Letters regarding the mystery of the death of my grandmother Ruby Harrington Colburn
By Joan Colburn Robertson
Mon, 13 Jul 2015
Joan – Thank you for the note. I am working on cataloguing the music your family has donated to the museum. There is a lot of items in the collection, so it will keep me busy for a while. I enjoyed researching your grandfather’s history, but was left with one unanswered question, what happened to your grandmother, Ruby? I assumed she died in Wisconsin as I found no record of her on any death indexes for Illinois, and Minnesota, Wisconsin does not have one available for the time period she would have died, and she is not at Graceland Cemetery. – Walt Bennuick, Archivist
October 24, 2015
Dear Walt, I have not forgotten your inquiry about Ruby’s death. According to our family Bible, Ruby was born in Riverside, IL, on 4/28/80 and died in Winona on 1/1/38. This was in my Dad’s handwriting. It also says that she and George were both cremated. My sister suggests that maybe her ashes went to Winona although George’s ashes are at Graceland in Chicago. However, my cousin Stephanie says:
According to my mother’s memoirs, “In April of 1937 we moved to 1410 Gregory in Wilmette. John and Mrs. Colburn rented the second floor from us….On December 31, 1937, Mrs. Colburn died and John moved out shortly thereafter.” Which would mean Ruby died on New Year’s Eve in 1937 in Wilmette IL.
So you see, the mystery continues as to both the location and date of her death. She is not listed in any Illinois or Minnesota death lists that I have been able to find so far. Is it possible that there is any mention of her death in a January 1938 issue of the Winona newspaper?
Do you have an extra copy of “The Homestead up in Maine”? I would enjoy seeing that one. I have no idea what his connection with Maine was. It’s fun to speculate about the lives of our ancestors. I’m sure there are many untold stories here!
Thank you for your for your interest in our family. Joan
26 Oct 2015
Joan – I will find a copy of the “Homestead in Maine” and send it to you. As to Ruby, according to the 1937 Winona City Directory, she had moved to Madison, Wisconsin and on the 1940 US Census, John was living at 1621 West Columbia Avenue in Chicago. I have checked available death record indexes and can’t find Ruby having died in Minnesota or Illinois around 1938-9. A death index for Wisconsin is unavailable on line, but I suspect that she died in Madison, Wisconsin around the time she was supposed to have died and her cremains were placed in Graceland Cemetery without reporting it. One would have to check with the Wisconsin Vital Stats to see if I am correct. The last mention of Ruby Colburn in the Winona Newspaper was on January 21, 1935 when she and her son Robert were at a lecture at Central Lutheran Church and Robert sang a song for the group. – Walt Bennick, Archivist
October 26, 2015
Actually, the years would have been 1937-38, because it was either December 31, 1937, or January 1, 1938. I had originally thought maybe she was visiting friends in Winona for the holidays in 1937, and that would explain the confusion, but she and John had definitely moved back to the Chicago area where George was working before the time of Ruby’s death.
You may be interested to know that her son George was an artist and designed theater posters in Chicago. His main employment following that was inventing the machinery that enabled motion picture film to be printed in various sizes. He founded the George W. Colburn Laboratory, Inc., in Chicago. I’m not sure what year that was, but my father Robert and brothers Francis and John also worked with him. I have seen an early handwritten account book in which my father’s salary was increased to $25 a week, which he had once told me he had determined what was needed to marry my mother. Evidently, that was true, because they married on May 22, 1937, the same year as that book entry!
My father continued to sing all his life, was a soloist in his church choirs, singing there until about a year before his death at age 88. George played the viola in a community orchestra. As you know, Stephanie now composes music and continues to sing, and I play violin and mountain dulcimer and sing in both a barbershop chorus and a senior center chorus (at age 74). One of my (deceased) twin brother’s sons is an artist and his grandchild plays violin and other instruments, so the music lingers on. I look forward to seeing “Homestead in Main” and again thank you for your interest. Joan
Mon, 26 Oct 2015 14:22:13 -0500
Joan – A renewed search puts Ruby Colburn’s cremains being scattered in a pond at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis on January 3, 1938, apparently passing away on January 1, 1938 at the age of 57 years. This would have her born around 1881, which I think she was. The internet report does not list the place of death – Walt Bennick, Archivist
(Attached)
October 26, 2015
To whom it may concern – I am looking for a bit of information regarding one, Ruby Colburn, who apparently had her cremains scattered in “JO Pond” on January 3, 1938. She apparently died at the age of 57 years on January 1, 1938. Would you have any additional information regarding this woman? Thank you. – Walt Bennick, Archivist Winona County Historical Society
26 Oct 2015
Well done, Walt! Wherever did you find this information? Many thanks for solving our family mystery! Joan
10/26/15
Joan – A reply from Lakewood Cemetery regarding Ruby
From: Info Lakewood [mailto:info@lakewoodcemetery.com]
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2015 3:07 PM
To: ‘Walt Bennick’
Subject: RE: Ruby Colburn
Mr. Bennick,
We don’t have a lot of additional information that is not on our website.
She is from Illinois, she died in Winona MN.
She was survived by a son George Colburn from Wilmette IL.
Sharon
Lakewood Cemetery
27 Oct 2015
Joan – I found your grandmother’s death record and obituary. It never showed up on the search I did earlier. I checked at the Winona County Vial Stats office I found it after checking with Lakewood Cemetery whose records were limited. The obituary is seen below. As seen in the obituary, she was cremated at the Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis and according to the cemetery her cremains were scatted in a pond in the cemetery. I think the issue of what happened to your grandmother is solved – Walt Bennick, Archivist
(The following is copied from the original obituary, which would not copy onto this manuscript.)
Winona Republican-Herald; Date: Jan 3, 1938; Page 3
Obituary
Death of Mrs. Ruby Colburn.
Mrs. Ruby Colburn, 57, Wilmette, Ill., former Winona resident, died suddenly Saturday at 10:40 a.m. at the Winona General hospital following a stroke suffered Friday. Mrs. Colburn had come to Winona Wednesday to visit at the home of Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Seaton, 168 East Broadway. She was born November 28, 1860, and was the widow of the late George A. Colburn. Survivors are four sons, George W. and John E., Wilmette; Francis W., Excelsior, and Robert, Chicago; one daughter, Mrs. Thomas Reilly, Green Bay, Wis.; one brother, Van Tuyl Harrington, Chicago; one half sister, Mrs. Athalie Unger, Fairhope Okla., and one half brother, Stephen H. Harrington, Chicago. Funeral services were conducted at 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Paul’s Episcopal church, the Rev. C. B. Whitehead officiating. The body was taken to the Lakewood crematory in Minneapolis this morning.
27 Oct 2015
Dear Walt, Thank you so much for pursuing Ruby’s final days. As Paul Harvey used to say, now we finally have “The Rest of the Story“! We are very grateful for your persistence in following up on this question.
Joan