[I am transcribing from a photocopy of a typewritten transcription, not the original article.  The transcriber indicates part of the page was "too dim" to read, suggesting they were working from a microfilm copy of the newspaper.  Photocopy supplied by Betty Ann (Matthiesen) Cogliati, who got it from Myra (Davis) Dipple, who got it from Winifred (Thompson) Ranford.  If you have a readable photocopy, I would very much appreciate a better copy.  Note that "Rieunague" is Nicaragua.]

Mary A. Thompson Spickard, born Feb. 10, 1829, Boone Co., Missouri, and in 1838 moved to Grundy Co. with her parents, Rev. and Mrs. Thomas Thompson.  They settled on a place for a home which is now called the Austin Farm.  Oscar Austin now lives there.  Mary A. died Sat. Jan. 28 at 1:10 A.M. at home of her daughter, Mrs. Maggie Hutton.  Funeral held in home Sunday at 10 o'clock by Rev. J. Padget.  She was 81 years, 11 months and 14 days old.  She married Alexander Ervin Feb. 1, 1844, left a widow with one child, Delilah, moved with her parents, Thomas Thompson, to California, 1849.  Journey by ox teams taking six somths to make trip.  She was married to George A. Spickard, Oct. 13, 1851.  In 1854 they left California for Missouri via the Rieunague [?] route, all the way by water [too dim to read, line ends with July 4] they returned to Missouri.  Settled on wild land which is now known as the old farm or Spickard estate -- west of the town of Spickard.  She is the mother of 7 boys and 5 girls, 2 died in infancy, and 2, Fannie and Frank died and left families, the other children with the exception of Ed Spickard, who lives in Lawton, Oklahoma, were present at the funeral.  She was the Grandmother -- 43 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. Her mother and grandmother's graves are on the old Austin farm.  Her father was a Christian preacher and at the age of 13 she joined the Church, under her father's preaching and was baptized in Grand River at the Old Bradley Mill. 

Family Group Sheet of George Alexander SPICKARD & Mary Ann THOMPSON