Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 115, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 May 1913 — JULIA HOWLAND HEALEY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

JULIA HOWLAND HEALEY

Born Feb.9,lß4o—Died May 14,1913

Julia H. Healey, mother of George H. Healey, editor of The Republican, died this afternoon at 1:10 o’clock, after a lingering illness.

The following obituary was written some months ago by Mrs. Healey and pinned.to it was the short paper about Abraham Lincoln, whom she greatly loved from the time he was Arst a presidential candidate. This short article about him was written shortly before his last birthday and Mrs. Healey had expected to deliver it at the annual Lincoln memorial given by the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic. Her health was such that she could not attend that memorial and it was evidently her wish that this brief tribute be printed. It furnishes some idea of the high ideals that composed her life and also gives important testimony of the developing interest of women in the affairs of state and nation at the outbreak of the civil war. Mrs. Healey was devoted to church, literary, temperance and patriotic societies, being for many years a member of the Ladies’ Literary Club, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the Woman’s Relief Corps, and for the past fourteen years of the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic. Her wide reading from scholarly authors and historians gave her a fund of knowledge and a Auency of expression that proved entertaining in any company. A visit made a few years ago to the national capital, where she saw Arlington cemetery, the home and tomb of George Washington at Mt. Vernon and other points of interest, proved of neverfailing delight to her. Although she suffered much during her long sickness, her mind remained active and she read the daily papers and current magazines and enjoyed discussions about federal and state policies. A few months-ago she wrote a biographical sketch of her life and this is printed just as she had prepared it in a clear, legible hand. It shows how active was her mind and how perfect her memory. It is here printed in full.

Julia Howland Healey was born In Miami county, Indiana, February 9, 1840, in a log house not far from Perrysburg, which was the postoffice of her father’s family. Indians were plentiful at that time and often came to her father’s house, they having a reservation east of Peru, and where some of the tribe still live, refusing to sign away their lands. When the rest of the tribe signed away their lands and went further west, they camped for the first night just out of the town of Perrysburg. Mrs. Healey’s father took his family to the camp in the afternoon before .their last night, he being well acquainted with many of the Indians. Mrs. Healey was the first child born to her family after their coming to Indiana, two older children, a brother and sister, being born in the east, one in New York and the other in New Jersey. Mrs. Healey’s father, Joseph Allen Howland, was born in Orange, New York. He was of Holland-French extraction, his father being a fullblooded Hollander, and his mother a full-blooded French woman, by name, Jane Purcellec. Mrs. Healey’s mother’s maiden name was Mary Taylor. She was bom on a farm near Paterson, New Jersey. After her father’s and mother’s marriage they lived at Newark, New Jersey, until they came to Indiana. Mrs. Healey’s father did not long remain on the farm, but preferred to go back to teaching school, that being his business in the east He moved to Logansport about 1843, where he lived most of his after life. Mrs. Healey’s mother died when she was about five years old, and a few years later she went to live with

her mother’s sister in Michigan, who had just moved to that state from New York, it being her mother’s dying request that she be raised by this aunt, Mrs. Phebe Taylor Benedict. Soon after Mrs. Healey was 18 years old she visited her father’s family at Logansport, near which city she met Joshua Healey, to whom she was married February 23, 1864. Mr. Healey was at this time captain of Co. G, 9th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, having enlisted at Rensselaer soon after the close of a school had taught at Smith school house, northeast of Rensselaec. To this union Ave children w r ere bom. William and Florence were born after the close of the war. Both died in infancy and are buried on the same lot with their parents. Dora Healey Lyon, of Delphi: George Howland Healey, of Rensselaer, and Maud Healey Mills, of Hamilton, Montana, survive their mother. In the yepr 1862 Mrs. Healey joined the Christian church at Mill Creek; Cass eounty, near which she was teaching school. She lived a Arm believer in this church, never changing her church relation and was glad indeed when a church of her choice was organized in Rensselaer, of which she and her two older living children were charter members, and later her younger daughter joined the church. Her husband died January 2, 1880.

Of Lincoln she wrote: “The more we think and read of Lincoln the more are we impressed with his greatness. It is not my purpose to mention his birth, or poverty, these we have heard so much of. It is the mature Lincoln of whom I will speak. The first that I remember of hearing of Lincoln was when he was nominated for presidential candidate. Before this campaign it was an unheard of

thing for. women to attend a political meeting. They advocated the politics of their fathers or their husbands and defended them loyaly, but they had very few ideas independent of these. But this campaign was different from its predecessors. Men began taking their wives to hear political speeches. Steven A. Douglas was Lincoln’s opponent, as most of you know. I was in Miami county visiting. A joint political speaking was to be held, and Jasper Packard was the Republican speaker, and I heard my Arst political speeches, and was impressed with what I heard of Lincoln and began to read of him and his speeches. I was impressed with his simple way of. putting things, with his ready wit, of his sayings, of his ability to meet an argument, and these convinced me he was no ordinary man. Of course, I read and heard of him continually from this time on. His great lessons were given in few words. “What could be more impressive than this advice: Labor to keep alive in your heart that little spark of celestial Are called conscience. Gaze not on the marks and blemishes of another and ask not how they came. Or this, You can pay a little bill when you have some money, better than you can pay a big bill when you have less money. Let your recreations be manful, not sinful. Lincoln said: “I have little conAdence in a man who can say, ‘I am no wiser today than I was yesterday.’ ” Lincoln was a profound thinker. He lived in an age when people had time to think and he became the wisest and greatest man the world has ever known.”

At the close of the civil war Mrs. Healey and husband, Col. Joshua Healey, located in Rensselaer, and with the exception of about three years, had lived here continuously since that time. In 1877, for the beneAt of Colonel Healey’s health, removal was made to Carlisle Springs, Ark., where the family remained for several months. In 1878 they returned to Indiana and located at Goodland, where he died January 2, 1880. Mrs. Healey at

once removed to Rensselaer, where her husband was buried. Three months after hfe death a baby daughter, now Mrs. Edward F. Mills, of Hamilton, Mont., was born. The struggle In behalf of her children during a few years after her husband’s death taxed her frail body, had never been strong, and during the succeeding years she was never in good health. Her health began to fail more rapidly almost three years ago and she took a more decided turn for the worse a year ago. For a long time she insisted on living in her own home on College avenue, but this was reluctantly given up October 12th, last, when she took up her home with her son, George H. Healey, with whom she has since lived and at whose home she died. Besides the three children mentioned in the obituary there are eight grandchildren, also one sister, Mrs. Mary Fawcett, of Delphi, who was at her bedside when the final summons came, and whom she recognized with a smile and a tender kiss, the last act of consciousness. Congressman John B. Peterson and family will Jeave Washington next week and spend several weeks at home. Most of the Indiana delegation Intend to come home, now that the tariff legislation is out of the way, and not kill time in Washington.