Martin Luther and Amanda Virginia Smith Rice In Death

Note: I have typed a transcription out for both articles at the bottom of the post so you don't have to try and read the embedded images.

As I mentioned previously, I didn't know much about my 3rd great grandparents because they lived in an area of the state with few digitized newspapers so any information gleaned would mean a 5 hour trip there, hours/days/weeks scanning newspapers randomly in hopes of finding something and then driving another 5 hours back home. In other words, not very feasible. But thanks to modern technology, not only are these old newspapers being digitized, but they are searchable thanks to software that transcribes the microfiche images to ones and zeros. Sometime in the years since I last looked at this family, not one but four newspapers in their home town were digitized and put online for those like me to search freely. Within minutes of discovering this news, I was discovering articles on my 3rd great grandparents and getting a better feel to who they were. I also found death notices for both of them which verified a lot of my research and in the case of above, cleared up a couple details. 

One of the details that I mentioned previously is that I didn't know what happened to their daughter Mary who disappears around marrying age from the census records. She didn't actually disappear but she changed her name and with a first name like Mary, it can be difficult to figure out whom she married. Fortunately the death notice said Mary's surname at the time of her mother's death was Timm and she lived in Panna, Idaho. That should be plenty of information to pick up the trail again.

The second detail was my pondering as to whom the mother of Roy E. Rice was. A birth index records listed a Mrs. Susie Warren, a name I haven't been able to locate. But this article says that Roy E was the son of Amanda Rice and that he had 10 other brothers and sisters as I have found over the years. So this lends some credence that perhaps there was some typo error in the index. The death notice also made no mention of a divorce or separation from her husband.

 Martin Rice's death notice didn't offer much in the way of new information thanks to my previous research. For probably 10 or more years I never knew his date of death or even where he was buried. Had I been able to find this article back then, I could have focused on other things in the mean time. But by not knowing, I guess it made me come back and as a result, I learned even more things about him that I will probably share in another email. 

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Transcriptions as follow:

Old Settler Passes Away

We are sorry to chronicle the death of Mrs. Amanda Virginia Rice of Whiting who died at her home in Whiting at 10:30 p.m. on October 30th, 1922, after a brief illness of pneumonia. Mrs. Rice was born in the state of Virginia May 22nd, 1849 and was at the time of her death 73 years, 5 months an 19 days old. She was married to Martin L. Rice February 17th, 1869 at DeWitt, Ia. They came to Onawa the same year and homesteaded north east of Onawa near the Ed McNeill place. They lived happily on the homestead until 1889 at which time they moved to the town of Whiting. Mr. Rice died in the year 1899. The following children are living and all were at the bedside of their mother at the time of her death with the exception of Mary. The children are John J. Rice, Davenport, Iowa, Mary E. Timm, Panna, Idaho, Nettie J. Smith, Grand Mound, Iowa, George A. Rice, Whiting, Iowa, Isaac A. Rice, Whiting, Nellie E. Lane, Kansas City, Mo., Ida May Gregg, Macy, Nebr., Cornelius M. Rice, Omaha; Roy E. Rice, Omaha, Neb. Two infant girls dying early in the 80's. Mrs Rice was the mother of 11 children, 5 sons and 4 daughters who are now living. There are also 12 grand children and 5 great grandchildren, all who survive her. Mrs. Rice has been a life long member of the Methodist church and was held in the highest esteem in the community in which she dwelled. The funeral services are being held this afternoon at 2 o'clock at Whiting by Reb Dunn of Maple tion her former pastor. Burial will be made in the Onawa cemetery beside the remains of her departed husband. - The Onawa Democrat - 2 Nov 1922

Martin Rice, an old soldier and resident of Whiting, died at that place Wednesday; and was interred this Thursday in the soldiers' lot in the Onawa cemetery under the auspices of Hanscom Post. - The Monona County Gazette - 25 May 1899