From the Steuben Republican page 1 column
4 on November 15,1893
Margaret Murphy Ryan, who died Nov.7,1893, at her home in Scott township,
a few miles northeast of Angola, was born in Belfast, Ireland, July 13,1812
and at her death was aged 81 years,3 months and 24 days. Deceased came
to America in 1828, and located near Poughkeepsie N.Y. She was married
to John Ryan, Sept. 3,1837. Thirteen years later, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan moved
to Steuben County,Indiana, where they passed the remainder of their lives.
Mr. Ryan died in May,1871. To them were born eleven children, eight sons
and three daughters of whom five sons and one daughter survive them. After
the death of her husband, Mrs. Ryan resided at their old home in Scott,
with her unmarried sons, Michael and Owen. Deceased enjoyed the distinction
of being the mother of an intensely patriotic family. In August, 1861,
her husband and four sons, Stephen,John jr., Michael and James--all who
were old enough for military service--enlisted in Co.A,44th Regt. Ind.
Vol.; and later, as soon as his age and size would enable him to do so,
her son Todd also enlisted in an Indiana Regt. A father and five sons--all
in the family who were old enough for military duty, and all except one,
members of the same company--is a spectaole seldom presented in the history
of the war. That deceased had a multitude of friends, is apparent from
the vast concourse of people who attended her funeral, which occured at
the North Scott Church on Thursday, 9th inst.
Quite a large delegation of Grand Army veterans were present, and all
the pall bearers were survivors of Co.A of the 44th regiment. Twenty-two
years ago last May, Elder David C. Hanselman, who lived in Scott during
the war, arrived in Angola on a business trip from Ohio, on the day Mrs.
Ryan's husband died, and , at the request of the family, preached the funeral
sermon; and it may be mentioned as a strange coincidence that on Tuesday
of last week, the day Mrs. Ryan died, Elder Hanselman again arrived in
Angola from his Ohio home, on a business trip. During her last illness,
Mrs. Ryan expressed a wish that Elder Hanselman might be the officiating
clergyman at
her funeral; and he on learning of the wish cheerfully complied. Thus
the funeral discourses of both husband and wife, though upwards of twenty-two
years apart, were preached by their old friend and neighbor, whose home
for a quarter of a century has been in another state.
Submitted By: Sherri Ryan
rocrac@excite.com