I think about what must have
been sadness in the life of my great-grandmother, Lydia (Jewett)
Hayes when there were deaths in her family. Her oldest daughter,
Huldah, died at about 3 years of age in 1823. I don't have a record
of when her mother passed away, but family history states that her
father, Joseph, died in 1837. Lydia and her family moved to Indiana
by 1837 where her youngest child was born.
By 1842 the family has moved to
Jefferson County Iowa and her children began getting married and
having children of their own. Before the end of the year Lydia's
first grandchild was born, Daniel. But he had died before 1850. In
1846 granddaughter Rebecca died when 1 month old. Then in 1851
grandson William died at age 4 months.
It was in 1853 when the family
traveled together for about five months over the Oregon Trail. Not
long after another granddaughter was born while in the Blue
Mountains, that Lydia's daughter, Hannah, died in the Cascade
Mountains. The baby Emma lived with her grandparents, Seth and Lydia.
Six year old Emma and Lydia are shown on the 1860 census as the only
members of the household, because Seth had died that year previous to
the census. I would think it was especially hard for Lydia when Emma
died at age 9, around 1863. Also in 1863 Lydia's son, Seth Whipple
Hayes who lived next door, suffered two deaths in his family: his 8
year old daughter Celia, another of Lydia's granddaughters, died and
then just 3 months later Seth's wife, Polly, died.
Hopefully Lydia had joyful
moments to counteract the sad times in her life. She herself died in
November 1864. From her obituary in the Pacific Christian Advocate
we can read; "Sister Lydia Hays died in great peace and full
assurance of eternal life."
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