Henrietta (Nettie) E. Spink ²

From The Barry (IL) Adage Newspaper, Friday, Jan. 23, 1880, appears the obituary of Henrietta (Clark) Hitch):

"Died, in Griggsville, Ill., on Tuesday evening, Jan. 20th, 1880, of puerperal metritis, Henrietta E., wife of R. M. Hitch. On Friday morning last a large baby girl was born to Mrs. Hitch and everything seemed favorable until late Monday night, when evidences of inflammation became manifest. This steadily progressed, notwithstanding every effort to retard it, until Tuesday evening about 7 o'clock, when, after several hours of extreme suffering her spirit took its flight.

Mrs. Hitch was born in Barry, Dec. 19, 1851, where she lived until 1860. She was then adopted by her aunt, Mrs. E. G. Clark, of McLean, Ill., with whom she lived until 1873, when she was married to R. M. Hitch. She united with the Baptist church in McLean in 1869 and retained her membership there until she was married, when she joined, by letter, the Baptist church in Barry, of which she was a member at her death. During her residence in Griggsville, Mrs. Hitch has made many friends among all classes of our citizens, and the announcement of her sudden and untimely death cast a gloom over the entire community.

During her last illness Mrs. Hitch manifested a wonderful patience and was very hopeful that she would live to enjoy this ideal crown to her motherhood even to the last day, and only for a short time did she recognize the approaching end, and then the delirium and intense suffering came on, which remained with her to the last. Than this young wife and mother cut off in the early years of her motherhood when her cup of earthly joy seemed filled to the brim, having everything about her to make home happy and enjoyable, it seems as though the merciless reaper, death, could have gathered no richer harvest. While this broken-hearted husband whose happy home has been blighted, whose bright hopes of life have so rudely been dashed to earth; this father left alone with two helpless, motherless infants seems indeed to have drained to its bitterest dregs the deepest cup of woe.

Human sympathy and friendship fold these dear bereaved ones in tenderest arms; but stronger, and more able to sustain them in this hour of affliction, our Father above, in whom this departed friend and her husband put their trust, we know will never leave them nor forsake them."

Henrietta married Rufus McClain Hitch, son of Lewis* Hitch and Lucy Fitch, on 11 Sep 1873 in McLean Co., IL.¹ (Rufus McClain Hitch was born on 04 Apr 1852 in Beverly, Adams Co., IL,^{3 4 6 7 8 9 10} died on 25 May 1925 in Pike Co., IL ^{4 9 11 12} and was buried about 28 May 1925 in Old Barry Cemetery, Barry, Pike Co., IL ⁴.)