18 April 1874 Osborne County, Kansas
Dearest sister Franny,
It is with a heavy heart that I write to you concerning our sister Mary. A most terrible accident has taken place, and we are all in disbelief.
Yesterday, Mary and her husband Daniel were working together at the farm. Some ducks landed on the pond. Daniel asked Mary to run inside the house and get his shotgun. As she ran down the hill with the gun, it discharged…Mary was shot in the heart. She passed away in the arms of her husband as her three children looked on. How awful…how heartbreaking…how devastating!
Mother and Father have taken to sheltering the family on their farm. Daniel is very distraught and blames himself. The children are 8 years old, 6 years old, and 2 years old so I am helping Mother with them. We all worry for Daniel and his mental state.
It has been decided that Mary will be buried on the family farm. This way, her husband and children may visit her resting place whenever they wish to seek comfort.
May our sister Mary rest with the Lord.
Your loving sister,
Charlotte (Boultinghouse Korb)
Note: Mary Boultinghouse Warden, Charlotte Boultinghouse Korb, and Frances Boultinghouse are my second great aunts. The tragedy of this story continued…a year later, Mary’s young son Peter was bitten by a rattlesnake and passed away. Two years later, husband Daniel decided to move from the farm to Colorado. He felt he could no longer care for his remaining son and daughter. He placed them for adoption, and they were adopted by two different families. Later that year, Daniel would pass away.
Once Upon A Lifetime: Tales And Vignettes Of My Ancestors 