Josephine Mapes

Josephine Parrow Mapes

1879-1920

Josephine Mary Mapes was the first child of Odile and Edward Parrow.  She was born January 13, 1879 at Wild Rice, Dakota Territory.  The Parrow family later moved to a homestead near Marlow, SD.

Charles Mapes was the son of Joseph and Sarah Mapes.   He was born August 14, 1867 at Big Rapids, Michigan.  He spent his early years in northern Michigan and Minnesota lumber camps as a cook, experiencing many hardships with his coworkers in the isolated forests.  He was one of the survivors of the Hinckley forest fire in 1894, escaping on the last train that backed out of Hinckley.  The fire burned 400 square miles and killed 418 people.

Interested in farming, Charles came west to the Ft. Sisseton reservation and bought a small farm in Tewaukon Township on the North Dakota border.  It was here that he met and married Josephine Parrow on April 25, 1897.  She was 18 years old and he was 29.  Their first child, Sarah was born on July 18, 1898, followed by another daughter, Alice on March 9, 1900.  In early 1901, the Mapes family moved to a larger farm in Victor Township No. 4, bordering the state line.  Five more children were born to them, LaVerne on May 11, 1902, Virgil on September 25, 1903, Nora on August 5, 1905, Earl on September 2, 1906 and George who was born and died in 1913.

Charles was a successful farmer raising shorthorn cattle and bees that produced an abundance of honey that they processed in the home.  He was also interested in the rural children's education and served on the school board of Victor Township No. 4 for several years.

Josephine came down with influenza which developed into pulmonary pneumonia and she died on February 14, 1920 at the age of 41.  At that time, Alice was married and  Sarah was teaching school, 4 children were still at home, the youngest being Earl who was 13.

Charles had been a sufferer of heart disease and passed away on December 10, 1926 at the age of 50, less than 7 years after Josephine.

Virgil took over the farm after his father's death.  He never married and lived on the farm until his death on August 26, 1972.  The farm was sold to Lowell Smith and Frank Parrow, after having been in the family for 71 years.

Sarah made her home with Virgil until she married Leo Nolan on January 29, 1940.  They farmed near Rutland.  Sarah died on June 19,1972.

Alice was married to John Lynch on September 21, 1918.  They operated a hotel in Havana and later lived in Detroit, Michigan and Barnesville, Minnesota.  Alice died on May 30, 1985.

LaVerne was a nurse and married John Welbes in 1927, they lived in Michigan.  She was widowed in 1948 and later married Al Compton who died in 1965.  La Verne died on September 30, 1979.

Nora married Adam Jangula in 1926 in Venturia, ND.  They later moved to Aberdeen, SD and then to Oregon.  She died June 24, 1995 in Oregon.

Earl was an auto mechanic and lived in California until his death on January 3, 1964.  He was married to Crystal Anderson.

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