Kirk - Anna Hubbell
Source: Crawfordsville Star newspaper, Feb 6, 1879 p 1
The remoseful fingers of Death closed on all that was dear to one little home circle in this city last Saturday morning. The mother was taken and seven motherless and worse than fatherless children were left. On that morning 7 helpless children - the oldest not 16 - knelt around the bed of their dying mother in a little comfortless house on East Jefferson Street. Kind and considerate neighbors had done all that they could do, but there was naught but sorrow and terror for the helpless, baby children. Disease and poverty had done their work, and only too well.
There was a time when Robert Kirk, the father of that family, was proud of his bonny wife and .fairhaired children but a love for liquor had done its work and unmanned him, and the husband finally deserted the wife he had promised to love and cherish. Six months since Kirk, who is known as a skilled carriage trimmer, left for Cincinnati and procured work there. He left his invalid wife and children here, helpless and poverty stricken. He was known to be receiving renumerative employment, but never sent home a cent to his family. As a consequence they were made the victims of landlord's rapacity, and were frequently "set out in the street" by constables for the non-payment of rent. Like all true women, the worse than widowed mother strove hard to keep the wolf from the door, but the terrible strain soon sapped her delicate organization and last Saturday morning in that cheerless, empty home, surrounded by her helpless children that tired, worn mother gave up the unequal strife, and the sorrow stricken soul wnet back to its Maker.
The citizens relief committee have been aiding this distressed family for some time. Auditor Watson first found them out and by deeds of kindness greatly relieved their destitution. The burial of the mother took place form the place calle dhome on SUnday morning, the relief committee superintending the affair. The family were once in comfortable circumstances and above want, but the scany furniture last Sunday morning too plainly showed to what depths of suffering the family had sunk, and too plainly portrayed, not the inhumanity of man to his fellows - but, the husband's brutality to his household idols.
Kirk was telegraphed in regard to the death of his wife and answered that he would come home. He didn't come and the children will be found homesk, if possible, with generous persons who have a home to give them
Note: In the 1880 Crawfordsville, Montgomery County census, he is home and has most of his children with him (4) In 1900, he is living in the Danville, Illinois VA hospital and in 1906, he asked to be released to his brother, Will at Ladoga. I found no Death Record for him. Did discover he had been in the gray eyes; gray hair; was a Protestant with light complexion, and stood about 5'7", age 69 (from the 1900 census born December 1830). Again, he is listed as a carriage trimmer.
She is buried (I was so thrilled to find her) in Oak Hill Cemetery with a small stone May 20, 1834 - Feb 1, 1879 Anna E. wife of RB Kirk.