TORR, Mariah - Putnam

DIED Mrs. Mariah Torr, living five miles southwest of Greencastle Nov 29, 1879.  Mrs. Mariah Torr, wife of William Torr and daughter of Abraham Kinberlin was born in Shelby County Kentucky in the year 1800 was married Nov 27, 1823; was 79 years old at the time of her death; moved to Putnam County Indiana in 1828. Her husband died Dec 18, 1842. She was the mother of 7 children five of whom are still living and are heads of respectable and well-to-do families. She lived a widow 37 years with all the care and responsibilities of directing and providing for the household trusting in God’s promise to be a father to the widow and fatherless.  Mrs. Torr, physically was delicate possessing great fortitude and patient endurance through a long life of cares and anxieties for the welfare of her children.  She always showed strong affection for all of her family and was kind and genial with all her neighbors, friends and acquaintances of whom she had many and in return was esteemed by all who knew her. For years she had a cancer developing in her left breast and when her general system began to fail from the effects of this cancerous growth she was subject to cramps in her feet and legs.  On rising from her bed to relieve the foot from cramping, she fell forward on her left knee fracturing the neck of femur causing severe pain and suffering with rapid development of the disease in her bowels and stomach so that food and drinks were passed or rejected without nourishing her system, resulting in death by starvation.  Mrs. Torr possessed rare intellectual powers, observing the minutia in detail of her business affairs; even the necessary supplies for the house and the comfort of her guests, family and friends were regularly inquired after and provided for during her last illness. She was a member of the Baptist Church, having joined in the State of Kentucky, bringing her letter with her to Indiana and preserved it with rare care until she passed away.  When the disease began preying on her vitals and every avenue of life was wracked with torturing pains then it was that her Christian faith and fortitude as the noonday sun from behind a summer cloud shown forth most brightly.  With a knowledge that her time of departure was at hand she embraced Christ and all his promises with that fullness of faith known to his true followers and her soul was filled with joy and praise to God for His great manifestations of peace and pardon bestowed upon her in her last trials. She had gathered around her bed all of her children, frequently speaking to them of the joys that awaited her on yonder bright shore and encouraged each one to persevere in right doing in daily life and to rely in the fullness of God’s promises to bring their children up to love and serve the Lord. For her neighbors and her many friends, she had words of love and consolation, exhorting each and all to embrace Christ and strive continuously to be filled with His love and meet her in Heaven where there is no more sickness, no more sorrows, no more pains; where death is swallowed up in victor. Her mind remained clear within three minutes of her departure, when she became blind, then death and ceased breathing with her features calm as if sleeping.  Let children, relatives and friend rejoice that her sufferings are over and that she is with Jesus – a friend