Rebecca (Esch) Campbell |
Rebecca (Esch) Campbell was born on April 20, 1832 in Brush Valley, Indiana County, PA, the daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Younkin) Esch.
She was joined in matrimony with Oliver Campbell (Nov. 1832-1869), son of William and Rebecca (St. Clair) Campbell.
The newlyweds immediately relocated to Minnesota, where they must have had exciting dreams of establishing their future. An only daughter born to the pair was Sarah Campbell in May 1854, and the future appeared to be bright.
But unspeakable grief descended upon the young family later that same year, on Oct. 22, when death cut away the young wife at age 22.
Their infant daughter was taken into the home of Rebecca's parents back in Brush Valley.
Oliver only outlived his first bride by 11 years.
In 1860, he wed again to Mary Frances Nelson (1840-1906). The Campbells settled in Wisconsin.
They were listed in the federal census enumeration of 1860 on a farm in Farmington, Polk County, WI.
He surrendered to death at age 36, in Polk County, on April 14, 1869.
Mary Frances' fate is not known.
~ Daughter Sarah (Campbell) Campbell ~
Daughter Sarah Campbell (1854-1941) was born on May 14, 1854 in Minnesota. She was taken into the home of her mother's parents in Brush Valley, and is shown in the Esch household in the 1860 census.
She was united in the bonds of holy wedlock with Christopher D. Campbell ( ? -1929), son of John and Mary (Herron) Campbell.
The couple put down roots in Brush Valley and led their lives as farmers.
The eight children produced together by the pair were J. Milton Campbell, Joseph E. Campbell, William O. Campbell, Clark Campbell, Harry C. Campbell, Stewart Campbell, Mrs. V. Burl Clevenger and Mrs. Clarence Clevenger.
Sadly, having contracted influenza and pneumonia, Christopher passed away at age 82 on Jan. 3, 1929. An obituary was published in the Indiana Gazette.
Toward the end of her life, Sarah suffered from senility as well as an infection of the cervical lymph nodes. The spectre of death whisked her away at age 87 on July 20, 1941. Stewart Campbell of Brush Valley signed the official Pennsylvania certificate of death. An obituary in the Gazette said it was the "third time within a week [that] death entered a prominent Indiana County family...," with her brother-in-law William H. Campbell and niece Mary K. Campbell having preceeded her to the grave. The Gazette added that "With the exception of a year in the western state [of Minnesota], she had always lived in Indiana County, most of the time in Brushvalley Township." Her survivors were counted as 27 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. Burial was in Bethel United Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Clyde, Indiana County, led by Rev. George W. Sprinkle of the Brush Valley Evangelical Church.
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Minerd.com extends its gratitude to the late Donna (Younkin) Logan for her research contributions to this biography. |