Farmer Gary‘s great-grandmothers just can’t catch a break when it comes to obituaries.

First it was Mary Wigger (she of the snuffly expiration) and now it’s Mary Werne’s turn.

Excuse me, but did the local paper hire Dr. Seuss to write this headline?

Mary Elisabeth Hedinger Werne passed away in her sleep on July 10, 1938. And according to the newspaper, it was a “gruesome sight” to confront.

According to hand-typed notes Gary’s uncle Arch left us, although Mary was born in nearby Crawford County, the family moved a few years later. It seems an anti-Catholic group known as the Night Caps (those caps were white and pointy, perchance?) gave them a threatening visit. After a large beam nearly fell on Mary’s father during a barn raising, they resettled on land that is now part of the Ferdinand State Forest.

Mary wed John Eberhard Werne in 1882.

God bless her, Mary gave birth to 11 children over the course of the next 21 years. Here she is in 1909 with her husband, John, and their two youngest, Albert and Lorena:

Mary enjoyed (let’s hope!) many years of retirement. Their son George (Gary’s grandfather) bought their farm in part by building them a house in town. (“In town” still means Ferdinand to their great-grandson. Very Pa Ingalls of him, I’ve always thought.)

There’s one more bit of information I have to share:

The above snip is from a Land Ownership Map I found on Ancestry. It’s dated 1893. And look up top, on the left: 40.35 acres owned by Mary Werne.

A woman owned land in Indiana in 1893!

The cherry on top is that our home is located within those 40 acres. I showed this to Gary and he scratched his head, saying he’d never seen a deed with his great-grandmother’s name on it. But he’d give it some thought.*

Whatever reason the Land Ownership Map listed Mary, it’s nice to see she was considered a landowner back in 1893.

Dying in one’s sleep – as long as you’re reasonably old – seems to me to be a decent way to end a life well lived. Just as long, that is, if your survivors know not to permit the obituary writer to include the word “gruesome.” (I’ve got to admit I’m now a bit hesitant to search for obituaries for Gary’s two other great-grandmothers!)

Rest in peace, Mary. We’ll continue to take good care of your land.

*After the aforementioned thought, Gary believes he’s figured it out: In addition to his son George, John had a brother George, who owned the property before George the Younger purchased the 40.35 acres. George the Elder’s wife’s name was Margaritha. Looking closely at the Land Ownership Map snippet, Mary could easily be Marg. The good news is the land was still female-owned. It just wasn’t Mary. Sorry, Great-Grandma!

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