Woodruff - Lucy Phelps
Source: Waveland Independent newspaper, Waveland, Montgomery County, Indiana 14 Dec 1905
As we noted last week, Mrs. Lucy Woodruff was fatally burned at Indianapolis on Tuesday. The body was brought here and interred at the Presbyterian Cemetery after funeral services at the home of C.B. Taylor, conducted by Rev. Thomas Pearse. Mrs. Woodruff, whose maiden name was Phelps was born near New Albany 85 years ago. At the age of 23 she married Stephen Woodruff, a carpenter by trade. In 1872 they removed to this section and about that time, Mrs. Woodruff identified with the Presbyterian Church of which she was a faithful member. Mr. Woodruff died in 1894. They had no children but partially raised two nephews and a niece. It seems that Mrs. Woodruff was sitting in the matron's room at the Home by a grate fire. Some coals rolled under her skirts, which became ignited. Her efforts to put out the fire only fanned the flames as she ran through two rooms finally falling to the floor where the fire was extinguished. The etent of the burns with the shock proved fatal. It is a curious fact that she had always been afraid of fire and very careful about it. Her mother had said to her many times, "Lucy, you will surely be burned to death some day." -- kbz
Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal Friday, 9 October 1896
Last week Mrs. Lucy Woodruff, the guest of Mrs. H. H. Talbot, expressed a desire to know if any older native of Indiana than herself, 76 years, resides in Montgomery County. Two such persons have already spoken. Maxwell McCullough, residing three miles east of Crawfordsville, was born in Jefferson County in 1818 and has been a resident of Montgomery County since 1823. He was 78 years old on August 6.-s