Rosa Isabelle Lashbrook, Died When ? Research Report, the As It Is Series

Copyright 2024, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

This continues a series of posts, done in a very efficient (make that speedy fast) manner to share some research on the ancestors.  This is NOT intended to be the end all to end all report.  It's a work in progress, to show you what I have found, right or wrong. Kind feedback is welcomed via comments.

Let’s begin - - 

Meet - - Rosa Isabelle Lashbrook

Rosa has been known to this researcher for many years,  here is what we know:

From the Cedar Falls Gazette, Cedar Falls, Iowa, published January 21, 1876:

     “Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors

     [Continued from last week.]

     Wednesday, Jan. 5, 1876.

     Board convened pursuant to adjournment.  Members all present.

     …

     ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STEWARD OF THE BLACK HAWK COUNTY POOR HOUSE FOR THE YEAR 1875.

     …

     Rosa and Hattie Lashbrook admitted Oct. 29: discharged Nov. 28, 1875.

     …

     I find during the year there has been admitted at the pro house, 95; discharged (?? cannot read) … 15; number died, 3; number births, 3; the number weeks of substance furnished, 740 and 4 days.

     All of which is respectfully submitted.

     H. A. HENDERSON.”

    * we note that the article was long and the image was at times difficult to read.  Hattie is Rosa's sister.

Rosa Lashbrook

in the 1880 United States Federal Census

Name Rosa Lashbrook

Age 8

Birth Date Abt 1872

Birthplace Iowa

Home in 1880 East Waterloo, Black Hawk, Iowa, USA

Dwelling Number 62

Race White

Gender Female

Relation to Head of House Stepdaughter (Step Daughter)

Marital Status Single

Father's Birthplace Illinois

Mother's Name Lucy A. Cook

Mother's Birthplace Iowa

Household Members (Name) Age Relationship

William E. Cook 51 Self (Head)

Lucy A. Cook 26 Wife

George Cook 20 Son

Rosa Lashbrook 8 Stepdaughter (Step Daughter)

Hattie Lashbrook 5 Stepdaughter (Step Daughter)

I have a death register record out of Black Hawk County, Iowa.  That record can be accessed at FamilySearch dot org. 

Rosa Isabella Dashbrook, 1880.

Name Rosa Isabella Dashbrook

Sex Female

Age 8

Birth Year (Estimated) 1872

Birthplace Waverly

Death Date 11 Jul 1880

Marital Status Single

Race white

Event Type Burial

Event Date 12 Jul 1880

Event Place Waterloo, Black Hawk, Iowa, United States

Source Details bk1 p1 cn3

Reference Items 3-5

  * we note the slight error in indexing her surname.

Recently when digging around in newspaper data bases I found this:

Found in the June 8, 1899 issue of the New Hampton Gazette, New Hampton, Iowa.  These three children all died in July of 1880.  The newspaper was located via the Community History Archive, Chickasaw Iowa, web site.  

     “Three Children Drowned.

     Waverly Independent: The Daily Waterloo Reporter, extra, published Sunday afternoon, gave an account of the great wreck and storm the night before, and closed with the following paragraph:  One of the saddest features of the day was the drowning of three children - - all playing or wading in the various ponds left by the receding waters.  Freddie Siberling, son of P. J. Siberling, was wading, in a place at the foot of West Sixth and stepped into water beyond his depth.  His only companion was a little six year old boy and he failed to give an alarm soon enough to permit a rescue.  Charles Merwin, son of Henry Merlin, was drowned in a sand hole across the Illinois Central tracks on the Independence road, while wading.  Cora Lashbrook, a step daughter of W. E. Cook, living about four miles north of town was drowned in a pond while wading in it, and dropping into a hole.” 

     *We note her given name is said to be Cora, it is not, it is Rosa.

I will confess that I brooded over this article, dated 1899, for a couple of weeks. How could a death from 1880 be recorded in a newspaper dated 1899, as if she had died in 1899?  One explanation, in hindsight, is that many newspapers ran "50 years ago" type articles.  Or, 20 years ago, or 30 years ago, or 40 years ago.  You get the idea.

Now and then, over the last month or so, I searched Ancestry dot com and FamilySearch dot org again, and again, and again.  Found :  Nadda new. Finally, I reviewed the death records/register of the county (FamilySearch) and all three of these children did in fact die in 1880.  Their deaths are all recorded on the same page of the register, recorded as items 3, 6 and 7 of that page.  I still have no explanation of this article suddenly appearing in 1899. 

I did search for the Waterloo paper named, and found copies of several different papers published at Waterloo via the NewspapersArchive.  I finally did stumble upon this (I admit to being quite clumsy using the search facilities of NewsapersArchive.) The search did not find her with the surname Lashbrook as my search querie, but, searching Cook did. (Her mother married William E. Cook in January 1878 in Black Hawk County, Iowa.)

From the Waterloo Courier, Waterloo, Iowa, published July 14, 1880:

     “Obituaries

     …

     ROSA I LASHBROOK

     A stepdaughter of Wm. E. Cook, living about four miles northeast of the city, was drowned about half past twelve o’clock Sunday.  It appears that the little girl, who was about 8 years, 8 months, and eight days old, went out with another girl to take a walk, and on their way they came to the bank of a creek about one-fourth of a mile south of the house.  The water had filled up the banks and gullied out many deep holes.  This girl, while walking along the bank, slipped into one of these holes and sank.  Her companion ran back to the house and gave the alarm.  Mr. Cook went to the place where she was drowned and after considerable effort succeeded in getting the body out of the water.  The funeral services were held last Monday afternoon.”

I searched all Waterloo papers at NewspaperArchive for 1899, hoping to find the article referenced by the New Hampton Gazette, so far, nadda.

In review for writing this blog post, I did, once again, visit Ancestry dot com where I located this article, not seen in any of my prior searches.  Do overs/reviews can result in "goodies" now and then:

From the Courier, Waterloo, Iowa, published July 16, 1930:

     “FIFTY YEARS AGO

     Wednesday, July 14, 1880.

     Following a cloudburst Dry Run rose to a record height last Saturday night.  The fire bell early Sunday morning called the people out of their homes to battle with the rising waters. People living along the run left their homes.  Street Commissioner S. M. Hoff estimates 12,000 feet of board sidewalk was either washed away or displaced.  Bridges over the run were washed out and plank crossings floated away. The most thrilling feature of the flood was the rescue of marooned persons.  Some of these were done at great peril to life.

     Three persons were drowned in Waterloo and vicinity last Sunday.  They were Fred Siberling, 10-year-old son of P. J. Siberling; Charles H. Merwin, 13-year-old son of Mr and Mrs. H. E. Merlin, and Rosa Lashbrook, young stepdaughter of W. E. Cook, living four miles northeast of here.  It was reported that three others lost their lives that day by drowning, John Carney, 17, of Eagle township, and two young children of La Port City, but we have been unable to obtain any particulars.

     The body of the Siberling boy was found Sunday afternoon near the foot of Sixth street west.  The Merlin boy was drowned in a gravel pit one-half mile east of town along with I. C. Railway and the Lashbrook girl was drowned in a creek into which she accidentally slipped while walking along the bank.  She was 8 years old.”

Rosa has no Find A Grave memorial of of June 2, 2024.  No memorial found at BillionGraves.

I am left with mixed emotions, it is always fulfilling in a genie kinda way to know more about the lives and deaths of ancestors.  It is also frequently very sad, as in Rosa's story.

* Disclaimers, I use Find A Grave, Ancestry dot com, FamilySearch, several newspaper subscriptions, free sites, such as Virginia Chronicles, Virginia Chancery Cases online at the Library of Virginia and more to research my ancestors.  I pay for subscriptions, full price.

** My judgements may or may not be correct.  Transcriptions may or may not have errors.

*** Links, URL's, for the most part will not be included henceforth on my posts, as so many of them change and then I have to come back and try to re-discover and relink.  Frankly folks, I have no desire to spend my limited time here on this side of the sod with those kinds of do overs.  As researchers, or just members of the internet community, sites such as Find A Grave are easy to find, some are free to use and with the information I am sharing with you, hopefully, you can duplicate the research/findings. That said, I have seen memorials at Find A Grave be removed.  If you have questions, I suggest you leave a nice comment for me. OR find the method I have outlined on my blog for contacting me.

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