Amanuensis Monday: The Obituary of Margaret (Watkins) Van Every - 1910

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009. Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe and share their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

***
This week I transcribe the obituary for Margaret (Watkins) Van Every (1842-1910), the third wife of my great great grandfather, Samuel Van Every (1820-1888).

---

The Galveston Daily News, Saturday, January 22, 1910

VAN EVERY – San Marcos, Tex., Jan. 20 –
Mrs. S. J. Van Every, one of the oldest resi-
dents of this city, died at her home in Katy-
ville, a suburb of this city, this afternoon about
6 o’clock. She had been in poor health for
some time. She is survived by two sons and
three daughters, as follows: Melvin and Walter
Van Every of this city, Mrs. John Carleton of
Austin and Mrs. A.S. Mooney and Miss Nettie
Van Every of this city. The internment will be
In the City Cemetery tomorrow afternoon at
2:30 o’clock.

***
Notes:

1) My great grandfather, Melvin Van Every, was the son of Samuel and his second wife, Abigail Stuart. The other four children listed were Margaret's children. Samuel had a total of 22 children, and while many died young, more than these five survived in 1910. I suspect Melvin is listed because he remained in town, while other children of Abigail, and Samuel's first wife, Cordelia Hitchcock, lived elsewhere.

In 1910, three of the four children of Cordelia were alive, five of the nine children of Abigail, and four of the nine children of Margaret. Mrs. A.S. Mooney is Pearl (1871-1958), Mrs. John Carleston is Myrtle (1877-1966) - after whom my grandmother was named, and Miss Nettie is actually Lettie (1881-1953) - She would marry Robert Collier in 1911.