The Payette Independent
Friday, July 20, 1906
DEATH OF MRS. ANNA B. PENCE
Pioneer Woman of Southern Idaho Passes
Away at Her Home in Payette
Mrs. Anna B. Pence, wife of Peter Pence of this city, died at the family home in Payette Wednesday morning, July 18, 1906, shortly before 1 o'clock, at the age of 51 years. Her death marks the close of an eventful life and the passing of one of the earliest pioneer women of southern Idaho, who was closely identified with the early history of this region which she saw develop from a dreary wilderness into the prosperous commonwealth it is today.
Anna B. Pence was born in Missouri, May 4, 1855. With her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Seth Bixby, and other children, she later went to Brownsville, Neb., and from that place the family started westward across the plains in May, 1862. After a four months' trip, fraught with perils and filled with many and varied experiences, they arrived at Auburn, a little mining camp in Baker county, Ore., 16 miles south of where Baker City now stands. There the family spent the winter and in the spring of 1863 they went to the Boise Basin, settling in Idaho City in the fall of that year.
Several years ago in a paper read at a Methodist social in this city, Mrs. Pence gave an interesting account of her trip across the plains, telling of hardships and dangers endured and of the happiness of the family during the winter they spent in Baker county after their hazardous journey. Speaking in this paper of the attacks by Indians on the wagon train with which the Bixby family traveled, Mrs. Pence said:
"Our train was attacked several times by the "Noble Red Man." One night our train, consisting of 109 wagons, was attacked about sundown and one man killed. That night the wagons were corralled and all the stock put inside of this corral and guarded and every one was prepared to fight. My father was sick at the time
and not able to get out of the wagon, and as I think of it now, I can see him sitting in the front of the wagon, wrapped in blankets, with his pistol in his hand ready to fight for mother and us children. My mother had taken her two feather beds and put one upon each side of the wagon as we were told that a bullet would not penetrate feathers. She and we little ones were put there for safety, and we children were soon sleeping soundly. About day-break they made a second attack, no one was killed but one man wounded. There were two spokes shot out of our wagon wheels, I've often thought since having children of my own, what father and mother must have suffered that one night, with a family of helpless children at the mercy of the Indians. After the excitement of this scare was over our train divided as we came to the junction of the California and Oregon roads. The most of our party took the California route and we afterward learned that they were all massacred by the Indians. Our party which consisted of only a few wagons, fortunately took the Oregon route."
From that portion of the article dealing with the arrival of the Bixby family in the Boise Basin, the following interesting paragraph is taken:
"In the spring of 1863 we moved into the Boise Basin, and as we were the first children in that camp the miners used to gather 'round our camp in crowds, and I can remember that some of those men shed tears over the sight of children. Where the capitol of our state now stands there was one log cabin, partly built at that time."
The family went to Boise in 1864 where the deceased attended school. Her later education was received at Salem college at Salem, Oregon. She was married to Peter Pence, one of the oldest pioneers of this section, October 6, 1872, and was the mother of nine children, six of who survive her, as follows: Mrs. Belle Satoris, of Payette, Edward C., living on Big Willow creek, A. Loyd of Payette, Harry B., Walter G., and the youngest, Grace, who was the first girl baby born in the city of Payette.
For a number of years after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Pence made their home on Big Willow creek, east of Payette, where Mr. Pence was engaged in the cattle business. At this time the Indians were committing many depredations, and the mother was many times forced to take shelter in the sage brush and grain at nights to avoid the marauding redskins, while the father was away looking after his cattle or assisting his pioneer comrades in subduing the enemy.
From Big Willow Creek Mr. and Mrs. Pence, with their children, came to Payette, then in its infancy, and this place has been their home for nearly a quarter if a century. A few years ago they built the beautiful home where Mrs. Pence passed away.
Mrs. Pence had been a sufferer from dropsy for some time, complicated with heart trouble. Monday she suffered a stroke of paralysis which proved fatal. All of the children were in the city when the end came with the exception of two of her sons, Loyd and Harry. When a stroke of paralysis came the former was at Blue Point, at the head of the south fork of the Salmon river, and the latter in the mountains 10 miles east of Lardo, on the Payette lake. Both were notified by messengers and after hurried rides reached the city in time to see their mother laid to rest in Riverside cemetery last evening.
Funeral services were conducted yesterday evening at the family residence by Mrs. Dunford of Boise. It had been expected that Judge J. H. Richards of Boise would be present to assist in the services but he as unable to attend. At the grave the beautiful ritualistic services of the Order of Eastern Star were conducted by Lorraine Chapter of this city, of which the deceased was past worthy matron.
A large number of the friends of the deceased followed the remains to their last resting place in Riverside cemetery, testifying by their silent sympathy to the sorrowing relatives the love and respect in which the deceased was held in this community where she lived so long and was known so well.
Relatives from other points who attended the funeral were Gilbert Bixby of Wallace, Ida., and Asa Bixby of Middleton, Ida., brothers of the deceased, the latter having been accompanied by his wife; Mrs. T. B. Roberts of Caldwell, sister of the deceased, accompanied by her daughters; J. C. Pence and daughter, Miss Ruth Pence, of Boise, and Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Wilson of Boise.
