ZOOK, Eliza Jane (Kiphart)

SCOURING WOODS FOR
MRS. ELIZA J. ZOOK

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Aged Woman Missing Since
Saturday—Tracks found in
Abandoned Road

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SAMARIA. Aug. 13—Extensive search of the woods and by-roads between the home of Henry Zook and the Bethlehem church in the southwestern part of Hensley town­ship, was started late Wednesday and continued Thursday for Mrs. Eliza Jane Zook, aged resident of the community, who has been mis­sing from her home since last Saturday. Deputy Sheriff Gee was called Wednesday night and again Thursday to assist in the search.

Mrs. Zook disappeared Sat­urday afternoon when she left the Henry Zook home stating that she was going to the Bethlehem church, a distance of about four miles, to attend a funeral service. She was not accompanied by members of the family and started off on foot. In­quiries by members of the family have located two persons who claim to have seen Mrs. Zook on the bridge which crosses the Illinois Central tracks near the home

Find Tracks Thursday.

Led by Mr. Gee and covering the territory in the neighborhood of the bridge, the searching party worked until after midnight Wednesday, us­ing flashlights and lanterns in the attempt to find some trace of the missing woman. Their efforts were futile in the dark and the search was given up to be resumed Thurs­day morning.

A larger party of searchers took up the task early Thursday and Deputy Sheriff Gee was called at noon and requested again to assist. Tracks believed to be those of Mrs. Zook had been found in an aban­doned road about three miles from the Zook home and approximately a mile from the Bethlehem church. The searchers waited for the arrival of the deputy sheriff before exten­ding their search over the sur­rounding territory.

The road on which the tracks were found has been almost aban­doned in recent years and it was reported that it was practically impossible to force any sort of a vehicle through the tangled under­brush and across the washouts and

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SEARCHING PARTY

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ditches cut across the road by the rains. Each side of the road was said to be matted with trees and bushes for the greater part of the route Mrs. Zook would have traversed.

Might Have Become Ill.

Members of the family were said to be unable to account for the dis­appearance of Mrs. Zook and be­lieved that she might have become ill and wandered away from the road during her journey to the church. She has a large number of relatives living in the community and it was first believed that she was at the home of some other member of the family.

She is well known throughout Hensley township and this com­munity. The family has been in­volved in a legal mixup for some­time as a result of her being de­clared unable to manage her affairs and the appointment of a guardian for her. A hearing was recently held in the Johnson circuit court of a claim against the guardian by a member of the family.

While fairly active, Mrs. Zook was advanced in age and would have been unable to withstand much exposure in the open.

Franklin Evening Star, Friday, August 14, 1931, page 1 column 3

BODY OF AGED WOMAN
FOUND LATE THURSDAY
—FUNERAL RITES HELD

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Mrs. Eliza J. Zook Believed to
Have Suffered Heart Attack
on Saturday

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SAMARIA. Aug. 14—Missing from her home since last Saturday morning when she left on foot to attend a funeral, the disappearance of Mrs. Eliza Jane Zook, age 83, well known resident of Hensley township, was explained late Thurs­day afternoon when her body was found slumped down on a weed-covered hillside about three-quarters of a mile northwest of Bethlehem church.

The discovery was made by Monte Brown, a resident of the neighborhood, and Floyd Voiles, a grandson, members of the searching party of more than fifty men and boys who had been scouring the woods and ravines between the Ja­cob Baughman farm and the Beth­lehem church throughout the day. Other members of the searching party gathered near the scene and awaited the arrival of Dr. Walter L. Portteus, coroner of Johnson county, who was summoned by Deputy Sheriff Homer Gee, one of the lea­ders of the search.

Burial at Bethlehem.

The body had not been disturbed when Dr. Portteus arrived except for the identification by the son, Henry Zook, with whom Mrs. Zook had been making her home. There was no sign of a struggle or any marks of violence on the body which had lain in the open for more than four days and it was believed that Mrs. Zook had died suddenly as the re­sult of a heart attack or heat pros­tration.

The remains were taken to the Clark undertaking parlors at Mor­gantown Thursday evening and fun­eral services were held at the grave in the cemetery of the Bethlehem church Friday afternoon at 2 o’­clock with the Rev, Smith of Mor­gantown officiating. The services were attended by a large number of relatives and friends.

Four Children Survive.

Mrs. Zook was a lifelong resident of Hensley township where she was born in January, 1848, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Kiphart who were among the early residents of the community. She was united in marriage to David Zook, who preceded her in death by several years, and seven children were born to this union.

Four of the children survive the mother, Henry Zook, who lives on the Zook homeplace; Webb Zook of Morgantown; Mrs. Arthur Voiles, who lives near the family home, and Waldo Zook of Urbana, Ill. She is also survived by a sister, Mrs. Margaret Richardson of California and by several grandchildren.

She had been in fairly good health throughout the summer and was accustomed to taking long walks alone to visit friends or members of the family and had fre­quently walked to and from Mor­gantown without seemingly suffering any ill effects, it was reported by the son. For that reason he had thought little about it early Saturday morning when she an­nounced that she was going to the Bethlehem

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church where a funeral service was to be held.

Followed Disused Path.

He had, he stated, sought to have her follow the main road to the church in the hope that some pas­sing neighbor would give her a ride a part of the way, but she had insisted on following the other route to the church, a distance of about four miles. She was seen at the overhead bridge across the Illinois Central railroad tracks and was later seen by Wilson Fleener as she pas­sed his home about 10 o’clock Saturday morning.

After passing the Fleener home she had taken the abandoned road which leads south along the east side of the Jacob Baughman farm and the west side of the George Hoaglan farm. Following this rough lane for nearly  a quarter of a mile she had evidently started across country following the top of the high ridge, a shortcut to the church which she was known to have taken on previous trips.

The body was found approxi­mately half way down the southern slope of the ridge and about two hundred yards from the road. A track through the weeds indicated that she might have been farther along the ridge and started back towards the lane when she was strick­en. The body had suffered consi­derably from the exposure.

Link to Eliza Jane (Kiphart) Zook’s grave

Submitted by Lois Johnson