Dying Words: A Tradition of Hope and Faith in Early VIctorian Times

DYING WORDS: The Faith and Hope of Victorian Era Death Bed Statements./  By Marilyn A. Hudson, MLIS

A popular scene in early Victorian and religious writings was the last words uttered by a person. It was believed that in those moments the person stood poised on the border of a strange land he could see but others could only imagine. For good or bad, the dying were in a special place to see with eyes attuned to a new and rare dimension.

People of faith were expected to utter encouraging words of hope and faith.

April 7, 1852 in a letter from William Terry (1765-1869) of Madison County, Arkansas, to his son in Red River County, Texas, John Terry (Lucinda Reed Terry).

William’s daughter Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Terry had married one John Bohannon and in this letter William shares the news of the death of John and one of his daughters.

“He died 25 March 1852 at night half past one and on that night week and about the same time of the night his child died.

“He died of the measles and the child had the measles and hooping [whooping] cough and the balance of the children is laboring under the same disease…”

“Out of that interesting little family of seven three is deposited in the graveyard on my place. While four is left to mourn their loss but we sorrow not as those that have no hope for he died in his senses leaving perhaps as satisfactory evidence as mortals can leave that he was going to a better place.”

“On the night before he died he called all present to his bedside and bode them an affectionate farewell and exhorted them by all the love a dying friend to meet him heaven.

“I was there the next day and although he had lost the use of himself I found him calm and serene waiting his change. I left him not knowing his end was so near and was not there to witness his dying scene but I was there when it was obvious to all that death had struck him he reached his feeble hand to his wife and exclaimed Betty a long, long farewell and after his speech left him his father told him if all was well to raise his hand and he raised his dying hand and pointed upward as if pointing to his home on high and made one effort to clap his hands as to let them know he was in sight of the promised land but death had deprived him of the power to preform and he let his hands down and sweetly breathed his last.

“These are some of the advantages the Christian has that a cold unfeeling world can’t deprive him of but although we have such testimony that our loss is his eternal gain yet we see him die in the prime of life and see with what intensity his fond doting wife and loving parents and friends clung to him was one of the sorest trials I have had but I must drop the heartbreaking subject..”

Note: 
John Barnabus Bohannan (1824, TN – 1852 Huntsville, Madison, Ark) was son of Henderson Bohannon and Winnie Harp Bohannan.

Martin Terry Letter
From a letter dated 3 April 1862, near Rolla, Missouri from Martin Terry to his son John King Terry. Martin, his wife Mary Ann and children had fled advancing armies in July 1861 and finally found some sanctuary on a farm owned by Thomas Shockly on Third Creek there. In a rather derelict farm house, his terribly ill sons William Terry and Henderson Terry, lying beds of straw, the rest of the family ill the final scenes were played out...

"We left home July 23 and stopt in Gasconde County 40 miles from here the 10th of September. There we was nearly all sick and William and Henderson died. William on the 9th of October and Henderson on the 16th of November and the fever settled in your mother's rite eye and it went out. Our disease was considered to be low typhus We had the best medical help the county could afford, but no human help could avail. William said tell all friends I die in view of a blissful immortality and that is worth all the world to me and Henderson said he trusted the savior and was not afraid to die and he expected to get to Heaven and we have a sweet hope that they both are forever at rest..."

Note:
William Terry was born 11 January 1840 and died 9 October 1861. He was 21 years of age.
Henderson Lafferty Terry was born12 March 1844 and died 16 November 1861.He was 17 years of age. Later in life, Martin would become even more active in local church work and possibly became a lay minister. 

The Terry Family Letters: Crucial History

 On another of my pages, on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, I posted an entry titled "JED DARREL TERRY: A LEAF DROPS FROM THE FAMILY TREE" when I learned of the passing of this cousin and fellow researcher. (See http://www.lawrencecountyrecord.com/content/jed-darrel-terry and at https://www.bennettwormington.com/obituary/jed-terry). 

"Jed Darrel Terry, 86, of Purdy and Springfield, passed away March 8, 2019, at Oak Pointe of Monett.  He was born Oct. 18, 1932, in Purdy to Homer Terry and Mellie Burg Terry. In 1958, in Bellflower, Calif., he was married to Norma Judith Lewis; she survives.

Terry grew up and received his education in Purdy, graduating in 1949. He attended California State University in Long Beach, Calif., graduating in 1959. He then graduated from American Graduate School of International Management in Glendale, Ariz. While in California he worked at the Union Pacific Railroad in Los Angeles. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War from 1952-1956.

He spent most of his career with Citibank/Citicorp in New York, Brazil and Chicago. While in Chicago he was named Who’s Who in the Midwest, was a director of Citicorp Savings and served on the presidents council of the Museum of Science and Industry.

His passion was family history and he wrote books on the Terry and Burg families. He was a member of the National Genealogical Society, Ozarks Genealogical Society and Barry County Genealogical and Historical Society. He also was secretary of Arnhart Cemetery Association. He enjoyed playing tennis and golf and was invited to play in the PGA golf tournament pro-am at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif. He loved his farm and enjoyed making and riding trails on his ATV’s.

Surviving are: son, David Terry, of Ridgedale; daughter, Diane (Kevin) Bayly of Laurel, Md.; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Preceding him in death were: his parents; sisters, Lucile, Louise, Maxine; brothers, Charles, Famous, Eugene, Fulton, Ward, Ed; and one granddaughter.

Services were held at Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home March 16, 2019. Burial with military honors was at Arnhart Cemetery in Purdy. Arrangements were entrusted to the care of the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett."

His two volume set, The Terry Family Letters include not just family trees researched and supported by evidence current to the publishing (1995-1996), but also copies of documents, original letters (some dating to the late 1840's) by family members to family members,  and photographs. These comprise historical and family tree information.

His historical books on the Terry family are vastly important works. They contain the photocopy images of original letters dating to the middle of the 1800's between Terry family members (and their Reed spouses) in Red River County, Texas and Arkansas and Barry County, Missouri. These are all annotated, have accompanying family group sheets and contain family information as well as social and historical details related to the time and setting of the writers of the letters.

They can be found in several university and family history library collections. Search for them using WorldCat to locate copies near to you.  See elsewhere this blog an index to letters. 

Significant for my line of William Terry and Barbara Ennis was a letter that referred to people in Anderson (both Anderson Co. TN and Anderson, Perry Co., Indiana applied to the residences of John Terry father of William, a mention of a brother Josiah in Tennessee and when a check was made only one fit the bill and was a son of John Terry). In addition, as other lines were connected their information fleshed out the lines with greater surety.