GILMER CO., GA - OBITUARIES - Mary Caroline Gudger Foster, 1889 ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Suzanne Forte sforte3@cs.com ==================================================================== EXERPT FROM "THE COURIER-TIMES" NEWSPAPER ELLIJAY, GEORGIA JANUARY 1889 REGARDING THE DEATH OF MARY CAROLINE GUDGER FOSTER "A Sad Death Mrs. Caroline Foster of Pickens Co. [Ga] meets a Watery Grave -- Details of a Horrible Tragedy That Lays Low in the Hearts of the Entire Community" "News reached Ellijay last Friday morning that Mrs. Caroline Foster of Talking Rock valley was drowned, and relatives of the family and many friends, among them the Courier man hied away to the scene of the dreadful report. We reached the home of the stricken family about two o'clock, and obtained the following account of the drowning and the subsequent finding of the body Thursday morning she went over to some neighbors just across the valley to return some article she had previously borrowed. There are three families living near each other, Rufus Smith, Louis Carver, and John Ledford. She talked pleasantly, never dreaming of the untimely fate that was soon to overtake her. Her errand being accomplished, she left Smith's house about 1000 o'clock, which is the old homestead of the Coleman family, and went back by Carver's who lives on the old site of the Stephen's farm. Mr. Carver's children saw her pass in at the gate to the path that leads down through the field to the site of Stepehen's farm, to the creek about one hundred yards from her home. This was the last ever seen of her alive, and the walk from the gate to the creek was to her the last. Journey of Death Her oldest son at home, Mr. Mark Foster, became rather uneasy because of her failure to return home, and at 12 o'clock walked down to the creek to look for her coming but no trace of her whereabouts was discernible. She had often used a long stick for a support when she crossed the benches, and her son seeing this stick on the opposite bank from home naturally supposed she was still on that side of the river at some neighbor's house. He returned, and about 4 o'clock in the afternoon his attention was drawn to some hogs in the field several hundred yards below the house where the public road crosses the valley. He met Carver riding by and inquired of his mother. Carver stated she had left for home about 10 o'clock and that he supposed she was there. The Alarmed Mr. Foster and the family immediately instituted search. The news of her mysterious absence was heard all over the valley in a few minutes and no clue to her whereabouts was ascertained. The awful thought that she had drowned rustled over the family and her two sons. Mark and John plunged into the icy waters in search of the missing lady. They were frantic with grief, and were insensible to the cold of the water. By dark at least 75 men had gathered at the banks to aid in the search. The ford is nearly 300 yards below the foot log, and all this distance was waded by her sons, and men on horses plied every foot of bottom between the crossing and the ford but no trace of the missing lady was found. All along the banks for a half mile the eager crowd looked for the body, and two bateaus were used by the crowd. One was made by Mr. Tate Hyde that night to be used for that purpose. At about 130 in the morning, John C. Jones, Frank Warlock, Lum Wilson and John Greenaway and Joe Walker were far in advance of the searching party, and over a half mile below the footing they discovered something in the middle of the stream lodged against a rock. It was the body, and washed there during the day. Some white underwear was exposed or doubtless the body would not have been seen. The mouth and eyes were closed, and every feature of the face was a natural as life. The body was hauled home on a wagon. Four men, Tate Hyde, John Dean, Turner Pharr, and Albert Sharp waded in and brought out the body. A Touching Scene When three sons first looked upon the lifeless corpse of their mother, the wail of anguish melted every heart. Stout hearts quailed at the scene, and strong men wept with them at the touching outburst of grief. Those present said the scene beggared description, and leveld every heart to a common sympathy. At the point where she fell in the stream there is a steep descent to the benches and it is supposed that she stumbled and pitched face down in the water which was very swift and about five feet deep at that place. The family is widely known having lived there 19 years. Her husband, Newt Foster died 15 years ago with a kidney disease. Their bodies lie together in a cemetery near John Keeter's tannery on Town Creek in the country. There are eight children living, one dead, and twenty one grandchildren in the family. She was a good, patient Christian woman and died without an enemy in the world. She was universally beloved and the entire family is much beliked. She had crossed the creek thousands of times while living there, and it is a strange fatality that her life of nearly 69 years should have ended up so tragically. She was so kind and quiet, and her home was the stopping place of many a friend. Rev Tom Chase performed the last sad rites over her remains on Saturday afternoon in the presence of a very large concourse of people. Although her death was an untimely end, let her family take consolation in the fact that she died on an errand for their comfort, a thing that had always been her care while living." [NOTES: Caroline Foster was born Mary Caroline Gudger, on 13 Aug 1820. Died 10 Jan 1889. This newspaper clipping was found behind a file in the Court House, Ellijay, Ga.]