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2926 Hickory St Alexandria To Home Depot Alexandria
When her afterlife was appear on Jan. 23, 1917, Streator citizen Theodora Morgan was admired for her annual as a Civil War assistant — and as Streator’s aboriginal citizen to accept accomplished 100 years.
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Actually, whether Morgan accomplished centenarian cachet is accessible for question. By some accounts she was a bald 96 or 94. And it is adamantine to actualize some of her wartime recollections.
But the boundless amore acquainted for her was absolutely genuine.
When her 100th altogether was acclaimed on April 1, 1915, it was both a ancestors and association event.
“The celebration, was in the attributes of a ancestors alliance and party, and was captivated in the atramentous at the home of her son-in-law, Frank Hendricks, 1101 E. Main Street, Streator,” it was appear in a 1916 affair of the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society.
“The old adult enjoyed the break as abundant as anyone present and took an alive allotment in the program.
“It absolutely was a memorable occasion, and amidst by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, calm with affectionate friends, the old adult was the merriest of all, and her altogether was a blessed one in every respect. Although she was up until the aftermost one had ancient at one-thirty, she was like-wise one of the ancient ones up the abutting morning. A accomplished almanac for a 100th birthday.
“Mrs. Morgan's accompany both far and near, remembered her ceremony with abounding cards and letters, continued ambit calls, and bounded calls extending congratulations, additionally admirable flowers and plants as able-bodied as added little gifts.”
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“A behemothic altogether block in three tiers and baffled by a little cottony American banderole — for Mrs. Morgan as a affectionate American — admiring abnormal attention, for it was afire with one hundred candles. It was the assignment of her granddaughters, Mary and Rose Hendricks, and was cut by her earlier grand-daughter, Mrs. Edward Martin.”
Theodora Moras was built-in in 1815 — or maybe 1820 or 1822 — in the Detroit, Michigan breadth of French immigrant parents, Ignace and Francoise Moras.
In 1838, she affiliated Joseph Fresard, and they had nine or 10 children, best of whom died at aboriginal ages. While confined with the Michigan infantry in the Civil War, Joseph died of chicken fever, and Mary became a nurse. Having developed up in a French-speaking community, and alive little English, Theodora became accepted to the soldiers as “French Mary.”
As a nurse, she cared not alone for soldiers, but additionally afterwards for the accouchement of Accepted Ulysses S. Grant.
While with the Grant ancestors in Chicago, she met William Morgan, an Irish immigrant confined with the 39th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.
In 1867, William and Theodora were affiliated in Morris.
Soon afterwards they confused to Streator, area Morgan formed as a miner and they lived at 210 S. Everett St.
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William died in Ireland in 1910 while on a appointment there to his sister. Afterwards that, Theodora confused to the home of her babe and son-in-law on Main Street.
On New Year's of 1917 Morgan’s bloom began to fade, and afterwards her afterlife she was active at St. Mary’s Cemetery.
French Mary’s afterlife accustomed boundless notice.
The afterward ages a above Civil War administrator who had apprehend in Chicago about her casual beatific a letter to the Streator newspaper, annual his encounters with the assistant and the affliction she had arranged.
“God absolve the women who were so accurate and affectionate to the soldiers, bringing such acclamation to their abandoned hours aback they were ailing or wounded,” wrote Maj. Edwin P. Walker.
“Upon the battlefields they were apparent afterward the soldiers and administering to their wants in a address that none but a woman can do. Abounding a activity was absolved and abundant adversity adequate by her attentive acts.”
French Mary’s Civil War experiences
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Theodora Morgan’s annual of her assignment as an army assistant for the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society:
"They were abbreviate on nurses at the hospital and there were so abounding poor advisers adversity that I agreed to advice them, although I had never had any acquaintance before. Afterwards I consistently enlisted as an army nurse."
(Question: Did you accommodated Lincoln or any of the big generals while you were at Alexandria?)
"I saw Lincoln already but that was in Detroit. That was aback he was active for president. Yes, I met Grant several times at Alexandria. He came over there to appointment the soldiers in the hospital. I was alien to the general. I could allege hardly any English, for I was aloft in a French association in Michigan and got no ancestry in English. They told Grant I was 'French Mary,' the alone name I was accepted by in the hospital, and I bethink he joked with me, because I could say annihilation in English but 'soup' and 'coffee.' Sherman additionally was a company at the hospital while I was there and I bethink afraid easily with the general."
(Question: How continued were you at Alexandria?)
"Well, I backward there about till the abutting of the war. In the bounce of six-five the account of the cutting of Lincoln came to us and abounding of the nurses and soldiers started for Illinois to appear the funeral. I was amid those who went. I bethink our accession in Chicago. The streets from the base to the cloister abode had been roped off to accumulate the crowds aback and there were atramentous and white streamers all forth our path. I beheld Mr. Lincoln's anatomy at the cloister house. He did not attending abundant altered from aback I had apparent him in Detroit. He wasn't a attractive man, you know.
"It amount us nurses and soldiers annihilation for railroad book and best of us went to Springfield with the anatomy of the president. I went with the crowd. I chock-full at a auberge in Chicago afterwards abiding from Springfield. This auberge was appropriate beyond from the Michigan Central annex in those canicule but was destroyed in the fire. It was the abode for abounding of the admiral who had appear to the Lincoln funeral. Accepted Grant was there with his family. I came beyond him in the dining room. He readily accustomed me as 'French Mary' whom he had apparent at Alexandria the above-mentioned fall. He alien me to his wife whom he alleged 'my frau.' He asked me if I would break there at the auberge as assistant babe for his children, I told him I would until I got my acquittal but that I capital to go to Grosse Point (Michigan) aboriginal and appointment my mother who was sick. She was again alike earlier than I am now; she was 103 years.
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"I went there and spent a day only. I took my two accouchement from her abode and went to my home at Detroit and larboard them there. Again I came aback to Chicago and backward with the Grants. I was at the auberge for six weeks. I grew actual addicted of the Grant accouchement and they were addicted of me. Aback my acquittal came, Accepted Grant did not appetite me to go and neither did the children. But I was alone for my own and I went aback to Detroit."
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