Mary Baxter Taylor -- 1836-1915

     Name:   Mary B. Uttley
     Age:    78yr 4m 16d
     Date:   Mar 16, 1915
     Born:   Quebec
     Death:  Doon
     Place of burial: Toronto
     Father: James Taylor
     Mother: ___________
     Cause:  Heart disease, some years
     Doctor: Dr. Thomson, Galt

• Mary Baxter was born on 1 November 1836. Her age of 78 years in the Death Archive agrees with this date that was recorded in the 1901 Census.
• The plot where she and her husband are buried remains a mystery but it is beyond doubt in Elmira and not Toronto.

Obituaries of Mary Baxter Taylor Uttley

From the Berlin News Record, Tuesday March 16, 1915, page 2:

Mrs. Samuel Uttley
    Died of Heart Failure
        ----
END CAME WHOLLY
    UNEXPECTEDLY

    The death of Mrs. Samuel Uttley occurred at noon to-day in Doon, of heart failure. She had been ill for several days from an attack of La Grippe but it caused no apprehension to the members of her family. The attending physician noted that her heart's action was somewhat weak, but did not consider the symptoms dangerous. She slept well during the greater part of Monday night. This forenoon there was nothing alarming outwardly in her condition. But at noon she passed peacefully from life unto death.
    The deceased wife and mother was in her 77th year and leaves a husband, three sons and three daughters to mourn her departure. The daughters are Miss Annie of Hamilton; Mrs. Mary Parr, of Connecticut; Miss Edith of Doon. The sons are John J. of Stettler, Alberta, James T. of Doon and W. V. Uttley of Berlin.
    Mrs. Uttley was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Taylor and was born in Quebec city, shortly after the arrival of her parents from Arbroath, Scotland in 1837. The family afterwards located in Paisley Block, Guelph, where she resided until she reached womanhood and wedded. They took up their residence at Elmira and lived there many years, before removing to Doon.
    She had all the virtues and strength of a good Scotch mother. Industrious to a degree, thrifty and self-sacrificing for her children -- prizing education as a great gift, and ambitious for her offspring. She was a modest, God-fearing woman who made not overly many friends but was true as steel to those she made. Two of her daily admonitions stand out: "Be a good boy" and "Make Spare".
    The day on which she is to be laid to rest has not yet been decided upon. Probably it will be Thursday.

• Mary Baxter died in her 79th year, not the 77th, at the age of 78 years.
• The son in Alberta is John H. (Herbert) and not John J.
• The lack of capitalization on "city" is unusual but Mary Baxter must have been born in Quebec City. The Census of 1901 corroborates this with information that she was born in an urban location in Quebec.
• James Taylor and his wife would have arrived in Quebec from Scotland in 1836, where their daughter was born.
• The author of this piece reads like Samuel's obituary six years later. Phrases like "passed peacefully from life unto death", "prizing education as a great gift" and "true as steel" mark Ben Uttley as the creator.

Followed with an update the next day in the Berlin News Record, Wednesday March 17, 1915, page 7:

DIED ----

    At Doon, Ont., March 16, 1915, Mrs. Samuel Uttley, aged 78 years. The funeral will be held on Thursday, March 18, at 1.30 p.m., from the G.T.R. depot Elmira to the Elmira cemetery. Friends and acquaintances please accept this intimation.

There were four items in three different newspapers that show there was cross posting of news reports going on. The differences in paragraphing, capitalization and future vs. past tense were minor. The Berlin Daily Telegraph, Wednesday March 15, page 5; the Berlin News Record, Thursday March 17, page 7 under "CITY and DISTRICT"; the Elmira Signet, Thursday March 18, page 4 and the Berlin Daily Telegraph, Monday March 22, page 4 under "DOON NEWS" all reported:

Death/Funeral of Mrs. Samuel Uttley ----

The very unexpected and sudden death occurred on Tuesday, noon, of Mrs. Samuel Uttley in her 78th year. Mrs. Uttley had been in fairly good health up to Friday last, when she contracted a bad case of la grippe and from Friday on she gradually became worse till the end came on Tuesday.
    Mrs. Uttley had been a resident of the village for the past 25 years and was well known and respected by all.
    Mrs. Uttley was a member of the Methodist Church.
    The late Mrs. Uttley leaves to mourn her death a sorrowing husband and six children: three sons and three daughters. They are Miss Annie of Hamilton; Mrs. Mary Parr of Pascoag, Rhode Island; Miss Edith at home; John H., of Big Valley, Alta.; James T. and William V. of Berlin.
    The funeral from the family home will be held on Thursday morning to the G.T.R. depot, thence to Elmira on the 10.50 train for interment.
    Mrs. Jane Christman, Elmira, is a sister of the deceased. [is a unique addition in the Elmira paper.]

• She died in her 79th year at the age of 78 years.

The Berlin News Record, Friday March 19, 1915, page 7, reported on the funeral in the CITY AND DISTRICT section:

FUNERAL OF MRS. UTTLEY ----

    The funeral of the late Mrs. Samuel Uttley of Doon took place from the family home at 9.30 o'clock on Thursday morning. The services were conducted by Rev. Jos. Janes, of Berlin. The pastor read two favorite passages of Scriptures loved by the deceased: Psalm 23 and Chap. 4 of 2 Timothy. Two favorite hymns: "What a Friend we have in Jesus" and "O Happy Day that fixed my choice" were sung.
    At the conclusion of the services the remains were conveyed to the Grand Trunk station and taken to Elmira on the 10.50 train where interment took place at 1.30 p.m. to the Elmira Cemetery.
    A number of beautiful floral tributes were given, among them being a pillow from the family; anchor from the News-Record staff; a spray from Miss Daisy Sapsworth and one from Mr. and Mrs. E. D. Lang.
    The services at the grave were conducted by Rev. E. W. Craw of Elmira.
    The pallbearers assisting at Doon were Messrs. John Bullock, John Hamm, Daniel Hamm, W. Marshall, S. Pannabaker and N. Wildfong, and at Elmira Messrs. M. L. Weber, P. Christman, J. Bowman, Geo. Auman, Jos. Rosell and M. Wildfong.
    The family desires to extend its heartfelt thanks to the friends, relatives and neighbors who showed their sympathy in numberless thoughtful ways.

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Most recent revision June 17, 1998