Charity Resulted in Death

Ashulamite was the daughter of Wabash County pioneers Peter Keen and Jemima Gard. Ashulamite Keen was married first to Caleb Jordan in 1821 and then to Joseph Lamotte, Jr. in 1832. The Lamotte's are the namesake of Ft Lamotte at Palestine and Lamotte Township in Crawford County.

Joseph Lamotte Jr died March 1, 1872, at age 75 years 8 months and 19 days.  Ashulamite his wife died March 8, 1889, at 86 years 3 months and 13 days.  They are buried near the southwest corner of the Old Original section in White House Cemetery, aka Pleasant Hill cemetery, northwest of Bridgeport.

According to John King, the following obituary published on March 7,1889, gives the day of death as being on a Saturday, which would have been March 2, 1889. Irene Black had a typo in her book: the person who read the tombstone probably mistook a "3" for an "8". But it looks like the newspaper also had it slightly wrong, as Ashulamite's tombstone states that she died on 3 March 1889, which was a Sunday, not a Saturday. I don't know whether or not "Calvina" went by "Caroline", but the name on her tombstone is "Caroline", the same name listed on several census reports. The newspaper may have gotten Caroline's name wrong, as well as over stating her age.

Vincennes Daily Commercial, Thursday, 7 March 1889, page 3:

CHARITY INDEED!

The Sad Story of the Death of Mrs. Lamotte and Miss Lamotte.

BRIDGEPORT, ILL, March 6.--Perhaps the most beautiful set of Christian charity ever enacted in this county was performed by Grandma and Miss Calvina Lamotte, living near this place.

Some four or five weeks ago Mr. Samuel Seed, living two and a half miles east of Bridgeport, had the misfortune of losing his house and contents by fire. Having a large family and no place near to go, Grandma Lamotte and her stepdaughter, one about 85 and the other near 70 years of age, threw open their home, which consisted of only two rooms, to their unfortunate neighbors, who accepted the invitation. All went well for a time, but owing to exposure and anxiety and the loss of their home, three of Mr. Seed's family took sick with typhoid fever, and all huddled together in these two rooms. It was not long until Grandma Lamotte was taken sick of the same fever, then Miss Lamotte followed. Grandma was the first to die, her death occurring last Saturday. The corpse was brought to the bedside of the daughter to look upon, and from that hour she began to sink, and Tuesday died. They were both widely known here (Bridgeport) for their pure, kind, Christian dispositions, a sample of which has been exemplified in this last act.

The remains were interred at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Monday and Wednesday. The deceased were among our oldest settlers, having lived at their late residence for over fifty-two years. Two sons and one daughter are left behind, one son and daughter here and a son in Kansas.