Ida (McBride) Speaker
Prior to December 1881
Contributed by George Burgess
The Tragic Death of
Ida Speaker and Her Children
Christmas 1881
Hillsgrove
Pennsylvania
Ida (McBride) Speaker
Prior to December 1881
Contributed by George Burgess
Sullivan Review
Dushore, PA
December 29, 1881
On Saturday evening last, as Lyman B. Speaker and family consisting of his mother, wife, a son about 14 years of age, a child of 5 years and a hired girl, were returning from the church where Christmas eve services had been held in connection with a Christmas tree, in crossing the Loyal Sock creek, the boat capsized from some cause, and the entire party were thrown into the creek, which at this place is quite deep, and the current rapid. Owing to the exertions of the party, Mrs. Sarah Speaker, Mr. Speaker and the hired girl were saved, but Mrs. Speaker and the two children were drowned. The bodies of the children were found soon after, near where the accident occurred, but the body of Mrs. Speaker was not found until Sunday afternoon, and was some distance down the creek. Mrs. Speaker was a woman of rare accomplishments, hospitable, entertaining, and always interested in the welfare of those near her. John, the eldest child, we remember as a bright, intelligent studious school boy, who carried with him an air of manliness seldom met with in a boy of his age. This blow falls with great severity upon the kind husband and father, who is thus bereft in a single hour of an estimable wife and two dear children. The heartfelt sympathy of all is extended to him in this hour of affliction.
A few weeks later, the Sullivan Review corrected its original story and provided some additional information.
Sullivan ReviewWe have learned since our last issue that the children of Mr. and Mrs. SPEAKER, of Hillsgrove, who were
drowned with their mother on Christmas Eve., were aged respectively five years, and eight months instead of
five years and fourteen years. The eldest son, John, had returned sooner than the party who were in the boat
when it upset and he, hearing their cries for help, loosened another boat, and with great presence of mind
succeeded in rescuing his grandmother who was clinging to the overturned boat.
Forksville - A large number of our people attended the funeral at Hillsgrove on Wednesday. It was one of the
saddest scenes we were ever called upon to witness. Judge BEDFORD preached a very able and appropriate
discourse from the words "The Lord hath been our dwelling place in all generations &c." Mr. SPEAKER has
the sympathy of all.
In these few sentences, we learn of a tragedy that has lived down the years in the memories of the Speaker family descendants. At the same time, the tragic events of Christmas Eve, 1881, remind us of the fragility and risk of life in rural Sullivan County in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.
George Burgess, who furnished the pictures for this page and the accompanying letter, states:
I first heard about the Speaker drowning in 1972 from my maternal grandparents, as we went through the old Bryan photo album to identify the people and label the pictures. About fourteen years later, I was quite excited to find the Speaker tragedy mentioned in an 1882 letter from my paternal great-grandfather to his wife.
Here is the actual letter, and a transcription, from William Burgess to his wife Sarah, written in early 1882:
Letter from William Burgess to Wife Sarah
Relating Details of Speaker Family Funeral
January 1, 1882
Contributed by George Burgess
Hillsgrove,
Jan 1st 1882
Dear Sarah:
I am working for $2.00 per day but cannot tell how long I will stay. The hills and roads are bad although I
think I could stand that. But they want a team to doo to much. The Company talks of cutting down wages on
the beamhands tomorrow.
Mrs. Speeker and her two children were burried last Wednesday. They were all burried in one grave and Mrs.
Speeker and her youngest child were put in one coffin. One of Nathaniel's horses is sick. Nathaniel is driving
his team him self. Henry is working in the woods. He gets $1.00 per day and board. Kiss the baby for me.
Hoping that you are all well. I will close.
Direct your letters to:
Hillsgrove
Sull. Co.
Pa.
Yours truly
Wm Burgess
I wish to hear from you soon.
The Speaker pictures presented here are from the family photo album of George Washington Bryan. Carl and Joanna Bryan Rightmire told George Burgess in 1972:
The Speakers lived where Frances McCarty now lives. The Speakers were good friends of the Browns and Bryans. Mrs. Speaker and two of their children drowned in the Loyalsock in high water when their hired girl rocked the boat. At that time (December 1881), the iron bridge at Hillsgrove was not there, and the Speakers were crossing the "Big Sock" in a rowboat. They were returning from the Hillsgrove Church where there had been a Christmas entertainment. One of the children was buried in the coffin with his mother.
The family involved in this tragedy was that of Lyman and Ida (McBride) Speaker. Lyman was the son of John A. and Sarah Speaker of the Plunkett area of Hillsgrove. In the 1860 census, John and Sarah are shown as 54 and 46 years old, respectively, and with one son, Lyman, age 21. John A. Speaker was a well-known judge and one of the early forces for development in western Sullivan County. In the 1870 census, the father, John A., has apparently died and the widow, Sarah, is living next door to her son Lyman and his wife Ida, ages 31 and 26, respectively, and their child, also named John A. Speaker, age one year. Therefore, in late 1881, Lyman would have been 42 years of age and his wife, Ida, 37. The son John was 11 years old and there would have been at least two other younger children, ages five and eight months. From the story above, the son John must have been responsbile for saving the life of his grandmother Sarah and perhaps others. It is hard to imagine the terror and confusion of the upset boat in the ciy waters of the Loyalsock, at night, far removed from any other assistance.
Gail Oleson also has a family recollection of the terrible events of Christmas Eve in 1881. In Gail's words:
I have a newspaper article given to me long ago by my great-great aunt Mazie Reed, daughter of John Speaker. There are some
inaccuracies, but it is a heartfelt account of the drowning of Ida Speaker
and her children.
The information I have about the Speakers is the following: Lyman Speaker
and Ida McBride had seven children. Three children died prior to 1881,
presumably from childhood illnesses (Trevor 1864?-9/17/1865, Fanny
1865?-9/27/1865, Harry Ron 8/16/1866-6/10/1869).
John Andrew Speaker was born in 1869, so he would have been twelve years old at the time of
the accident. The two children drowned with their mother were: Fred (1876-12/24/1881) and
Raymond Boyd Speaker (1881-12/24/1881). There was one more surviving son, George,
but I'm not sure of his birthdate.
Thank you for featuring this story. Life sure was hard for folks back then.
Gail also sent a copy of a 1949 Williamsport, PA Sun-Gazette newspaper article that reads as follows:
Hillsgrove. Even today, three score and eight years after the tragedy, a cloud of gloom is apparent over this Sullivan County community every Christmas season.
Because of his great interest and knowledge of historic events in the Loyalsock area, the Sun-Gazette asked C. Arthur Tomlinson, of Loyalsockville, to relate the "Yuletide Tragedy".
Recalls Old Story
Following is Mr. Tomlinson's story:
The time was Christmastide and the year was 1881. Hard by the bank of Loyalsock Creek, along the public highway stood the modest home of Lyman Speaker, a justice of the peace for Hillsgrove Township, County of Sullivan. On the west bank of the Loyalsock, opposite the Speaker home, was the tannery town of Hillsgrove, their nearest social and shopping center.
The Speaker family was known far and near for its kind hospitality. This home much resembled an inn, of the pioneer days, where all comers were made welcome. Weary travelers, fishermen, hunters and wayfarers found repose and comfort in this house. Their friends were legion and a household of visitors was very common.
With the Christmas spirit within their hearts they were at peace in their home. It was decided that on Christmas Eve the members of the household would attend a Christmas celebration, at Hillsgrove. A mile below the Speaker home was a covered bridge which spanned the Loyalsock and led on to the village of Hillsgrove. Instead of driving the long way around over the highway it was decided to cross the stream by row boat. They had no idea that the decision to go by boat would bring tragedy to their home which henceforth would cast its shadow over all members of the party.
The journey to the village was made by boat without mishap and all members of the party joined in the Christmas festivities. They were the sharers of the Christmas spirit, which comes to us all on this day of Peace on Earth, and good will toward men. How beautiful was life and how far off seemed death.
The party, as I recall hearing, consisted of Grandmother Speaker, a widow and mother of the head of the household, Lyman Speaker and his son John, then a young man who lived his life and reared his family at the Speaker homestead, Mrs. Lyman Speaker and her child in arms and the housemaid, unknown to me by name, were the others in the party.
Boat Capsizes
As I remember the story as told to me many times by my mother, on the return trip late at night or early morning, the party again embarked in the row boat and shoved off. The hired girl or housemaid, as the boat sank lower in the water became excited, stood up, screamed and rocked the boat which capsized promptly and catapulted all of the occupants into the icy waters. Lyman Speaker and son, John, by heroic efforts were able to save Grandmother Speaker and the housemaid. In spite of their frantic efforts they were unable to save Mrs. Lyman Speaker and her small child.
On this same Christmas in the year 1881, the author of this article was born in the village of Proctor, also a tannery town, six miles to the south of the village of Hillsgrove. This tragedy happening under the circumstances made a lasting impression on my mother who years later at our request would recite the story to us children again and again.
During the Yuletide season, I can not escape recalling this happening. The part of the narrative which made our eyes moist was the picture of the little child in death, tightly grasping in hand a tiny horn, a gift from Santa Claus. This tragedy, I was told, cast a gloom over the entire community. The heartfelt sympathy of the friends and acquaintances of this fine, hospitable family extended far beyond the confines of their abode.
The late John Speaker carried on the tradition of the Speaker family, and resided in the homestead and reared his family at this sacred spot. Now for the first time in generations the home is occupied by a stranger.
Lyman Speaker
Husband and Father of the Drowning Victims
Apparently Taken At Same Time as Wife's Photo
Before December 1881
Contributed by George Burgess
We actually have three pictures of Speaker infants, but we do not know which are which nor which of these children were among the drowning victims. All we do know is that at least two of these young ones fell into the cold waters of the Loyalsock on Christmas Eve and drowned.
The Speaker Children
Taken Before December 1881
Contributed by George Burgess
John Andrew Speaker
Son of Lyman and Ida Speaker
Grandson of Judge John A. Speaker
Contributed by Gail Oleson
Copy of an original photo
owned by our contributor's great-great Aunt Mazie Reed, daughter of this John A.
Speaker
Lyman Speaker continued to serve the community of Hillsgrove after the tragedy that befell his family, serving among other capacities as a Justice of the Peace. Frank May has generously contributed a picture of the marriage license for his grandparnets, Watson May and Elvira Moyer. They were united in marriage on December 18, 1904 at Hillsgrove by none other than Lyman B. Speaker, JP, whose signature appears on the document shown here.
Watson May and Elvira Moyer
Marriage License Signed by Lyman B. Speaker, JP
Contributed by Frank May, grandson of the marriage couple
The Sullivan County Genealogical Web Page is grateful to George Burgess, Gail Oleson and Frank May for their personally moving historical contribution to the understanding of life for our ancestors 120 years ago in Sullivan County. You can reach our contributors at George Burgess, Gail Oleson, and Frank May.
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