MARTHA JANE RATLIFF Born: September 21, 1837 NEW BOSTON, MERCER, IL married: March 21, 1861 Henry County Iowa Died: August 31, 1882 SALEM, HENRY, IA buried: SALEM SOUTH CEMETERY, SALEM, HENRY COUNTY,IA Father: EPHRAIM BRANSON RATCLIFFE Mother: ANNA SMALL.

Ephraim Branson Ratcliffe, Martha Jane's father had a store in the village. In the fall of 1839 six weeks after the birth of their first child, Martha, they again climbed into the covered wagon and came on to Henry County, Iowa. They spent their first winter in Salem, but "when spring opened up" they moved into a cabin near the farm they later bought.

Martha Jane Ratliff married Alonzo Mosher March 21, 1861. From this union ten children were born. The include, Ephraim Ratliff Mosher, Anna Small Mosher, Elizabeth Wood Mosher, Ruth Letitia Mosher, Maria Jane Mosher, James Jonathan Mosher, Amos Martin Mosher, Eva Emmaline Mosher, Clara Ada Mosher, and Mary Martha Mosher. Martha Jane Ratliff Mosher died August 31, 1882 when her last child, Mary Martha was only 15 months old.

In 1865 they were living on the farm owned by the heirs of Robert Price whose wife was an aunt of Martha. Price died in 1839 before the house was completed. It contained three rooms and a lean-to kitchen on the north. The upstairs was one room. In the west room, which was about twice as wide as the east, was the fireplace. Later it was removed. Two chimneys were built, one in each end of the upstairs room. The stovepipes were through the ceiling and into the chimneys about forty inches above the floor. The ceilings of the downstairs rooms were the floor of the upstairs and was whitewashed as were the walls. The joists are logs, with on side hewn flat, the bark still on some. Laid on the ground, the studding is hand-hewn poles.

In 1869 Alonzo bought 82 1/2 acres of Price farm for $1924. He later bought 80 more acres. In 1874 Alonzo, Martha and
seven children transferred their church membership to New Garden Monthly Meeting. The family were members of the
Pilot Grove Monthly Meeting of which Martha was an elder when she died in 1882.