GRISSOM, Mary May

FROM OVER THE COUNTY.

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TIMOTHY RIDGE.

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We noticed that your Nineveh correspondent failed to tell you of Rev. Allen Grisom’s [sic] family sickness at Nineveh. We will just state that five out of the seven of his family have been quite low with fever caused by drinking poison water. Mrs. Grisom [sic] and the oldest daughter, May, 16 years of age, died. May died Monday morning, Nov. [sic] 2nd, and her mother died Wed­nesday night at 9 o’clock, and both were buried at Nineveh. Gracie, a little girl of eleven, is yet bed fast and two boys six and fourteen are convalescing. Your correspondent visited them Sun­day and the oldest son Robert, 21 years of age, has very strong symptoms of taking the fever. The water was drank before they moved to Nineveh four weeks ago from a well near Morgan­town. Mrs. Mary Winders, of Arcada, her brother, Newton Cooper, of Tipton, her oldest sister and husband, Rev. Braziler Blount and wife of Irvingtown, attended the funerals. The family is yet in a sad plight, among strangers and hardly any of the family able to wait on the other.

The Franklin Democrat, Friday, December 20, 1889,
Volume XXX Number 26, page 3 column 2

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For the Democrat.

Obituary.

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER.

One by one we say they go and that seems to be all we can bear but from the home of Rev. Allen W. Gressom [sic], at Nineveh, two went. Yes, Mary M., the oldest daughter, died December 2nd, with fever and in two days the same fever dismissed the spirit of the mother to the world where she will meet her darling child. Mrs. Elizabeth A. (Cooper) Grissom, was born June 18, 1839, and died December 4th, 1889. She obeyed the gospel at the early age of 15 and ever after lived a true Christian life. She was a true friend, sober minded and wore a sweet smile. She had seen much of this life’s trials and disappointments while very young. She lived with her father, her mother dying when she was small, at Cicero, Hamilton county, Ind., until 1865, when she was married to A. W. Gressom [sic], who survives her. There were six children born to them, three sons and three daughters, four of whom still live. After her marriage it was her lot (as with most minister’s wives) to live in many places. About four weeks pre­vious to her death, she moved with her husband to the last earthly home for herself and daughter, Mary May, who was born May 14th, 1878, and died December 2nd, 1889. She obeyed the gospel in the year 1887. Her death was caused by drinking poison water from a well near the line of the counties of Johnson, Morgan and Brown. She poss­essed more than ordinary beauty and gracefulness both in form and features. In death she wore that same sweet, sad expression which she so honestly inher­ited. She was a bright scholar and bore her sickness with Christian patience.

M. A. B. 

Link to Mary May Grissom’s grave

Note:  The Johnson County Indiana WPA Death Index, 1882–1920, page 81, referencing Book H-15, page 28, records that May M. Grisson [sic], a sixteen-year-old white female, died 2 Dec 1889 in Nineveh.

Submitted by Mark McCrady and Cathea Curry