| 1 |
- On Thanksgiving morning at 1:30 o'clock
one of the oldest men in our town passed
- from the earthly to the heavenly home.
Alvit [Wellington] CLARKE was born in Brookfield, N.Y.,
Jan. 11, 1804, and was accordingly nearly 94 years of age at
the time of his death. He came with his family to Wisconsin in
1856 spending the summer of that year in Walworth, and coming
to Milton in September. Since that time he has resided on the
farm where he died. He was the father of 12 children, four of
whom died in New York state, and the remaining eight came with
the father and mother to Wisconsin. The eldest of these, S. J.
CLARKE, was married in Brookfield and has lived in Milton,
since the coming of the family to this state. The others are
Franklin, living in Rhode Island; Alburtus and Wellington of
Milton, Henry P. of Brodhead; and William H. of Edgerton; and
two daughters, Emily who married Mr. Albert BARNHART and
died in 1892; and Lucy A., the wife of W. P. CLARKE of
Milton. All the living children with their families, except the
one living in Rhode Island, were present at the funeral, and
six grandsons tenderly bore the aged body to its final resting
place. Mrs. CLARKE died about eight years ago. Mr. CLARKE
was a man of srtrong convictions and deep feeling. For about
75 years he was a member of the Seventh-day Baptist church to
which he was devotedly attached. He retained his faculties remarkably
till almost the close. He was in the habit of keeping written
memoranda of important events in his own life or that of his
family, and also of his own thoughts upon theological and practical
subjects. Many of these memoranda are in poetry which show not
a little skill as well as literary taste. In his 93rd year he
committed to memory a poem of considerable length, and from memory
wrote it with his own hand in his book of memoranda. A few months
ago, he made an elaborate computation of his age from years to
months, to days, to hours, and finally to seconds.
- His funeral was held on Sabbath afternoon
from the church which he loved, conducted
- by the pastor, Dr. PLATTS, assisted
by Rev. Geo. W. BURDICK, of Milton Junction, and Rev.
E. A. WITTER, of Albion. [Wednesday edition, p. 1]
-
- Courtesy of Jon Saunders
|
| 8 |
- Mrs. [Lydia] SAUNDERS, the oldest
person in the town of Milton, died at her home
- near Rock River, Nov. 30, 1897, in
the 96th year of her age. She was the daughter of Stephen and
Sarah COON, was born in Petersburg, N.Y., and moved to
Alfred, N.Y., when she was 12 years old.
- At the age of 21 years she was married
to Mr. Christopher SAUNDERS, with whom
- she moved to Wisconsin in 1844, settling
upon the farm where she died as above noted. The eldest of six
daughters born to them died 12 or 15 years ago, the other five
survive her. Mr. SAUNDERS died about 30 years ago. Mrs.
SAUNDERS was the last of her family several of whom were
among the early settlers of Wisconsin. One sister was the wife
of Jesse SAUNDERS and another was the wife of Duty GREEN
both of whom were old residents of Albion; a third was the wife
of Henry GREEN whose early Wisconsin home was in the same
neighborhood as the SAUNDERS home at Rock River, and later
in the village of Milton; and a brother of hers was the father
of the late G. N. COON, of Rock River and of the Rev.
A. W. COON, known in Milton 50 years ago as having some
connection with the beginnings of the Milton academy which afterwards
grew into the Milton College. Children of all these families,
in some cases to the second and third generations, were present
at the funeral which was held at the church at Rock River, conducted
by the Rev. Dr. Platts of Milton.
- In every new country, when comforts
and conveniences are few, and luxuries are
- conspicuous by their absence, neighbor
depends upon neighbor for help in times of sickness and sorrow,
such as in later times can be procured through the services of
the skilled physician or trained nurse; and among the neighbors
of any such community there are always a few who are gifted with
an instinct which knows when and where such help is needed, and
who are always on hand with loving and tender ministries. Such,
in her day, was "Aunt Lydia." How much any community
owes to such an one, the present generation, with its changed
conditions of society, can never know. In her later years, in
comparative helplessness, she was tenderly and affectionately
cared for by three of her daughters who still live at the old
home. When but 14 years of age she became a member of the First
S.D.B. church of Alfred, changed her membership to Milton in
1844, and became a constituent member at Rock River in 1856.
Thus for more than 81 years she has been a faithful disciple
of Jesus and a member of the S.D.B. church. [Wednesday edition,
p. 1]
-
- Courtesy of Jon Saunders
|
