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Obituary for Elmer Lewis Mattingly
15 April, 1867 - 13 March, 1931
From The Caldwell News-Tribune,
dated Monday, 16 March, 1931
Contributed by
Dennis McIndoo
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HOMEPAGE
DEATH CALLS
BUILDER OF
VALLEY FARM
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Elmer Mattingly Passes
Friday Morning at Wilder;
Built Home from Sagebrush
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(Special)
WILDER - Death claimed another pioneer of this
community when Elmer L. Mattingly answered the summons early
Friday morning, March 13. He had worked in the field all
day Thursday and had told his house-keeper that he planned to
get up early the next morning. When he failed to do so
Mrs. Whalen decided to investigate and found him lying as if
asleep, but lifeless. The physician called, pronounced
it a case of heart failure and that the end had probably come
soon after midnight.
He was born April 15, 1868, in Batavia, Iowa. On
September 27, 1887 he was married to Artamisha Alameta Simes
and the following year they moved to Missouri where they lived
a few years, then on to Oklahoma for six years but returned to
Missouri to remain three years longer. Colorado was
their next home and 1904 brought them to Silver City where he
was engaged in mining until December, 1906, when he brought
his family to this section and filed on a homestead one mile
south of Wilder which has since been their home. These
twenty-five years have been anything but easy years, as
together they toiled early and late clearing and levelling the
land, raising crops and caring for livestock.
For several years he was employed in construction work
on this project, helping to change the vast desert into a
section of homes. Twice it was necessary for him to
return to mining in Silver City in order to raise the money to
carry on. During these periods of absence Mrs. Mattingly
and their three children continued clearing land and holding
the homestead.
No one but those who have experienced like trials and
hardships can realize the debt the rising generations owe to
the faithful pioneers. Finally the entire eighty was
under cultivation, was well stocked with livestock and
machinery and the installation of electricity had lightened
the burdens both in the home and of the farm work.
On August 16, 1930, when Mr. and Mrs. Mattingly had
driven to Wilder she suddenly passed away while sitting in the
car. He then disposed of his dairy stock but continued
farming. He is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Thurman
Frank of Wilder, two sons, J. C. of Wilder and Melvin of King
City, California, and seven grandchildren. As he had
been a member of the Masonic lodge for many years and at the
time of his death held a membership in the Boise Shrine, the
funeral service Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock in the Wilder M.
E. church was in charge of the Masons.
The Rev. Geo. R. Ellis preached the sermon and he was
laid to rest beside his wife in the Canyon hill cemetery. |
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Full-sized headstone
photo available upon request.
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