Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Obituaries (October 9)

The death of the widow of the late Samuel Hull Bush, which occurred at her home near West Bainbridge [Chenango Co., NY], last Friday, is of unusual interest, aside from her many virtues, because of the extreme longevity of her life.  Mrs. Bush was 93 years of age.  Her husband who died May 3, 1898 was also 93, the wife being forty days his senior at his death.  The following appreciative memorial was contributed by a near relative of the deceased:  Sally H. daughter of Marcia Hamilton and Wm. Clark, was born in Guilford, N.Y. [Chenango Co., NY], and died at the home near West Bainbridge, Aug. 5, 1898.  She came of good old Methodist stock, Dr. Adam Clark, a British clergyman and author of Clark's commentaries on the Bible, being her father's great uncle.  She was the third child in a family of four daughters and five sons, of which but two are left, Mrs. Julia Boyd of Wilmington, Vt.., and Ransom Clark of Rockdale, N.Y.  At various times during childhood and young womanhood, her home was at Troy, Schenectady, Syracuse and Rochester, then only small hamlets, her father being contractor on the Erie canal then in process of construction.  Later the family returned to Guilford where Mr. Clark operated a sawmill, running lumber rafts, also loads of butter and cheese, to Baltimore and Annapolis, Md.  In his employ for several years was a young man, Samuel Hull Bush, who sought this daughter's hand and they were married March 12, 1828.  The day was as bright and beautiful, the roads as dry and dusty as in June.  The brightness seemed emblematical of their wedded life which was peaceful and happy for over seventy years of union.  In the fall of 1832, Mr. and Mrs. Bush removed to a newly purchased farm in the south-eastern past of the town of Oxford, now called Bush Settlement.  Here they began their work of clearing away the primeval wilderness and making beautiful a farm and home.  Faithfully they worked together, rearing a large family of children and taking an active, and often leading part in school and church affairs.  Mrs. Bush was converted at fourteen years of age and at once united with the M.E. society, becoming a charter member when the church at Union Valley was established.  Her clear faith never wavered and she was always ready and anxious to tell of her beautiful Christian experience.  She was ever found in her place in church and Sunday school until loss of health compelled her to cease active service.  Mrs. Bush though quiet and unassuming in her ways impressed everyone with her supreme worth of character.  No personal sacrifice was too great for her, when looking after the welfare and comfort of her family, or when ministering to the wants of neighbors and friends.  In the springs of 1893 and 1894 Mrs. Bush suffered from paralytic strokes from the last of which she did not fully recover fluent speech.  In 1895 she experienced a severe fall receiving injuries that rendered her unable to walk again.  However, notwithstanding her crippled condition, she was calm, gentle and uncomplaining, and sat in her chair, day after day, busy with sewing, knitting and reading, keenly observant of everything about her, often dropping a word of cheer and comfort, and participating with keenest relish in all the family pleasures.  Her intellect did not become clouded until the second day before her death.  This aged mother of 93 years was tenderly cherished and affectionately cared for by an esteemed daughter, Mrs. W.H. Ireland, and her husband, who reside at the homestead.  The father, Samuel Hull Bush, died only three months ago, and it had been the pleasure of Mr. and Mrs. Ireland for a period of years to render the declining years of the aged couple, the most peaceful and enjoyable of their long life.  Mr. and Mrs. Bush have passed into eternity leaving to the community and church a memory filled with good deeds and to the family the lasting influence of their domestic virtues.  Mrs. Bush is survived by two sons, four daughters and twelve grandchildren.  A beautiful mark of reverent respect was the commitment of the remains of the deceased to the grave by the grandsons.  The funeral was held at 1 p.m., Monday at the home, the pastor, Rev. C.H. Sackett, officiating.  The interment was in the Union Valley burying ground [Bainbridge, NY].  [Bainbridge Republican, Aug. 10, 1898]
 
The friends of Mr. and Mrs. Laverne Payne of Bainbridge, sympathize with them over the sad intelligence that reached them Thursday, that the sister of Mrs. E.L. Davis, and husband, of Wood Lake, Nebraska, had met with the distressing loss of two children aged twelve and five years, by being smothered in a sand bank.  They were in a hollow of the bank when a ledge of overlapping sand gave way and completely buried them.  Mrs Payne has not yet received full particulars of the horrible accident.  Mr. and Mrs. Davis are well known here, also in Bennettsville, having removed from that place to Nebraska several years ago.  [Bainbridge Republican, Aug. 17, 1898]
 
John Reynolds, a strange character of Sidney [Delaware Co., NY], was found dead on the Erie railroad tracks at Binghamton Saturday morning.  He went to Binghamton Friday morning to attend the Firemen's convention and spent the day in the city.  Saturday morning at about 2:50 he was seen going up the Erie tracks and it is supposed he was struck by a passenger train an hour later.  The coroner's examination of the man showed that he was killed from bruises received by being struck by an engine.  On his person were found thirty-five cents, some skeleton keys, and some wires bent into hooks or convenient shapes for picking locks.  Reynolds was a son of Richard Reynolds of Sidney and was well known along the D.&H. and spent the most of his time traveling from one place to another, on the freight trains.  He used to be a frequent visitor in Bainbridge.  [Bainbridge Republican, Aug. 24, 1898]
 
The death of Mrs. Ella P. Lory, wife of Sanford Lory, occurred at her home in Bainbridge Wednesday, Aug. 17, 1898 caused by an affection of the stomach.  Mrs. Lory had been in delicate health for sometime, though her active sanguine temperament helped to sustain her and she bravely coped with the disease.  Her husband left Bainbridge five weeks ago, the wife appearing comfortably well at the time, to take a position in the Clearfield Sled Factory works in Pennsylvania, and also to prepare a home for Mrs. Lory to which she was to remove later.  Mr. Lory had been absent two weeks when his wife's rapidly failing health called him back.  The succeeding weeks of her life were passed in alternations of hope and fear by her friends, her strength gradually and surely declining.  The end came at 2 o'clock Wednesday morning.  Mr. and Mrs. Lory have resided in Bainbridge nearly eight years.  Mrs. Lory was well-known and highly esteemed among our citizens, and led an active and useful life.  She was always bright and vivacious, was a pleasant friend to meet, and a cheerful companion at all times. She was an exceedingly ambitious woman and to her intense energy her life has succumbed.  The announcement of Mrs. Lory's death called forth many expressions of regret, and sympathy is extended to the husband whose home is broken up.  The deceased who was forty-two years old left no children.  She has a father and two brothers in Hyndsville where the remains were carried last Friday for funeral services and burial.  Rev. C.H. Sackett officiated at the brief services at the home here.  [Bainbridge Republican, Aug. 24, 1898]
 
Word was received in Bainbridge this morning of the death of Rev. John Davey of Scranton, who was formerly a resident of this place for several years.  Mr. Davey was a superannuated clergyman of the Methodist church, aged about 88 years.  He was born in England and came to this country when a young man and entered the ministry, becoming a circuit preacher and passing through all the hardships of a pioneer minister's life.  As he advanced in years he was obliged to give up his arduous work, but acted as supply now and then as occasion demanded.  While living in Bainbridge he purchased the blacksmith shop standing near the Bernherst hotel, ran it quite largely and was also engaged in farming.  Mr. Davey had lived in Scranton for ten years or more and pursued there the same busy active life as here.  He had been unfortunate before going to Scranton in losing the most of his property he had laid by for old age, but by foresight and good investments he was enabled to restore it.  He had won the esteem of the people of Scranton so much so that two years ago an expression was given to it, by the lawyers of the city making up a purse for him to visit England.  The deceased had a sturdy rugged physique and those from Bainbridge who had met him in Scranton lately, were much impressed with his stately, erect bearing, his white hair and dignified manner adding to his fine appearance.  Mr. Davey was one of the most energetic of men and entered heart and soul into whatever he did, whether officiating as a minister or a layman.  He has a son, William H. Davey, living in Sidney Centre.  [Bainbridge Republican, Aug. 24, 1898]

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