Maria Burrows Thomazin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Burrows, was born at Fairview, Illinois, November 20, 1857, and passed away on Mother's Day, May 13, 1951, at the age of 93 years, 5 months and 23 days. The youngest member of an early pioneer family, she came to Platte County, Nebraska, at the age of twelve years, with her parents and eight brothers and sisters, in the covered wagon era, and located in the Shell Creek Valley.
She often recalled in later years the experiences with the Indians, the prairie fires and the hardships endured, also the lasting friendships and the helpful neighbors of those early days. Burrows Township in Platte County was named after the Burrows family.
On January 25, 1874, she was married at Columbus, Nebraska, to George Thomazin, also a member of an early pioneer family. Her husband passed away in 1901. The mother of ten children, she is survived by four sons and two daughters. Two sons and one daughter passed away in infancy and the eldest daughter, Mrs. Mary Vollmar, passed away in 1942.
The surviving children are George of St. Edward; James of Kansas City; Thomas of Genoa; Robert of Grinell, Iowa; Mrs. T.S. Hoare (Fannie) of Seneca, Missouri; and Mrs. Alvin E. Johnson (Ethel) of Balaton, Minnesota. There are thirty-two grandchildren, fifty-five great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren.
Services were held at the Miller Funeral home Wednesday afternoon at 1:30. Rev. Gustavson had charge of the services. Maureen Matzen and Don Andreason sang, "Nearer My God to Thee" and "Beyond the Sunset". Mrs. Herman Wieland accompanied them. Pallbearers were Leonard, Glenn, Wilber and Delwyn Thomazin, Waldo Iverson and Alonzo Paige. Interment was at the Burrows cemetery.