truthfully say of Mr. Hitchcock; as husl)and, as father, as man, his work was nobly done; it was fitting that the tired one should ■ rest. The communication referred to was the last of Mr. Hitchcock's public utterance. He expected to start for Nebraska CiTy the next morning to attend Mrs. Morton's obsequies, but ill- ness came on — the illness of which he died. In fact, he was ill when he wrote the words, and the manuscript was brought to us by his son. His chirography was always rather obscure, and in this instance it was particularly so, and we asked the aid of the son in reading it, in obedience to our friend's injunction to "be jiarticular to see that there were no errors" when jjublished. Amid a press of duties we forgot to look at the proof, — an over- sight which occurred to us on our way home about midnight. We returneil to the office and found that in the sentence " ."^he came here to make a home in Nebra.ska," the word '• name " had been set instead of " home." This was corrected, and the article appeared precisely as written by Mr. Hitch- cock. — Omaha Republican. 52 IN' MKMORIAM. NEBRASKA PIONEERS. Mr. Reynolds, formerly of Nebraska City, in his Parsons, Kansas, IttJe- pendeni, pays the following tribute to Nebraska pioneers: " The young State of Nebraska has recently lost two of her noblest pioneers. We refer to the deaths of ex-Senator Hitchcock and Mrs. J. Ster- ling Morton. The decease of each is sincerely mourned by the young slate at large and by hosts of friends in other states. Tlic writer hereof was intimately acquainted with both parties. Senator Hitchcock went to Nebraska in 1857 — and took uj) his residence in Omaha the same year we settled at Nebraska City. The senator served as delegate in Congress from the Terri- tory, as United States marshal and United States senator for the term of six years. He was a man of generous impulses, loyal to his friends, to his party, to his country; and possessing very respectable talents and excellent social surroundings, rose to eminence and distinction in the state of his adoption and in the country. " Mrs. |. Sterling Morton was one of the earliest settlers and noblest women that have resided in the young state. She went to the Territory in 1854, twenty-seven years ago, and resided there continuously as the loyal and devoted wife of the most brilliant young man who ever crossed the .Missis- sippi river. J- Sterling Morton would long since have been United States senator from Nebraska if he had belonged to the dominant party. Mrs. Morion for twenty-seven yeai-s was beloved and honored by all. Incciiit regina. .She moved, a queen in the social circle, in the household, in the church she loved and whose ordinances >he devoully and faithfidly observed. CAROLINK JOV MORION. She raiseil four nuble sons, tlie three eldest now occupying high positions m railway and l)Usiness circles. •' These poorly constructed words of condolence and sympathy with the sorrowing husband and friend and associate of our earlier college days, and tribute to the honored dead, whose names Nebraska will ever hold in fond remembrance among the noblest of her pioneer men and women, we could not fail to express and impress ujion the jirinted page from our southern Kansas home." A TOUCHING INCIDENT. The death of Mrs. J. Sterling Morton left a mourning husband and four sons to deplore her loss. Three of these sons are engaged in active business in Chicago. Only one of them, Carl, one of the best and bravest boys of fourteen years whom we have ever known, could be with the father to help him bear a burtlen >o heavy that it seemed it must break the strong man down. The last scene of all had come and gone like a terrible dream when the keen sympathy of the sons with the father led to a discussion of plans for surrounding him with >ym]iathy and suiiport in his bereft home. Mr. Morton heard and heeded all that lilial affection could suggest, when, turning to his two married sons, Joy and Paul, with heart and mind full of well controlled emotion, he said : " My sons, if your dear mother was living, and you should lose your wives as I have lost mine, you would look back to her for consolation and sujiport. So I, in this trying hour, linn to my mother for that consolation and comfort which mothers alone can give to their children in their hours of deepest sorrow." 54 IN MEMOKIAM. The statement that Mrs. Morton, the venerable mother of this strong man, is with her son in his stricken home in Nebraska City, is all that need be added to this imperfect relation of an incident wliich is as worthy of the man- hood as it is honoraljJe to the motherhood of our country. — Omaha Herald. DEAD. The wife of 'Hon. J. Sterling Morton, of Nebraska City, was buried last Thursday at that city, the jxall-bearers being her four sons, — Joy, Paul, Mark and Carl, — four as noljle young men as live, and they could not be otherwise, having, as they did, such a mother. We have known the deceased for twelve years. A truer, nobler and kinder-hearted lady never lived : one of the most refined in feelings; one who was loved and respected by all, and a leader in society. Any one who came in contact with her could not help but be bene- fited, and feel as though they had met one of superior talent and goodness. She brought up her family of boys as a noble Christian woman would do, and was rewarded for it, as two are now occupying prominent positions on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad— Paul occupying the position of assistant general freight agent of that corporation. Having been very iiiiimate with the family and young men so many yeai-s, we can aj)preciate then- ileep sorrow at this great cloud of sadness that has come over their home. As for our friend Mr. Morton, we know thai the blow is a fearful one, for his whole life appeared to be devoted to making his wife happy and his home, "Arbor Lodge," a plea-ant place, and few batcr nun can be found than Sterling Morion. The heartfelt sympathies of ihe editor of this paper is extended to the family in this iheir hour of great atlliclion. — Kansas City Evening Spy. CAROLINE JOV MoRToX. 55 The wife of Hon. I. Stirling Morton died at her home in Nebraska City on the 29lh of fune. She was a lady of very excellent qualities — a pioneer who has grown up with the country and has done a great part in trans- forming the great and beautiful Str.te of Nebraska from a wilderness, inhab- ited by the coyote, Iniffalo and Indi^i, to a real garden, cultivated by as intelligent a people as can be found in the civiHzed world. She, a blooming bride, came with her young husband to Nei)raska in 1S56, and since that time has been "A perfect woman; nobly planned To warn and counsel and command." — Ilamhitrg Times. Mrs. Caroline F. Morton, wife of J. Sterling Morton, of Nebraska City, died on Wednesday, June 29th, 1S81, after a lingering an