The Death of Maxia Jones Foust

Maxia Jones Foust is my "link" to the Historic Brick Outhouse recently moved from Springfield, Ohio to Columbia City, Indiana. Maxia was the daughter of my 4th great grandparents, Elizabeth Helms and William B. Jones and a sister of my 3rd great grandmother, Catherine B. Jones Dunfee.

Columbia City Post ~ March 12, 1910

Bankers wife expires Friday. Injury Sustained in Fall Proved Fatal. Mrs. Franklin H. Foust Lived But One Week After Serious Accident - Lacked One Day of Being 83 Years of Age.

In the death of Mrs. Franklin H. Foust, wife of the well known banker and pioneer citizen, a familiar figure is removed from this city. For the past 64 years she was identified with the growth and development of the town, and she was known by nearly every resident of the city and by many people throughout the county. In her young girlhood she was a successful teacher and after her marriage she became identified to some extent with the business interest of the village, assisting her husband in conducting a small store which they established in the early history of the town. She knew all the early pioneers of the county and it seemingly afforded her great pleasure to recount the experiences of her early life in this place, and especially was she fond of telling of the manner in which the pioneer women did their part in those days.

As is already known, Mrs. Foust was in poor health during the past winter and last Friday afternoon she was seized with a dizzy spell as she left the telephone and fell heavily to the floor. It was feared at the time that the breaking of the hip bone by the fall would result in her death, and one week later almost to the hour, she quietly passed into her last sleep, the exact time of her death being 12:50 Friday afternoon.

The pain of the fracture was intense and every effort was made by the physician to lend comfort to the sufferer, but her advanced years left her with insufficient strength to survive the shock. Friday morning it was seen that she was sinking rapidly and all of her relatives were called to her bedside before 7 o'clock. She rallied however, and although very low, survived until the hour named.

Maximillia A. Jones was born at Dresden, Muskingum county, Ohio, March 12, 1827, to Elizabeth and William P. Jones and died in Columbia City, Ind., March 11, 1910, aged 82 years 11 months and 29 days. When 18 years of age, she came with her parents to this county and settled on a farm three and one half miles southwest of Columbia City. Mr. Jones had lost all of his property through the failure of a friend for whom he had been a bondsman and he came to this county to build up his fortunes anew. They settled in a log house at the farm on the evening of the 31st day of October, 1845, and lived there till they moved to this city March 6, 1846, just 64 years ago to the day before she sustained the injury that caused her death. The house, at that time in this city was east of the site of the Lutheran church. December 12, 1850, she united in marriage with Franklin H. Foust and by her death a wedded life of more than 59 years is broken. Three children were born to them, but they all died in infancy. Mrs. Foust was a member of a family of six, but two of whom survive her. They are Curtis W. Jones and Mary E. Sherwood of this city.

Mrs. Foust was a member of the Baptist church, but since her marriage had been affiliated with the Methodist church in this city. For years she had been in feeble health and was unable to walk with comfort, so that she was forced to remain within the confines of her home a great part of the time. She never lost interest in the affairs of the locality and kept up many friendships among those who knew her as a most conscientious and kind-hearted woman. The fact that she was forced to inaction made the telephone a great comfort to her and she daily communicated with friends. In fact, it was while leaving the telephone for her accustomed chair by the window that she was overcome with an attack of vertigo and fell.

Mrs. Foust came to this county when it was largely a wilderness and she had seen it emerge from the forests and arise to its present standing during her residence here. She maintained a vital interest in all of the activities of the community and lived in accordance with her ideas. Her death takes from among us one who has had a part in the affairs of the locality for an average lifetime.