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- Cass County Pioneer, September 17, 1926
ANNA ELIZABETH OLIVER
We folks of The Pioneer received a severe blow this week in the death
of our dear wife and mother, Mrs. A.A. Oliver, wife of A.A. Oliver, and mother
of R.A. and A.B. Oliver, her death coming at 12:35 p.m. Tuesday at the Walker
hospital after an operation several days before for the removal of her gall
bladder. Our dear one had been ill for the past six months and suffered
severely during that time. Several weeks ago it became evident that some
malignant ailment was working to keep her ill and it was then discovered that
she needed the operation referred to above. But her physical condition would
not permit the operation immediately and she went to the hospital for
treatment to better her condition. Later the operation was performed but our
beloved one could not recover. Drs. Wilcox and Thabes and the nurses at the
hospital did everything they possibly could for our sufferer but she steadily
grew worse until the end came.
Anna Elizabeth Rathbun Oliver was born in LaSalle, Illinois, November
13, 1871, the daughter of Alonzo E. Rathbun and Anna Elizabeth Rathbun. She
died at Walker, Sept. 14, 1926, aged 54 years 10 months and 1 day. At the age
of 8 years with her parents she removed to Lake Lida, Otter Tail County,
Minnesota, where the family located on a homestead and lived for several
years. They then removed to Pelican Rapids and established the Park Region
Pioneer Newspaper at that place. Mrs. Oliver grew to young womanhood there.
She was an apt pupil, took advantage of the limited school system then
available and also studied music under her father's supervision, he being an
accomplished musician. In her early teens she united with the Congregational
Church, in which denomination she has always retained her membership. During
her early years at Pelican Rapids when not engaged in school duties, she was
employed as a Compositor in the office of the Park Region Pioneer and later
devoted much of her time to office work including the business and editorial
departments of the newspaper. It was here at Pelican Rapids and in the Park
Region Pioneer office that she became acquainted with A. A. Oliver who was
employed as foreman of the office, and later on September 25, 1888, in that
village, they were united in marriage. After several months of happy married
life Mr. Oliver's health began to fail him in the close attention to his
office work, but he kept at his labors until ordered by physicians to leave
the office and seek outside employment, preferably in the pines. The young
couple were not daunted and faced the new requirements by deciding to locate
on a homestead in Cass County and moved by ox team through the woo
cabin at Esterdy in the southern part of the county, arriving incide
frontier life. During this period Mr. Oliver was often compelled to seek
employment in the neighboring towns to secure funds to sustain the family. On
January 16, 1894, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver established the Cass County Pioneer at
Esterdy, and entered the same office as the Ellis Post Office, where th
operated the newspaper, a great part of the burden falling upon the little
mother's shoulders, as Mr. Oliver was employed at times on the Staples World
in order to help with the expenses. In the meantime, the Brainerd and Northern
logging railway was constructed to Walker and the town organized with a
promising future. Mrs. Oliver may be very properly named as the mother of the
Cass County Pioneer. In May 1896, the printing office was moved to Walker, and
shortly after the house goods and family came to Walker, also, where the
newspaper continued in publication. Mrs. Oliver continued to give much of her
time and attention to the office work and personally composed most of t
first delinquent tax lists ever set in Cass County. This in addition to the
great responsibilities of motherhood and the home. She was stricken with
partial deafness and in 1910, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver decided to take a rest from
the newspaper game and spent 5 years thereafter on a little farm a couple of
miles south of Walker, leaving The Pioneer in charge of R.A. Oliver, their
eldest son. At the end of five years they returned to Walker and A.A. Oliver
resumed active participation in the affairs of The Pioneer, but the little
mother did not come back into office activities. She was occupied mostly from
that time to her illness with her household duties though she has ever
remained the main inspiration of we of The Pioneer; the dear one to whom we
have gone to approval in our successes and comfort in all cases. During the
early days in Walker it was a typical woodsman town. No thought had yet been
given to the building of a church. The only place available for church
services was the little room in the Brainerd and Northern station. In 1897, a
small group of women with Mrs. Oliver worked, and among whom were Mrs. J.B.
Spencer, Mrs. N. Daily, the Mesdames Bush and several others assembled
together and decided to start the building of a church and organized the
Congregational Ladies Aide. The rough and ready pioneers of this community
irrespective of religious denominations readily joined in and funds were
raised through efforts of Mrs. Oliver and her associates to complete the first
church ever built in Walker, first the Congregational church, the Free
Lutheran Church. Mrs. Oliver was the organist and Sunday school teacher part
of the time and gave music lessons during those early years. In the lat
years she has given most of her time to her family and to her children's
families. She was a great lover of flowers, especially pure white pansies and
delighted to the many beautiful flowers brought to her in her late sickness.
She loved the things artistic, art and music and needlework being especially
appealing to her. Worthwhile toil was her practical prayer, her trust was in
God, her faith well founded, and her spirit has returned to the arms of her
maker from whom it came, a well earned, well merited devotion to that house
not made with ends eternal in the sky.
The deceased is survived by her loving and affectionate husband and
the following children: R.A. and A.B. Oliver of Walker; Mrs. Elam Johnson of
Bimidji; E.L. Oliver, of St. Louis; Mrs. N.A Bowman of Walker, and Mrs. Elmer
Bowman of Virginia, Minnesota, all of whom were here to the funeral. One son
died in early infancy. She is also survived by three sisters and two brothers;
Mrs. C.H. Case of Shingobee township; Mrs. J.K. Mounts of Ottertail Lake; Mrs.
Sadie Van Cleve of Washington; Arve Rathbun of Oregon; and Lewis Rathbun of
California. There are also 18 of the grandchildren, every one of whom t
deceased always welcomed at her home and gave them comfort. The funeral
services were held this Friday afternoon from the Free Lutheran Church with
Rev. Jewell delivering the address and she was laid to rest in the Walk
Evergreen Cemetery.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1872 - 1916 (43 years)