"DEATH CLAIMS REAL PIONEER
Mrs. Nora Ware of W. Liberty Expires At Age of 82
Greentown, Feb. 10 -- Mrs. Nora Ware, 82, widow of
John W. Ware, long time resident of Union township
near West Liberty, died at 5:45 o'clock Monday
morning at the home of her son, Charles Ware, in
Greentown. Death followed a four weeks' illness of
pneumonia which came upon her while she was visiting
her son.
Mrs. Ware was the daughter of Ervin and Mary TENNELL,
pioneer residents of Union township. She was born Sept.
25, 1858 near Ironton, Wis., where the family lived a
few years for the benefit of Mr. Tennell's health. They
returned to Union township when the daughter was two
years old and she had been a resident of the West Liberty
community ever since. On her marriage to John W. Ware
on Dec. 21, 1882, they went to housekeeping in West
Liberty, living there until the spring of 1889, when
they moved to the Ware farm, one-half mile from the
village. Two sons were born to them, Charles of Green-
town and Harold who resides on the home place. She
was the last surviving member of the Ervin Tennell
family. She leaves one foster sister, Mrs. Eva Hickman
of the West Liberty neighborhood, a cousin by birth.
She was extremely proud of the patriotic record of
her ancestors. Two great-grandfathers, George TENNELL
and Joseph ISBEL, were soldiers in the Revolutionary
War, George TENNELL being in Washington's army and
also with Daniel Boone in Kentucky. Her grand-father,
Joseph TENNELL, served in the War of 1812 and her
father and his brother, Job TENNELL, were soldiers
in the Mexican War. A maternal uncle, Enoz Zentmeyer,
served four years in the Civil War. While originally
a member of the Methodist church at West Liberty,
Mrs. Ware many years ago, because of deafness, be-
came a member of the home department of the West
Liberty Christian church. Funeral services will be
held at 1:30 p. m. Wednesday at the West Liberty
Methodist church, to be followed by Interment in the
Simpson cemetery. The body will remain at the Charles
Ware home until the time for the funeral.
Mrs. Ware's period in Howard county covered 80 years,
all of it spent in the old neighborhood in Union
township. Her memory covered all the sweep from
the pioneer period in that locality to the present
day, and was accurate regarding all the community's
outstanding events. She at one time knew every family
in Union township, but that was many years ago before
there had been so many losses by death and so many
changes by removals. It was her lot to outlive practically
all of her own generation among the people there.
Mrs. Ware made journeys to and from Kokomo in the
days before there was mile of gravel road anywhere
within the county, and when such a trip, whether made
on horseback or by horse-drawn vehicle consumed an
entire day. She remembered both West Liberty and Jerome
when each had grist mills and saw mills and when both
had a much larger population than they possess today. Her
life was a diligent one throughout, and devoted to helpful
service wherever and whenever she found it needed. She
lived usefully, uprightly, gently and truthfully through-
out her more than four-score years and the memory she
leaves will be appreciatively cherished by all among whom
she lived so becomingly and whom she served so well."
Source: The Kokomo Tribune, Koomo, Ind., Monday, February
10, 1941
dorie winchester <doriewinchester@gmail.com>
