Miss Hannah U. Maxon Dead
Prominate [sic] and Good Woman Passes Away After Long Illness
     It is with regret and sorrow that we record the death of Miss Hannah Utla Maxon. The sad event occurred at her home on 2nd Avenue between Cedar and Spruce streets Thursday evening, May 26, 1910 of a malignant and painful trouble that had caused her great pain and suffering for three or four months.
     The funeral services will be conducted at the First Presbyterian church of this city Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock by the Presbyterian of Middleport or Pomeroy, the interment following at the Pine street cemetery by Hayward on the family lot among her kindred. At this time the pall bearers had not been selected.
     Miss Maxon was the daughter of the late Samuel and Eliza Maxon, prominent residents of the city eighty or ninety years ago, and was born in the corner brick house at State street and 2nd avenue on October 15, 1841, and was consequently in her 70th year. She had brothers and sisters who died in infancy, but none who reached an adult age but the late John J. Maxon and Mrs. Lucy Cherrington, widow of the late William Cherrington, being the last of the family to survive her.
     Miss Maxon had talent and applied herself at the best schools the city afforded, being one of that famous throng of pupils that gave the Gallia Academy a fame that has not yet perished, for many years and was a graduate of the Springfield, O. Female College. Splendidly equipped for life's battles she began her career of teaching in the Public Schools when less than 20 years old. After teaching here awhile she taught in Springfield for perhaps a couple of years.
     Returning to this city when the war of the Rebellion broke out. Everybody became disturbed, distracted and demoralization of regular business and the general order of things prevailed. There was an immense Military camp laid out on the site of what is now the State Hospital grounds, and there were long rows of hospital buildings there. The ladies of the city became helpers to this hospital and carried flowers and delicacies not belonging to army regulations to the sick, wounded and perishing soldiers there. Miss Maxon by her zeal and activity became prominent in this work, and took a leading part, and no doubt brought comfort and solace to many a weary one, who was far away from home and no soft and tender female hand to make smooth his dying pillow.
     She became an enthusiast and really was a local army nurse until the close of the war when she again took up the occupation of teaching which she had never entirely dropped and spent at least forty years in this work. Yet interspersed with it she found time to become a leader of temperance work, of Sunday School work and after the organization of the G.A.R. Posts, of Women's Relief Corps work. She was President of the Relief Corps here auxillary [sic] to Cadet Post G.A.R. many times, met with other posts throughout the county and while yet a comparatively young woman had achieved a reputation among the military organizations of the G.A.R. all over Ohio. She became the Department President of the W.R.C. of the State and was Chaplain of the National organization when she died, a position she had held for several years and if her health had continued good would no doubt have been elected National President. She had become so well known by her beautiful, charming and eloquent addresses all over many states that she never put in appearance without receiving the greatest applause. She was indeed a beautiful speaker. Thoroughly enthused with her topic she sometimes talked almost as one inspired and her audience would go wild in their applause.
     "No Decoration Day came around that Miss Maxon was not looked for. Always with a well trained corps of little girls she put in the day in the most sacred way scattering floral tributes among their graves, and lifting high their voices in sweet songs of praise."
     Miss Maxon had faults, perhaps, but her noble character and charming talents obscured them entirely from the sight of those who knew her. Her career is ended, but few of us will have it said of us as it can be said truthfully of her that our entire life was spent in uplifting and bettering the conditions of those surrounding us.
     It is like gold to dross to compare these attributes of character with those who leave behind nothing but great wealth. The poor and needy, the sick and suffering, found in her a friend. Every noble cause found in her an advocate and one of forceful power. She has gone to her reward. Certainly she did not receive it here. It must be somewhere in God's kingdom for her. Surely some godly angel stands, ready to place upon her head a crown of glory as enduring as time.

[Note: This was previously typed by someone from the obituary or it is the typewritten manuscript copy for the paper. It has Ann Simmerman's handwritten note on it with a date of birth October 15, 1841 and "born in brick at corner of State and Second Ave. Died in house." From death certificate: mother Eliza Rodgers.]

Simmerman files, Maxon file, Bossard Library
Transcribed by Lynn Anders