Amelia Catherine Pring

"Amelia Catherine PRING was born to Mary Ann KEAR and Richard PRING on 9 March 1837 in Van Wert County, Ohio, and died 24 February 1911 in Dondurant, Polk County, Iowa. She was married twice. Her first marriage was to Joshua EVANS on 3 December 1857. Her second marriage was to Deacon J. WHITAKER on 4 July 1865. in Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa. Deacon was born to Samuel WHITAKER and Keria JONES on 22 June 1842 in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and died 23 November 1914 i Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa. Amelia and Deacon are buried in the Franklin Cemetery, Santiago, Polk County, Iowa.
Joshua and Amelia lived on a farm in Polk County, and he opened a small store in the area [note 1].
Joshua and Amelia had three children [note 1]:

1. Nancy EVANS, who was scalded to death at the age of nine years.         2. A child that died shortly after birth.
        3. Lucina EVANS, who married a Mr. CONNELL, or McCONNELL, and lived in Nevada, Story Co., Iowa.
    "Sometime around the end of the Civil War, Joshua started out on horseback to go to Chicago to buy goods for his store.  He had $500 with him to purchase merchandise, but he was never heard from again in the community.  The general opinion was that in the unsettled conditions and post-war times he probably had been robbed and murdered [note 2]."
    Amelia was known as "Millie," and Deacon as "Dake."
    Dake enrolled in Des Moines, Polk Co., Iowa, as a private in the Second Batter, Light Artillery of the Iowa Volunteer Infantry.  He was captured on 24 July 1863 at Rolton Station, Mississippi. and confined at Richmond, Virginia.  After being exchanged, he was sent to Benton Barracks, Missouri, on 7 September 1863.  He was honorably discharged on 30 August 1864 in Davenport, Iowa [note 3].
    The Whitaker family as a whole had settled in Story County [Iowa], and for much of their days Amelia and Dake lived and farmed in Story County, south of Nevada. . . . Along about 1906 the Whitakers moved to Des Moines . . . . where they lived in a small brick house . . . on East Locust Street [note 4].
    "In addition to living in Story County, Iowa, in 1865-1866 and 1870-1891, they also lived in Logan Couinty, Kansas, in 1887-1891, and Polk County, Iowa in 1866-1870 and from 1891 until their deaths [note 4].
    Dake was 5 foot 5 inches, was light complexioned, had brown hair and gray eyes [note 5].  He had two brothers, Samuel and Thomas, and a sister, Martha.
    Amelia died from pneumonia after seven days of illnes.  She was buried on 27 February 1911.

Source:

1. Johnson Family History [Return to text]

2. Ibid. [Return to text]

3. Pension Records, Civil War, National Archives, Washington, D.C., Certificate No. 762,502. [Return to text]

4. Johnson Family History. [Return to text]

5. Pension Records [Return to text]

Copyright

Information on this site related to the Kear family is from The John Cears Kear Family compiled, written and edited by Donald L. Kear, copyright © 1984. Copyright © 2000 - 2006 by Donald L. Kear. All rights reserved. Portions of the pages on this site may be reproduced for nonprofit use only. Credit shall be given to the notenote.