March is Women's History Month and I have been commemorating it by participating in The Accidental Genealogist's Fearless Females blogging prompts. The original post that lists the various prompts can be found HERE. And the prompt for March 11 is:
March 11 — Did you have any female ancestors who died young or from tragic or unexpected circumstances? Describe and how did this affect the family?
Certainly my family history has the usual percentage of children who died from illness and accidents and women who died in or shortly after childbirth. These were not uncommon things up till the mid 20th Century. But in this post I chose one to honor. Sarah Amanda Zellner 1852 - 1879. She lived to be 27. She was born in Lehigh County Pennsylvania but her family moved to Cass County Indiana by 1870 at which time she married Herman August Funk. Herman was a Lutheran Minister who had immigrated to the US three years prior to the marriage. He had been orphaned as an infant in Prussia. They had three children, one in 1871, one in 1875 and one in 1878. Then about nine months after the birth of her third child Sarah died. The family bible page below indicates that Sarah had been ill for nine months. I would guess by that she died of complications from her last childbirth. But I do not know that for a fact. It is conjecture on my part. I would also guess it was not a comfortable nine months.
The Funk Family Bible.
On the bottom half of the page Herman Funk honors his wife with a tribute.
Curious I googled the final three lines and was surprised to find this. The Funk family had a farm in Cass County Indiana. My grandmother was always very good to me and I enjoyed every minute I spent in her home. But I would never have imagined her reading Longfellow. I found it curious that her grandfather did. Participating in this blogging prompt has shown me a side of the Funk family that I would not have known about had I not joined in.
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