Mary Jane Vincent 1837-1927 - an Army widow & survivor

Mary Jane Vincent was the daughter of John Vincent and Mary Ann Addy – their family migrated to Michigan in 1850.  She was born in Colchester Co, NS and would marry twice.

She first married a military man by the name of Horace A Egbert, the son of Andrew W Egbert and Margaret Crandall out of Veterans, NY. 

He was a 1^st Lt for the Union in the 47th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry that were sent to Clarksburg, WV to report to General Rosecrans where it was divided into companies - Horace was assigned to Co I.  

In October of 1861, after heavy rains, a group was sent out to recon Fayette with orders to cross the Gauley River.  However, the materials needed to build a raft were on the opposite side.  Horace and 2 others volunteered to cross the river but were swept away in the waves at the mouth of the Meadow where the boat was swamped and carried over the falls.  Horace had enlisted in Jun of 1861 and died not knowing that his son John Vincent Egbert would die 2 years later at the age of 5.  Father and son were buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Monroe, MI.

By 1868, Mary's heart had healed and she had been won over by Andrew Forbes, a Scotsman who ran a livery business out of Sioux City, IA.  Andrew's obit outlines his life once he landed in California:

Sioux City Journal, 5 May 1888
FORBES - Died, at the home of his sister, Mrs Daniel Don, seventeen miles south of Sioux City, Saturday May 4, 1888, at 11 am of dropsy, Andrew Forbes, aged 64 years.

Mr Forbes was born in Scotland, leaving that country when 11 years of age for New York.  He remained there until 1849, when he went around Cape Horn to San Francisco.  He came to Sioux City from California in 1868, and engaged in the livery business.  He established a wide circle of friends here, and "Andy" Forbes for a number of years was one of the best known characters of the city.  He became interested in Colorado mining property, and left Sioux City in 1874 to take up his residence in Chicago, where he continued to reside until last September when he came back here.  In the meanwhile, he had made and lost a fortune, and he returned broken in health.  But he seemed to be improving until about six weeks ago, when he began growing worse.  Previous to his death, he had not lain in bed for eighteen months and the day before his death he measured fifty-three inches around the waist.  His son, A B Forbes, of this city, went out to see him on Friday, and left him Saturday morning at 9 o'clock believing him to be better, but two hours later he died suddenly.  He had just spoken to his brother-in-law, saying he had never felt better, when, with a gurgle in his throat, his head dropped back in his chair, and "Andy" Forbes was dead -- genial, generous "Andy" Forbes.

 Andrew is buried at the Floyd Cemetery in Sioux City.

Mary and Andrew had 3 children together, Don Francisco, George West and James - James was only found on the 1880 census in IA, perhaps he died young and is buried with his father.  Don and George married but neither had children.

Mary moved in with her son Don and died in Reno in 1927 outliving both husbands.

Reno Evening Gazette, Mon, 21 Mar 1927
FORBES - In Reno, March 21, 1927, Mary J Forbes, beloved mother of Don F Forbes of Reno and George W Forbes of Fallon.  A native of Nova Scotia, aged eighty nine years, eleven months.  Funeral services private.  Interment, Masonic Cemetery.

 Mary & Don are buried at the Masonic Cemetery while George was buried at the Churchill County Cemetery, all in Nevada.