Miss Sylvania Ruth Hartley dies in St. Joseph

Ensworth Hospital and College in St. Joseph, Missouri, postcard circa 1909; image taken from https://www.cardcow.com/387804/ensworth-hospital-college-st-joseph-missouri/

I finally found out what happened to my 1st cousin 3x removed, Sylvania Ruth Hartley (1866-1901).  Until now I only knew her death date and where she was buried (back in Iowa where she was from), and that she had just been counted a year before in the 1900 Census as a nurse at Ensworth Hospital.

I have been diagnosed with Alport Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that can lead to kidney failure (and I am on dialysis), so when I find a relative dying of nephritis or Bright's disease (the usual diagnosis for any kidney failure in the past) my ears prick up.  There is another cousin on the Hartley side who died young of kidney failure.  Maybe it is from my Hartley and related side?



from Newspapers.com
St. Joseph Gazette-Herald (St. Joseph, Missouri)
Sat, 20 Apr 1901
page 5, col 2-3

Miss Sylvania Ruth Hartley.

 Miss Sylvania Ruth Hartley, thirty-four years old, died at 10:30 o'clock last night at the Ensworth Deaconness hospital, where she was a nurse, of acute nephritis.  She was taken with a chill on Sunday but her condition was not thought to be dangerous until yesterday when she became much worse. Physicians and nurses worked with her from early morning, but they could no nothing for her.  Telegrams announcing her illness and later a message announcing her death were sent to her father at Marcus, Iowa, and he is expected to arrive in St. Joseph today.  The body will probably be taken to Iowa for burial.

Miss Hartley was one of the most popular nurses at the hospital.  She entered as a deaconness nurse, December 20, 1899, and was one of the senior nurses this year.  Those patients who were under her care had only words of love and parise[sic] for Miss Hartley.  She had consecrated her life to the work in which she was known for such a short time.  She was a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church of this city, and was active in church work.  No preparations have yet been made for the removal of the body which will remain at the hospital until her father is heard from.

If only they had dialysis back then!  She may have been able to lead a relatively normal life, but instead she died young.



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