James Lardner: Excerpts from....

Excerpts from, Pioneer tales of the Oregon trail and of Jefferson County by Charles Dawson (1912)
LINK

Obituary of Thomas Raymond (Ray) Wiggins

Sometimes obituaries really just make me depressed...

The attached story to this particular obituary fills up the majority of the The Fairbury Journal's front page and a portion of page 8.  Below is the actual, "offiical" obituary that was placed at he end of story about the search for the bodies of my great grandfather and uncle.  

What wasn't reported at the time of their deaths was that my great grandmother was pregnant at the time.  Gr-Grandma Agnes (Lardner) Wiggins, after the death of her husband and youngest son, moved into town, began to work at a local department store, and proceed to put all seven of her remaining children through school on her own.

I really wish I could have met her, and my great grandfather and uncle.


N.B.  Ray Wiggins was married to Agnes Lardner, the daughter of James Lardner from County Clare, Ireland and Mary Ann Cashman, who was the daughter of William Cashman from County Cork, Ireland.