Walkinshaw Family - Mary Elizabeth Walkinshaw - Death Record

This death record states the Mary died in Lincoln Township, Atchinson County, Iowa.

The Registration District was No. 22. The Primary Registration District No. 50 31.

The File No.is 31407, and the Registered No. is 13.

Under the Personal and Statistical Particulars is the following:

Her full name was Mary Walkinshaw Wilson. [Her middle name was Elizabeth but that was not written in.]

She was a white, married Female.

Her date of birth was Febuary 1st 1892.

Her age at the time of her death was 29 years, 10 mos, 25 da.

Mary's occupation was  "housewife". Her employment classification is 184.

Mary's place of birth was near Blanchard, Iowa, Missouri

Her father's name was John Adam Walkinshaw who was born in Iowa.

Her mother's maiden name was Sarah Henning. The document name New York as her mother's place of birth.

All of the information listed above was given by Helen Walkinshaw whose address was Blanchard Iowa.

This certificate was filed on Dec 27, 1921 by Geo Latt (Registrar)

The right hand column is the Medical Certificate of Death.

Mary's Date of Death was December 26, 1921

#17 states: "I hereby certify, that I attended deceased from [check] 191 [empty] to [check] 191 [empty], that I last saw her alive on Dec. 26, 1921, and that death occurred, on the date stated above, at 7 pm."

The cause of death was as follows: "Accidental gun shot wound of head death was instantaneous.

Duration, yrs, mos, da are all checked.

Contributory is checked

Duration, yrs, mos, da are all checked.

(Signed) GA Reutter M.D.

Dec 27 1921. (Address)Blanchard, Ia.

183 is written over the area that states "State the Disease [?] Death, or in deaths from Violent Causes, state (1) Means of Injury; and (2) whether Accidental, Suicidal or Homicidal.

18 is not answered. The questions are Length of Residence (For Hospitals, Institutions, Transients, or Recent Residental.

At place of death - yrs - mos-da.

In the State - yrs - mos - da.

Where was disease contracted if not at place of death?

Former or usual residence.

19 Place of Burial or Removal Reserved [?].

20 Undertaker Scott [?] Address [?] Mo.

_____________________________________________________________________

These are some of my thoughts.

When I found this record, I already knew when and where she died. When I was looking for this record, I had never been on the Missouri website before. Helen (Mary's sister) had always said that Blanchard was divided from east to west by the Iowa Missouri border. So I decided to try and find Mary's death record in Missouri.

When I found this record, I was absolutely stunned. Helen had always told us that Mary had died in Chicago from a motor vehicle accident. I made a copy of this and walked into my mother's room and said "How did Mary die? What did Helen say?"

She repeated the automobile accident story. [Helen and her husband had become alcoholics after their son died. My parents cleaned out the modular home while Helen was hospitalized for her fractured wrist and found a large number of empty alcohol bottles as well as her handgun. When Helen came home from the hospital she never mentioned anything missing, but my Mom knew she was looking for the pistol.]

Anyway, I showed Mom the death record. She was as surprised as I was! 

I think that Mary had this planned, or had thought about killing herself, for some time. I wonder if she might be pregnant again and couldn't tolerate the thought of having another child. 

She was far from home in Blanchard. Maybe her husband's practice took him away for the entire day and couldn't help with the children as much as Mary might have wanted him to.

We will never know, but I would sure like her to come and tell me!

I am posting the article that was written in the local newspaper shortly.

This is the URL to the Missouri State Archive website: https://www.sos.mo.gov/images/archives/deathcerts/1921/1921_00033950.PDF or: 1921_00033950.PDF (mo.gov)

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Walkinshaw Family - Mary Elizabeth Walkinshaw - Obituary

This is the only adult picture that I have found of Mary Elizab4eth Walkinshaw Wilson. I was sitting in the Natrona County Library using a computer looking through newspapers for anything on Mary's death. To find this article I was totally astonished, mainly with the picture. I believe it was approximately 5 years ago. It was almost like she wanted to be found and said, "I knew you would find me eventually! Surprise!" This article reads:

KILLED

Chicago Daily Tribune (1872-1922): Dec 29, 1921; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Tribune pg. 3

KILLED

MRS. ROY M. WILSON.

   Mrs. Roy M. Wilson, wife of Dr. Wilson, a dentist with offices at 3424 Sheffield avenue, was accidentally killed by the explosion of a revolver her husband had been cleaning while the Wilson family was paying a Christmas visit at the home of Mrs. Wilson's parents in Blanchard, Ia., according to reports received here. She was buried yesterday at Blanchard. There are two children, Roy Jr., 7 years old, and Mary, 4 years old.

______________________________________

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

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Walkinshaw Family - Mary Elizabeth Walkinshaw - Obituary

 In the summer of 2012 my husband and I went on our first Family History Tour. The tour started out for him to take me to see fireflies in Nebraska. But it gradually grew into  travel to Iowa, Minnesota
and Wisconsin. We had a great time! We followed up leads that I had on his side of the family as well as my side. We also included a stop in Minneapolis for the Minnesota State Fair. So we had a good time overall.

I found these clippings at the Page County Historical Society, that is housed in the Nodaway Valley Historical Museum. I didn't realize that I should have included the name and date of the newspaper. It was only later that I realized that I knew nothing of the paper except that it had been published in Coin which is southwest of Clarinda [where the Museum resides] in Page County Iowa.

One of the sadder parts of the trip was when I found the following. I believe that I had already known from Mary's death record that she had died of a gunshot wound to the head. Then I found this obituary telling the story:

BLANCHARD

     One of the saddest and most starting accidents that has occurred in this community for sometime took place at the J. A. Walkinshaw home south of here Monday evening about seven-fifteen. Their two daughters, Miss Helen Walkinshaw, a trained nurse, and Mrs. Roy Wilson, husband and two children, of Chicago came Saturday evening to spend the holidays. Mrs. and Mrs. J. A. Walkinshaw went to Westboro Monday night to take Miss Helen to the 6:50 train to her home at Chicago, and Dr. Wilson, wife and children, who expected to remain a few days, remained at home. Mrs. Wilson was reading by the table and Dr. Wilson was starting to clean his gun when the children in the other room caused a disturbance, so Dr. Wilson laid the gun on the table and went to see about the children. In a few minutes hearing the discharge of the gun he rushed to the door and found his wife had been instantly killed and was lying on the floor. He rushed to the phone and called for help and soon several were on the scene. It is thought she had tried to move the gun and had struck the trigger against the table. Funeral services will be held at the Reformed Presbyterian church, Wednesday afternoon at two o'clock, conducted by Rev. Coleman. She will be laid to rest in the Blanchard cemetery. She has spent most of her life near here having grown to you womanhood here and had a host of friends who are sorely grieved. She was married six years ago last June to Dr. R. Wilson of Chicago, where she has since made her home. She leaves a heart broken husband, one little daughter aged 3 and a little son aged 5 years old, her parents, a sister, Miss Helen Walkinshaw and a brother, John Walkinshaw, of Providence R. I., her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Walkinshaw, besides several other relatives. The grief stricken family have the sympathy of the entire community.

This clipping came from The Clarinda Journal, Clarinda Iowa, 29 December 1921. The webpage is:

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Walkinshaw Family - Mary Elizabeth Walkinshaw - 1915 Wedding

 

From the far right hand column comes this description of Mary's wedding:

On Wednesday at high noon one of the prettiest weddings that has occurred for some time was solemnized at the beautiful country home of Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Walkinshaw, when their daughter, Miss Mary, was united in marriage to Dr. R.M. Wilson of Chicago. Rev. D.C. Elliott of Winchester, Kan., and Rev. Mr. Coleman, the bride's pastor officiating. At 12 o'clock Mrs. G. Thurman, accompanied by Miss Grace Danner, Sang "All For You," after which the bridal party descended the stairs to the strains of Lohengrin's wedding march, played by Professor Langdon of Maryville, Mo., and took their places under an arch decorated with flowers of yellow and white. The ring ceremony was used.  The bride's gown was beautiful white Georgette crepe and she carried a shower boquet of roses and lillies of the valley. The colors were yellow and white and were very nicely carried out. After the ceremony was pronounced a bountiful five course dinner was served to over one hundred guests. The bride received many beautiful presents. Dr. and Mrs. Wilson started Wednesday evening for Chicago, where are groom had a home already prepared. Mrs. Wilson is a model young woman, having grown to young womanhood here. She is a graduate of the Blanchard high school, a student at Geneva college, Beaver Falls, Penn., one year, and attended normal at Maryville, Mo. Dr. R.M. Wilson is a dentist in Chicago. The many friend extend best wishes to them in their new home. The guest from a distance were; Mrs. Wilson of Fairfield, Ia.; Mr. and Mrs. Elliott, Misses Emma and Veda Elliott of Superior, Nebr.; Rev. D.C. Elliott of Winchester, Kan.; Brainerd Matheny of Beaver Falls and Mr. Johnson of Pittsburg, Pa.; Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Frank, Maryville, Mo.; Mr. and Mrs. John McKnight, Olathe, Kan.; Mrs. O.E. Duncan, Gravity; Professor Langdon, Maryville, Mo.; Mr. and Mrs. W.G. Dunn of Clarinda; Mr. and Mrs. E. Dugan, Mr. and Mrs. H. Walkinshaw, C. Walkinshaw and Clarence Walkinshaw of Page Center.

[I have never found any pictures of this event. I do not know if Helen ever had any of them, if they existed. Or someone might have destroyed them. I would like to think that the family gave Dr. Roy Wilson the pictures.]

I found this article at:

1915 Walkinshaw Wilson Wedding. The Clarinda Journal, Clarinda Iowa 8 July 1915.3 January 2021..JPG (1217×865)

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