Obituary for Celona Hamilton Pickering

Mrs. Celona WEAVER PICKERING, widow of the late Major I.O. PICKERING died at 8 o'clock on Thursday at the home of her oldest daughter, Mrs. L.W. SHEPP, where she had been ill for 8 weeks.
Funeral services were held at the home and burial was in Olathe Cemetery.
Celona Hamilton WEAVER was the eldest daughter in the family of the late Mr. and Mrs. John T. WEAVER of Brookville, KY. In a very early day the two brothers of Mrs. WEAVER came to Kansas to Johnson County, and pre-empted Farms at old Lanesfield near Edgerton. The letters that followed gave glowing accounts of the new county in Kansas, so it was not long after the WEAVERs started west and with them their 12 year old daughter, Celona.
From Brooksville, KY they took the Ohio River, came down it in a steam boat, then they transferred to the Missouri River, continues their trip until they arrived at Westport Landing, now Kansas City, where they stopped for the night at the old Harris house in Westport. They hired a livery rig there, and were driven out to their relatives at Lanesfield.
Then the father farmed for a couple of years, moved into Olathe, where he built a big house at the corner of Chestnut and Louis, out of lumber bought from a lumber yard at Kansas City where Harzfield's Parisian is still standing.
Mr. WEAVER then built the original Avenue Hotel, and was "Mine Host". In an early day, Mr. WEAVER, during war times did sentry duty as a member in the Home Guards, and it was a familiar sight to see his young daughter, "Lone", walking with him, hand in hand, on his rounds.
Major I.O. PICKERING came from the east to Johnson County before the was, and at the outbreak of the civil War, he joined the 9th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, and was its First Lt coming out as service as Major. He was 19 years old when he joined the army and was always on the Colonel's staff. His service covered four years.
At the conclusion of the war, he came back home to Olathe and on July 16, 1866, he was united in marriage to Miss WEAVER. Miss WEAVER had obtained a law degree from Baker University but never sat for the bar.
Children were: Mrs. L.W. SHEPP, Fred S. PICKERING and Mrs. J, All Evans, Mrs. Fannie BOWERSOCK lives in New York City, George PICKERING in Denver, and Harold in Salt Lake City. Grandchildren are: Mrs. J.H. HERSHEY of Independence, KS; John Howard SNEPP of Olathe; Mre. H.H. KOONTZ of Freemont, Nebraska; Phil PICKERING of Denver; Ben and John PICKERING of Olathe. great Grandchildren are Betty and John H. HERSHEY, Jan KOONTZ and Constance SNEPP.
Her sisters, Mrs. Amy SPRAGUE lives in Kansas City. Her only brother, "Uncle Dick" WEAVER died several months before her. Her husband, the late Major I.O. PICKERING died two years before her on May 6th.
More info on her character and being head of the family. Obit in local paper 3-19-1925 can be obtained through the Kansas County Library in Shawnee, KS.