OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Lindsay Journal #4, PART 4 *************************************************************************** OHGENWEB NOTICE: All distribution rights to this electronic data are reserved by the submitter. Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted material will require the permission of the copyright owner. *************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Helen Silvey Helen_Silvey@macnexus.org http://jpaul.gwdi.com/silvey/ January 19, 1999 *************************************************************************** Continued By way of previous history of her life I would here remark she had been, from early habit and inclination, quite an industrious & hard working woman. and our misfornues at Indianapois. and large family, made it necessary that she should labor hard. and as her health had become rather delicate, I feel concerned that she frequently labored beyond her strength. and in the= to a washerwoman. Yet I feel fearful she fatigued herself with what she chose to do herself too much. and on the Saturday previous (day preceding her attack at night), I think it was, she had done a washing, when her health, or a due regard for it, should have prevented her doing it. And a matter which added to the fatigue of this day, we had received a small hog or shoat. & instead of overseeing our son La Fayette in attending to it, as I had requested, she close to do the principal work herself of cutting it up & salting it away. This she mentioned to me the next day during her first week of ilness. & remarked that salting away the pork had chilled her very much, and that she refered her chill with which she was attacked, and accompanying cold, on the same night to this cause. and it is my opinion that her fatigue & exposure just refred to was the immediate or proximate cause of her last ilness. As it is not unlikely this manuscript, & record of the lst ilness of my dear companion may be kept as a memorial in the famiy, & perhaps be preserved & handed down to our posterity her surviving husband and partner in life would here take the liberty to add something by way of chronology. & such reflections as may occur to him after making the record. and I can insure my children & those who may chance to read this record that his mind while he makes it is laboring under a heavy load of sorrow; and expects long to mourn, if his life should be spared, this seperation & bereavment by the hand of Death. For to him she has truly ever been an affectionate & dutiful wife & helpmate. never was a woman more sincerely devoted to the comfort, & well being of her family. And although her husmand (sic) expects long & deeply to mourn his affective bereavement. he is happy in the reflection that he does not mourn as those who have no hope of comfort, In the midst of his mourning he is happy in the refection & well grounded hope, that she is gone to a more blissful clime. It cannot be otherwise, that one possessing so much virtue, piety, & sterling merit, has gone to join the society of those who are truly happy. & where she will forever be associated with those kindred spirits who make up that glorious retinue continually in attendence & surrounding the throne of heaven, engaged in devotings & adorations to her Saviour, Who redeemed her, & executed a plan of redemption for a lost & ruined world. Rhoda Alison Lindsay was the Daughter of the Rev. Peter & Catharine Smith her parents were natives of N. Jersey. and her Father was regularly Educated for the ministery in Princeton College of his native State. Shortly after marriage & the Revolution he resided a short time in Virginia, & some years in Wilkes Co. Georgia. In the year '95 he with his family removed to the then North Western Territory and setled in that year for a short time at Columbia 5 miles above Cincinnati on the Ohio River, Shortly after he setled on Duck Creek a few miles N. E. of Cincinnati Hamilton Co. O. but in a few years afterwards removed to Donaldses Creek, now Clark Co. O. Her Father spent a long & useful life as an industrious farmer & as baptist Divine. also had in Georgia & in the western Country spent some time in surveying government lands. and was highly respected by all classes of society. It was only a year or two previous to his death that I became acquainted with his family. and with his Daughter, who afterward & subsequent to her Father's decease, associated with him who makes this record in the holy bands of Matrimony. His first acquaintence with her was in the fall of 1815 at which time she was about 14 years of age. Her husband was united with her in marriage on the 6th. of March 1819 in her 18th. year. and at her death as before stated, which took place on the 9th. of Oct. 1840. her husband had been united with her 21 years & upward as before stated. Her Mother Decd. in the fall of 1830. having survived her Husband something like 13 years. and was a woman much respected for her inteligence piety. & devotion to the interests & welfare of her Family & children. at the age of 16 or 17 their Daughter & subsequently my wife united herself with the Baptist church of which her parents had been long members. and as a member she was much respected. and of unexceptionable character. Her husband when he married her was engaged in Teaching in the Dayton Academy. and at the same time was a Student of Medicine. Here we remained until after the birth of a son Decd. and our Eldest Daughter Catharine. In the summer of 1821 we removed to this county. & spent a Term of Teaching at Salisbury formerly the County Seat, and spent the ensuing winter teaching at Centreville. In the spring of 1822 we went to Lawrenceburg on the Ohio River 22 miles below Cincinnati Dearborn Co. (Ia.) here we remained 4 years where I was engaged in the practice of my profession, part of the time in connexion with Dr. Ezra Ferris of that place, who had when he was a young man received much of his Education from my wife's Father during our residence here we had an accession to our family of Eliza Ann, Mary Jane, & La Fayette, In the spring of 1825 or '26 we removed to Germantown where we resided two years. In the spring of '27 or '28 we went to West Alexandria Preble Co. O. where our Daughter Rebecca was born. In the fall of 1829. we came to this place. where we resided until the Summer of 1837. we went to Indianapolis. where In consequence of an unfortunate partnership with one Dr. G. W. Stipp lost some Six Thousand Dollars which had been the result of many years professional labor and the strictest economy in which my dear companion seconded my exertions. I said we exercised the strictest economy. At the same time we expended freely for the Education of our children. and at this place we had an accession of Eleanora, Dewitt Clinton, Wm. Washington Irvine, & our youngest now mortherless little son, who at the death of his dear Mother was lacking only one day of being 21 months old, viz. Edwin Smith Blackstone I have been thus circumstantial, that my children & posterity hereafter may have a record of the place of my children's nativity. and that my several places of residence may be traced by those of my (our) posterity may have the wish or curiosity to do so. During our residence at Laurenceburg my dear companion attached herself to the M. E. Church and was entitled to membership at the time of her death. Richmond Ia. Oct. 21st. 1840 Wm. Lindsay P. S. as a medical man were I called on to report the foregoing case, of course it would be presented in a somewhat diferent dress. Somethings recorded, would be rejected as irrelavent &, as uninteresting to the medical community. and only interesting to her children, relatives, and particular friends. I endeavor to give in detail, the circumstances & symptons as they occurred under my own eyes together with some circumstances & symptoms given me by herself in which she was no doubt as correct as her knowledge of things, & of her situation, could furnish her with data. I have stated that I was at a loss in coming at a definite opiinion what was the diagnosis, or posative nature or identity of her case & situation. However I am of the opinion that she was not in a state of gestation, but am inclined to think that there was what is termed in common parlance a false conception, or in other words that there was a morbid or pathological gravidity of the uterus. The sudden discharge of the watery fluid, as related by herself, which took place on the night I was at Williamsburg most naturally is accounted for by taking this view of her case, and is still strengthened by, the suppostion, that, the substance discharged per vaginum (as related to me since her decease, by Mrs. Siddall) in her dying hour, was an organised substance. and the symptoms generally might be pretty naturally refered to this state of things. under such a view of her case. for instance the hard chill on Saturday night. the severe pain in the head, back & also the Flooding. and spasms of Monday afternoon Monday night, and on Tuesday forenoon. But if it be true that this diagnosis of her case is correct, I was misled & I think too very naturally by her report of having had something of her monthly visitations a week or 10 days previous to the Saturday night, & attack of chills. and as she supposed a recurrence of the catamenia during the first week of her last ilness. and taking this view of her case. the necessity of an examination per vaginum did not occur to me. But on the suppostion=A0that the uterus had been in a situation morbidly gravid, the circumstance of the membranes being ruptured, 3 weeks or upwards previous to passing off the organised contents of the uterus must be reconciled. So far as I recollect neither my reading or long practice furnish me with a similar or parallel case. In conclusion I would remark that when considered the many & numerous attacks she had had during a period of 19 or 20 years somewhat similar to this, at least so far as the Uterine Hemorrhage was concerned and when the fact is recollected that perhaps there is no disease more debilitating in its character to which the Female is subject, & that every attack leaves the unfortunate female more & more debilitated, it is not a matter of surprise that this attack proved fatal. Yet I am of the opinion that the peculiar season of the year had its influence, and it must be recollected that during the time she labored under her last ilness it was the most unhealthy season of the year. And that during this period as well as some time previous, there had been a good many deaths in our vilage, & viscinity most of which had occurred with a short period of ilness. Oct. 23d. 1840 Wm. Lindsay Continued Helen, Sacramento _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*