Place: Kanesville, Iowa (now Council Bluffs, Iowa)
Died: December 22, 1942
Place: Dunlap,Iowa
She is buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery. She shares a headstone and is buried next to her husband, Z.T. Dunham.
Emma Lane married Z.T. Dunham on September 12, 1871. She lived through much tragedy, including the death of her parents when she was quite young, and the death of her sister just a few short years later. On the LDS Church History site I found a detailed and heartbreaking account of the last days of her mother and father, William West Lane and Maria Burr originally of Haddam, Connecticut, and about the Mormon Pioneer Company he planned to lead to Salt Lake City.
Please note that I am now unable to edit my existing pages because of changes Yahoo! has made in its software...I have to link to other pages to add new information or become fluent in HTML (hardly likely!). However! A descendant of the Lane/Burr family has contacted me with absolutely invaluable information, which you can read here.
Emma lived to the age of 92. You can read more about her life below.
*There is no notation of source, but I assume it was taken from The Dunlap Reporter, 1942
Emma L. Lane, daughter of William and Lavina Lane [Ed.- This is not correct, her mother was Maria Burr], was born May 11, 1850, at Kanesville, Iowa, where the city of Council Bluffs now stands.
About six years later, her parents died only four days apart while on the Mormon trek to Utah. They were buried in coffins made of the bark of trees and lie in unknown graves.
Emma was taken to Denver, Colorado, and lived with her sister, Mrs. James O'Banion. Her sister died in 1860, and Mr. O'Banion took Emma with his children to Salt Lake City, but returned with them to Woodbine, Iowa, in 1862.
The next year they came to Dunlap where Emma lived for two years with Mr. Jasper O'Banion. She later entered the home of Mrs. Cornelius Dunham. After spending a year in school at Ames, she taught school for three or four years.
On September 12, 1871, she was united in marriage to Z.T. Dunham. They became the parents of seven children. One son, Freddie, died on Christmas Eve in 1879.
Emma was a member of the Congregational church, but transferred her membership to the Methodist church folllowing her marriage. She remained active in the affairs of the church as long as her health permitted. She had a good voice, and was often a leader in the music of the church.
Mr. and Mrs. Dunham had been married over 71 years. They began their married life on the farm west of Dunlap, where they lived for -?6- years. They have been in the present home in Dunlap since 1917.
Mrs. Dunham was very active until she had a bad fall about -?8- years ago. She recovered enough to become fairly active again, but suffered another falll on August 8, 1940. She still retained amazing vitality, but had since been confined to a wheel chair. During recent months she failed rapidly until the end came on December 22 at about 9:00 in the evening. She had reached the advanced age of 92 years, 7 months and 12 days.
She is survived by her husband, her six children, Artz L. of Dunlap; Clifford S. of Boulder, Colorado; Mrs. Carrie Widney; Ralph W.; and Clark N. of Dunlap, and Mrs. Jennie Kepple of Long Beach, California. There are 17 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and other relatives.
Funeral services were conducted at the Methodist church, Saturday, December 26, at 2:00 p.m. By Rev. G.D. Toole. Assisting with the music were Mrs. G.D. Toole and Mrs. Adah Rannells with Mrs. R.G. Moore as pianist. The pall-bearers were John, Kenneth, Donald, and Loren Dunham, Herb-- Thiles and Grage Rule. Internment was made in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Occasion Fittingly Observed By Scores Of Relatives and Friends: Bride and Groom Recipients of Many Beautiful and Useful Gifts.
From The Dunlap Reporter, 1921.
*When you get to the end of the article, pay attention to how long it took, even in 1921, to get to Council Bluffs!
The bride and groom then responded by giving short talks, telling of past experiences, enumerating their first acquaintance, which began when they were but ten years of age, and following up to the age of 21 years, when they were united in marriage at the old home, which is known as the Pioneer Stock Farm, one mile North-west of Dunlap, Iowa, September 12, 1871 and up to the present time, emphasizing the happy relations and the satisfactory consummations of life's work especially mentioning the happy relations of their children, and the value of family unity. A light luncheon was then served, consisting of ice cream, cake and coffee. The guests soon started making merry and a wedding ceremony was arranged, with the bride and groom of 50 years ago as the principals, and the same wedding ring that was used half a century before, tied the knot the second time. Congratulations were again bestowed upon the bridal pair which was suddenly interrupted by a juvenile charivari by the grand children, quitted only by the appearance of the bride-groom, and a promise to treat the the merry-makers.
Z. T. Dunham and wife are of Pioneer stock, tracing their parentage to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. They are Scotch and English birth. Z. T. Dunham's father was the first settler in Crawford County, coming here in 1849, and Z. T. Dunham is now the oldest living resident of said county. Seven children came to bless this happy union, five boys and two girls whom were all present at the golden wedding, except one, who died in infancy, and all are well esteemed in this community. Three of the sons occupy the old homestead, which consists of 1050 acres and has four sets of improvements and farm fixtures and stocked with fine Polled Short Horn cattle and Hampshire hogs. One son is living in Boulder, Colorado, where he is in the profession of music, and one daughter, Mrs. Kepple living at Nashua, Iowa.
Mr. Dunham has been engaged in farming and stock raising all of his life, being one of the charter members of the Polled Durham Breeder's Organization. The Dunham's are staunch supporters of the M. E. church, and have played an active part in all of its activities in Dunlap, and in their several homes undivided in the enforcement of the 18th amendment.
Circumstances have greatly changed since the ten-year-olds first met at the double log house where mother Dunham lived with its open fireplace with sod chimney, and the wooden frame on which was hung the kettle and oven on which to cook the dinner, the spinning wheel that mother whirled in spinning the yarn from the virgin wool on the farm, the card board was used with which to make the wool into rolls, the ox-yoke with its strong hickory bows at each end which held the oxen at the end and in the strong staple, in which was the ring through which was thrust the pole tongue of the wooden wheeled wagon, without the iron tire.
The log chain with the Wooden pin and wooden linch pin which now holds the wheel in its place, the single plow, with its wooden mould board, and the harrow with its wooden teeth and the mowing scythe and the grain cradle, the wooden flail to thresh the grain, the two teams hitched to the schooner wagon, tilled with eggs, butter, honey, maple syrup and cured meat, etc, and father and mother wending their way towards Kanesville, now Council Bluffs fording the streams and camping at night adjacent to an Indian tepee and listening to the wolves making merry with their howls, and instead of the three hours now on the Lincoln Highway, it took three days then.
But those were happy days for the ten year-olds, they went to school together in the old log school house, with its spelling contests, social gatherings, candy pulls and various other games. Mingled with the good times was the hoeing of corn, cutting the hay and grain, husking the corn, milking the cows and various other duties. In all of these, the ten-year-olds took part. Finally mother needed help in the kitchen, and Emma Lane was called to begin her domestic science training, under an expert tutor.
Other changes came and Taylor Dunham went to an uncle near Polo, Illinois, to attend school, and Emma Lane started to school in Dunlap. Finally Taylor entered Mt. Morris, Ill., M. E. Seminary and Emma Lane entered Ames. After school days were through, Taylor took to the farm, while Emma went to school teaching. But mother Dunham was getting along in years, father Dunham had passed to the great beyond, and Taylor needed a housekeeper. This started the happy union of now fifty years standing.
Right: Emma is in the front, standing next to Z.T. They are standing on the porch of the house in Dunlap.
