Mrs. Charlotte A. Ford, the wife of Mr. John Ford, died last night aged 82 years, 9 months and ten days. Mrs. Ford was afflicted with Pneumonia and was sick but a very short time. Her illness was contracted while she was caring for Mr. Ford, who was ill a week or two ago. The deceased was an intelligent, well educated, high minded woman. She was born in Manson, Massachusetts, April 25, 1819 and was a descendant in the sixth generation of Geo. Colton, who came from England in 1630 and settled in the precinct of Longmeadow, Mass. He is supposed to be the ancestor of all the Colton’s now living in the United States. November 18, 1840 she was married to Levi Hamblin of Springfield Mass. By whom she had two children, George and Henry. Both served in the war of the rebellion. George was married to Mary Rice of Bowens Prairie in 1865, and died less than a year later. Henry resides in Colorado.
Mr. Hamblin was drowned in Lake Nicaragua, Central America, November 27th, 1856. In April of that year he started for California with his wife, the subject of this sketch, and their two sons, aged fifteen and thirteen years, respectively. It was during the period of Walker’s Rebellion, and when they reached Nicaragua, Mr. Hamblin was impressed into service. While doing enforced duty for Walker, he was mysteriously drowned in Lake Nicaragua, and $3,000 worth of checks and cash which he carried on his person were never recovered. Mrs. Hamblin found herself in a strange country rent with rebellion, and with but three dimes in money. A chest of carpenter tools owned by her husband was confiscated, and for which she received $50. She was greatly befriended by Tabor, a member of Walker’s cabinet, who was a fugitive from justice, having been sentenced for killed a man in California. Walker was also kind to her, and procured tickets for her return to New York. She was the last white woman to leave Grenada when the town was burned. It was through Tabor’s advice that she conceal her son George, as he was old enough to carry a gun and there was danger he might be impressed in the rebellion. She remained in the country from April to the following January. In December she obtained an opportunity to write to her brother, telling him of the loss of her husband, and that her son George was unconscious with camp fever. Her brother made arrangements with a captain whose vessel was to touch at that point, for their passage home. She had in the meantime received transportation and returned to New York.
September 19th 1864, she was married to Moses E. St. John of Simsbury, Connecticut, who was a major in the 25th Connecticut Infantry. He died in 1869, and after acting as matron at an eastern institution for a number of years, she came to Jones county, where on the 11th day of January, 1888, she married John Ford of Monticello. Mrs. Ford was the youngest and the last of a family of eleven children. She was most highly regarded by all her acquaintances, and died without an enemy. The funeral will be held at home at one o’clock Sunday.

Submitted by: Unknown
Source: Monticello Express, Monticello, Iowa, February 6, 1902

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