Henrietta MARKS JONAS

Mar 24, 1859 - Dec 25, 1929

MRS. S. JONAS, FRIEND OF THE POOR, IS DEAD

Charity Leader Dies Late Christmas Day In Home Here

As darkness settled over Kirksville homes on the day which she had always sought to make happy for poverty-stricken persons, Mrs. Henrietta Jonas, 70 years old, secretary of the Kirksville Board of Associated Charities, died in her home at 502 North Elson street, after a valiant struggle against heart trouble and complications for the past ten months. The end came at 5:45 o'clock Christmas Day.

Funeral services will be held at the home tomorrow morning at 10:30 o'clock conducted by the Rev. Isaac Yates, and the body will be taken to Chillicothe for burial beside her husband. The body is now in the family residence.

Mrs. Jonas was born March 24, 1859, in Chicago. She was married to Sig Jonas April 25, 1876, and to this union three children were born, the first dying while yet a small child. Those surviving are a daughter, Mrs. Ola Jonas Wolf, and a son, Harry Jonas, both of Kirksville. A sister, Mrs. Mamie Lowenstein, lives at Chillicothe. Mr. Jonas died June 18, 1908.

The aged woman had long ago dedicated her life to the amelioration of human suffering. For 25 years she has been prominent in charitable work here, becoming associated with Mrs. C. V. Miller 16 years ago in the benevolence for which they are well known together. Even during her sickness she often asked about the unfortunates to whom she had ministered and affirmed that she wished to remain with the Board of Charities as long as life was within her body. She was a charter member of the Sojourners Club.

Mrs. Jonas had lived in Kirksville 53 years.

As secretary of the Kirksville Board of Associated Charities, Mrs. Jonas was the guiding light of enterprises to aid the socially incompetent here.

In a recent interview she exclaimed, "Those children can't be allowed to freeze and starve; those old people can't be left alone to die in misery."

With that thought as an impelling force, she and Mrs. C. V. Miller, president of the board, have devoted their time and energy for the past 16 years to the tremendous task of alleviating misery of poverty-stricken families.

And what a job they had.

After buying coal, distributing food, and providing clothing, sometimes their only pay was a rebuke.

A year ago a family living here was suddenly reduced to desperation when the father was thrown out of work. He appeared at Mrs. Jonas' door and declared: "I just don't know what to do. We do not have a cent of money to get back to Kansas City. My wife isn't feeling well . . .and I don't know what the best thing to do would be to end it all."

"No, no—not that—it seems to me the thing for you to do is to get that family back to Kansas City where you are known and can get work. You must go on," advised Mrs. Jonas. "The board will see that you get back."

The stranded family couldn't take all their belongings with them and Mrs. Jonas and Mrs. Miller agreed to ship them later. When they were packing the articles for shipment it was found that rain had beaten in the storeroom and damaged the articles and an old pair of overalls, two worn out sweaters and a coffee pot without a lid were kept out of the box to reduce shipping expenditures.

A note from the sick mother said: "You never put in my husband's overalls and sweater or the coffee pot. Please ship them."

The other articles were shipped and gratitude for the help was never expressed.

"Then again there are instances where the help is so greatly appreciated that the board takes pleasure in helping them. We raised funds to pay the $256 mortgage on the home of a woman who eked out a meager existence for herself and crippled daughter by washing. Everybody present cried when she was handed the papers. An old fellow, 78, who was dismissed from the county home because of an altercation with the keeper, and refused help from the county because of fear of setting a precedent that would influence other men in the home to seek aid and live outside the home, was helped by the board. In a little tin house west of town lives another old man and his son. They pay $1 a month rent and escape the county home through the summer, but the Associated Board of Charities gives them assistance through the winter. Eight years ago a white girl in Kirksville became the mother of negro twins. She died and the care of the children developed upon the grandmother. The grandfather was helpless so the board went to their aid."

Organized in December, 1900, by the Sojourners Club, with Mrs. Andrew Ellison, president, and Miss Belle Martin, secretary, the Board of Associated Charities has continued such a list of activities, spending more than $1,000 a year.

"Funds were always raised by solicitation to carry on the work," said the mother of that organization — her long services has entitled her to that title, "mother". "There are contributions of old clothing and food which come in to be distributed. The Palace Bakery has been exceedingly kind in giving us bread when they were overstocked — good bread, too — and it was distributed by the auto-load among families that were mighty glad to make a meal on bread alone.

"I know we have done good work. I won't say we haven't made mistakes, but we don't make as many as we did. We have become hardened to the sight of poverty. It used to be that I could not sleep at night — I'd see cold, barefoot children crouching around smoldering fires all through the night — but I became inured to it. I've resigned time and time again, but I've always gone back."

Kirksville Daily Express
Kirksville, Missouri
December 26, 1929

Spouse:
Sigmund Jonas (1849 - 1908)
Children:
Ola Jonas Reed (1879 - 1959)
Harry S. Jonas (1888 - 1965)

Photo contributed by Larry and Susan Olson lolson60@cableone.net

Contributed on 2/27/16 by hawkinsdonna48
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Record #: 788163

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