RATCLIFF, Mary Catharine Ewbank - 1919 - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Mary Catharine Ratcliff was born January 21, 1836. She was the widow of William R. Ratcliff, who departed this life April 4, 1913. To them were born eleven children, four of which died in childhood; seven reached the age of maturity and four survive her. The deceased joined the church in early life and remained constant in her Christian faith to the end. Her education was limited by the meagre opportunities of the time; but her habits of reading afforded her a means of acquainting herself with the general ideas of the world, and her native ability, both in mind and body, enabled her to be of great service in her family and community. Her strong physical constitution carried her through many almost superhuman efforts in caring for the sick and giving attention to the needy. She was possessed with the idea that success in life is measured by usefulness, and the night was never too dark or stormy or the effort too great to daunt her in the relief of suffering humanity. In connection with her strong constitution she had a sublime faith in prayer to supplement the limitations of her own power. In matters of great concern to her family or any member thereof, when doubt prevailed as to the course to be pursued, while others were discussing the ways and means to bring about the desired results, invariably the would withdraw to some private place, and there in silence present the matter to God in prayer and ask him to take charge and direct the proper course. When her children were small she never failed to get them ready and take them to Sunday School, notwithstanding her arduous duties on the farm as a housewife and the distance of almost four miles separating her home from the church where the Sunday School was held. Every Sunday found her family of little ones on their way to that Sunday School. In addition to this she usually found time to teach a Sundry School class of little folks. She believed that a familiarity with the Bible was one of the greatest needs of a child; that the lessons therein learned would be its greatest aid and protection in maturity. Her enjoyment of life in later years was considerably clouded by her growing inability to hear and see what was going on about her. In reading, her eyes failed her and in talking the was handicapped in hearing and often said that little remained in life for her after she reached this condition; that she had lived out her time and was waiting -to go; that because of her failing senses she was not able to discern the needs of others accurately or render the proper assistance, and for such reasons her usefulness in the world had passed. But with all this, she never lost interest in the welfare of those about her and had her senses remained unimpaired, she doubtless would have enjoyed life to the last. She was a daughter of Lancelot Ewbank, and a grand-daughter of John Ewbank, who brought his family from England in 1811 and settled an Tanner’s Creek near Guilford, in Dearborn County, Indiana, and from whom the Ewbank family in America has descended, and who was class leader of the congregation that founded the Methodist Protestant Church. When settling that country, he and his neighbors built the old stone church, now famous in that denomination, on his farm in 1820 and for ten years the congregation controlled the church government; but when the Bishops came west to take charge, the democratic spirit of the congregation rebelled against their ruie resulting in a split and in the founding of such separate denomination. The mother of the deceased was a Blaisdel Her father-in-law in a letter written to friends back in England in 1822 describes her as an American girl, Ralph Blaisdel, one of her ancestors, was among the first police officers of the Colony of Plymouth. She leaves surviving one daughter: Lizzie Gray of Elizabeth, Mississippi, and three sons: Omer B. Ratcliff, Covington, Indiana, Dr. A. Lonzo Ratcliff and Alvin M. Ratcliff, Kingman, Indiana. She leaves surviving the following grand children, Loren Atktnson, Walter Atkinson and Wilber Atkinson of Lowell, Arkansas, who are the children of her daughter Rosa Atkinson, deceased; Arnett W., Joseph W. and Ruby Ratcliff, of Crawfordsville, Indiana, who are the children of her son Sylvester Ratcliff, deceased; Zura Baker and Ivan Ratcliff of Albion, Oklahoma, who are the children of her son Charles M. deceased; besides sixteen grand children whose parents survive, and seven great grand-children. Her sickness was brief. An attack of pneumonia of but few days duration did its deadly work, and the end came at one o’clock A. M. November 25, 1919, at the age of 83 gears, 10 months and 4 days. She has fought a good fight, and finished her course and has kept the faith. – jlr