Obituary from Oakland, Coles Co., IL newspaper.
Date approx Jun 9-12, 1929.

SARILDA J. HAWKINS ANSWERS SUMMONS
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Eighty Living Descendants of Mother Hawkins

The death angel visited our city Sunday morning [Jan 6, 1929] and called Mrs. Sarilda J. Hawkins who has
been ill for several months. In the death of Mrs. Hawkins, Oakland has lost another pioneer mother, a
mother who reared a family who are numbered among our best citizens.

In a pioneer home in Lawrence County, Indiana, on March 24, 1843, a little girl baby was born and they
named her Sarilda J. Sowder. She spent her childhood in that vicinity and united with the Christian church
and at the early age of fifteen years she gave her heart and hand and was joined in holy wedlock to Wm.
Hawkins in the year 1858. In a few years the dark days of the Civil War threatened the life of their country
and the youthful wife and mother met the trying ordeal of a soldier's wife when the husband answered the
call of his country as a volunteer to Co. F. of the 15th Indiana. After the war they lived in Missouri a few
years, then moved to near Arthur in Douglas county, Illinois, coming to Oakland in 1889 and buying the
farm where their son Wm. Hawkins, Jr., now lives. They bought this present home in 1902 and Mrs.
Hawkins passed away in 1905 and the years since have been almost a quarter of a century of loneliness
and much suffering until 2:30 Sunday.

Funeral services were conducted from the late resident Tuesday morning at 10:30. Rev. Willis Gill, of
Cloverdale, Ind., officiating, followed by interment in the Oakland cemetery.

 Suzanne Hawkins Burke <burke@acm.org>