William Hurst

William S. Hurst, son of John and Winny Hurst, was born May 1829 in Lewis County, (West) Virginia, and died July 31, 1855 in Lewis County. He married Mary Osburn November 11, 1852 in Lewis County, (West) Virginia, daughter of Joseph (II) Osburn and Mariah Means. She was born April 17, 1834 in Harrison County, (West) Virginia, and died December 24, 1919 in Memphis, Scotland County, Missouri. Buried Memphis Cemetery. Her stone says incorrectly that she died in 1920.

Mary and William Hurst had two daughters, Harriet and Florence, before William's untimely death. Mary and her second husband "Wash" Alexander moved to Missouri after the Civil War, joining Wash's older brother Jesse Denny Alexander. Family members said that when Mary and Wash moved west, they left Harriet and Florence with their Hurst relatives. Mary's brother, Marsh Osburn, helped the family get settled in their new home, then returned to West Virginia to get the two girls and bring them to join the rest of the family in Missouri.

Children of William Hurst and Mary Osburn are:

i. Harriet Lucinda Hurst, born October 28, 1853 in Lewis County, (West) Virginia; died April 15, 1935 in near Mount Sterling, Van Buren County, Iowa of apoplexy (stroke). Buried at Memphis Cemetery, Memphis, Missouri April 18, 1935. She married Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Sheets May 8, 1870 in Luray, Missouri,

ii. Florence Hurst, born May 17, 1855 in Lewis County, West Virginia; died April 15, 1936 in Van Buren County, Iowa burned to death in house fire. Buried at Harness Cemetery, Mount Sterling, Van Buren County, Iowa. She died in a house fire. Buried at Harness Cemetery, Mount Sterling, Van Buren County, Iowa. She married John W. Donaho October 1, 1873 in Clark County, Missouri. He was born June 24, 1846, and died November 26, 1909 in Des Moines Twp., Van Buren County, Iowa from an accidental gunshot wound while hunting.  He is also buried at Harness Cemetery.
	Marsh Osburn and his niece Florence Hurst Donaho
We find several names conected with this woman - Armeda, Amanda and Ellen - sometimes as first name and sometimes as middle name. She was known as Florence. Florence was an invalid at the time she died. She had told the people she was living with that the house was on fire, but they found nothing and went out to chore. The house, about one-half mile southwest of Mount Sterling, really was on fire. Florence couldn't get out and died in the fire. Her body was found near a window.
	John and Florence Hurst Donaho

Children of John Donaho and Florence Hurst are:

i. William Clark Donaho, born February 22, 1874 in Van Buren County, Iowa; died February 4, 1930 in Ozark Sanatorium, Hot Springs, Arkansas. He married Nell Unknown. He was ill for more than a year before his death and spent a major part of that time in and out of hospitals, a part of the time in Omaha, then Des Moines, and the last two months in the Ozark Sanatorium. He was first elected  about 1900 as assessor in his home township and held that office for several years, and then was elected deputy county auditor, and  later elected county auditor. He held that office for two terms. After leaving the county auditor's office,  he was in the real estate and loan business in Keosauqua, Iowa. He was the local representative of the Chicago Joint Stock Land Bank for southeastern Iowa for more than 10 years. He was a member of the Methodist church of Keosauqua, Iowa, and was a member of Lodge No. 10 A.F. and A.M. of Keosauqua, Iowa. Survivors included his mother, Florence Donaho of Mount Sterling, and two sisters, Mrs. Zella Weller of Manitoba , Canada, and Mrs. Lizzie Roby of Milton, Iowa, and one brother, John E. Donaho of Milton, Iowa.  One of Mr. Donaho's chief pleasures was to help a friend in need; and he has many a good deed to his credit. Funeral services were held on Saturday afternoon at the M.E. church in Keosauqua, Rev. J. C. Caughlan of Milton delivering the address, Rev. M. D. Cox assisting in the service, and the music by a male quarter, William and Wayne Davidson, [Ora] Williams and Walter Beer and a duet by Rev. and Mrs. Caughlan, burial at Mount Sterling (Harness) cemetery.

ii. John Elmer Donaho, born 1879; died 1969, married Elmira Bertha Thomas. She was born 1882, and died 1965. John lived in Milton, Iowa many years and built many houses and farm buildings. He had a shop in Milton in later years, where he sharpened lawn mowers and saws and did carpenter jobs. He built the barn on the east side of the road at the old Emery Alexander place east of Cantril, Iowa. He also built the house at Roy Alexander's farm south west of Mount Sterling, Iowa. Children of John Donaho and Elmira Thomas are Mildred Irene Donaho, married (1) Vern Hassler, married (2) Dewey Oman and married (3) Andrew Nerheim; May Pauline Donaho, married (1) Archie Wheaton, married (2) Howard Nerheim; Mary Allene Donaho, married Paul McVey; Everett Preston Donaho, died August 1982, married Alice Oman; Elmer Thomas Donaho, died a child; Velma Beryle Donaho, died 1991 in Denver, Colorado. She married William Leslie Dye; Willard Orin Donaho, born 1905; died July 1982, married Jewell L. McVey; born 1913.

iii. Zora Dell Donaho, born May 14, 1886 in Mount Sterling, Van Buren County, Iowa; murdered May 31, 1902 in Cantril, Van Buren County, Iowa, buried at Harness Cemetery, Mount Sterling, Iowa. (Her death record gives her middle name as Bell). Zora was murdered at age16 at the city park in Cantril, Iowa, during a Memorial Day celebration. Earlier in the day, Zora, along with friends from Mount Sterling, had presented a flower drill. Edward Hale, a man who worked for her father, walked past Zora and her friends, then abruptly turned, put his arm around Zora's friend Rhoda Bennet, pressed a .32 caliber Smith and Wesson 5-shot revolver to Zora's breast and shot her in the heart. She died instantly. Hale then ran a few feet held the gun with both hands, pressed it to his forehead and pulled the trigger. The force of the shot knocked him backwards and he fell several feet from where he had stood, but was only slightly wounded. An inquest was held that afternoon. Rumors of a lynching caused the sheriff to transport Hale to the prison in Fort Madison for safekeeping until his trial. (Yesterday Remembered by Ralph Arnold, Page2, Van Buren County Register, May 25, 1989). His apparent reason for the shooting was because he had romantic notions about the teen and she had rebuffed him.

iv. Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" Donaho, born August 2, 1888 in Mount Sterling, Van Buren County, Iowa, married Estel Roby. Children of Mary Donaho and Estel Roby are Joe Roby; Hazel Roby; William Carl Roby, born July 23, 1900 in Stockport, Van Buren County, Iowa; died May 18, 1978 in Bloomfield, Davis County, Iowa. He married Wilma Jean Vanderlinden June 29, 1927 in Fairfield, Jefferson County, Iowa.

v. Zella Mae Donaho, married Edgar Weller. Children of Zella Donaho and Edgar Weller are Kenneth Weller, . Donald Weller and Betty Weller.