Obituaries (October 8)

Eudora Kirby

1874 - 1955

There died on Friday, Dec. 2, in the Bainbridge Hospital [Chenango County, NY], after a lingering illness, Eudora L. Kirby, the last of the descendants of William D. Kirby and Harriet Cudworth

whose ancestors were among the original log cabin settlers of this community.  Her funeral was held in the Baptist Church Monday, 2 p.m. the Rev. Ruthvan Chambers officiating.  She was at the time of her passing the oldest member, having been an interested member for 63 years.  Eudora graduated from Bainbridge High School and Oneonta State Teachers' College and spent her life as a teacher in the school system of Brooklyn. She was a woman of wide and varied interests, a great reader, and active worker in the church locally and in the Green avenue Baptist Church, of Brooklyn, and aided in the missionary activities of the churches.  Much of her spare time was devoted to Christian work among the Chinese of New York city.  She is affectionately remembered by a number of Chinese young men who are now grown up and have a family life of their own.  She was a member of the local chapter of the D.A.R. and an associate member of the General Nathaniel Woodhull Chapter of the D.A.R. of New York City.  She was active in the Woman's Club of our village, and an officer of the Illuminate Woman's Club of Brooklyn.  Miss Eudora was highly regarded as a genuinely good person, kind, unselfish to an unusual degree, giving her talents and energies generously and gladly wherever trouble and need arose. She touched life at so many places with a homespun friendliness.  She was never comfortable in the presence of wrong; she had inner delight in the presence of truth and right.  Survivors of Eudora Kirby are two nieces, Mrs. Eleanor Kirby Roehrl, of Erie, Pa., and Mrs. Barbara Kirby Moore, of Eugene, Ore., daughters of John Reuben and Sarah Kirby; grandnieces and grandnephews; four cousins, Mrs. Cleon Parker, Harold and John Cudworth, all of Groton; Mrs. Arthur McCormick, of Cortland, also cousins in Kansas.  Local cousins are Mrs. Margaret Kirby Casey, Mrs. Arthur Kirby and Mary Kirby Lord.  Pallbearers at the funeral were Carroll Niles, Orris Coe, Ernest Hoyt, Maurice McGinnis, George Myers and Maurice Wilcox. She was laid to rest in the family plot in Greenlawn Cemetery [Bainbridge, Chenango Co., NY].  A life-long close friend of Eudora Kirby is Miss Ella Hawkins. She, too, graduated from Oneonta State Teachers College and taught in the same school system with Eudora. They had many interests in common and traveled extensively in this country and abroad.  During Eudora's more than two years' illness.  Miss Hawkins has been constantly at her bedside and has ministered tenderly to her.  No friend could have done more.

 

Maud Ellen Nichols

Afton Enterprise, February 4, 1897

It is our sad duty this week to chronicle the death of Miss Maud E. Nichols, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Geo. E. Nichols, of North Afton [Chenango Co., NY], which occurred Wednesday morning, after an illness of about forty-eight hours.  The direct cause of her death is thought to be an internal abscess, followed by heart failure.  Deceased was a young lady nearly sixteen years of age and was dearly loved by her associates.  The grief stricken parents have the heartfelt sympathy of their many friends in this sad hour of affliction.  The funeral will be held from the late home Friday afternoon at two o'clock.  Rev. J.L. Thomas will officiate and Funeral Director Emens will have charge of the arrangements.  Burial at North Afton.

 

Miss Maud Nichols was born in North Afton, Sept. 8th, 1881 and died at the same place last Wednesday, Feb. 3d,  The report of her death was a startling surprise to the community  where she lived and her many friends at a distance who were not aware that she was sick.  The nature of the disease that hastened her death was not known, but the physician thinks that possibly there was an internal abscess, which on discharging did the fatal work that took from the home, a much beloved daughter, and from the community one whom everybody cherished as a dear friend, for she was a favorite with all.  Dying at the early age of fifteen at a time when her bereft parents were planning and arranging for her future as to school life, for it was hoped she might receive an education, but it was not to be, nevertheless.  She was a beautiful character, had a pure life, for she was learning in the school of Christ, was being fashioned and developed.  She loved her Bible and in her brief life actualized the precepts and principles therein taught.  Among her schoolmates who mourn her loss, she was the peacemaker, the arbitrator, always striving to settle the little differences and grievances among the younger scholars.  Indeed, with them Maud was a bright, loving, kind sister.  her religious life as to outward profession, was very brief, but long before our dear friend had confessed Christ, she was persuaded of her need of salvation and at the revival meetings held last December, she with others knelt at the altar, expressed her desire to become a Christian and the first Sabbath afternoon of the new year, she was baptized and received on probation.  Those who have been permitted to listen to her testimony could not but be impressed with the fact that the blessed Savior was her joy, and her anxiety that many of her young friends might become Christians was always expressed.  Our dear, young friend is gone, but she lives. She will be missed in school and church and the fragrances of her sweet life will remain.  Funeral services were held at her residence Friday, Feb. 5, 1897, by pastor Rev. J.L. Thomas of Afton.

Harriet Ruth Nichols

Afton Enterprise, November 18, 1915

Ruth Nichols, the daughter of George E.  Nichols, of Bainbridge, formerly of North Afton [Chenango Co., NY]. Miss Nichols died at her home near Bainbridge, Nov. 12.  Burial was at North Afton, Sunday afternoon.  She was a Christian girl, always cheerful, well-liked by all.  She leaves to mourn her loss, her father and mother and two brothers and one sister.  The family have the sympathy of all in their great sorrow and loss.

Oxford Review Times, November 19, 1915

Much sadness prevailed in our community [Wilkins Settlement, Chenango Co., NY] when it was learned that Miss Ruth Nichols had died Friday morning after a brief illness.  The deceased was a daughter of George Nichols of Bainbridge, who until about six years ago owned and occupied the old Nichols homestead near North Afton.  The funeral was held Sunday at 12 noon, from the house with burial in the cemetery at North Afton. The bereaved family have the sympathy of the entire community.

Celia Grover Chamberlin

Afton Enterprise, November 18, 1915

Tuesday morning, November 9th, 1915, Celia Grover, wife of Randolph A. Chamberlin passed into her eternal rest.  She was born in Westford, Otsego Co., N.Y. on May 9th, 1851, the daughter of Wm. and Abijal Grover.  When a very young woman, the family moved to Afton, N.Y., near Middlebridge, where she met and married Randolph A. Chamberlin, son of Rufus and Eliza Chamberlin, in 1868, the ceremony being performed by Rev. B.T. Jacobs, then pastor of the Afton Baptist church.  Two sons came to bless this union, she being survived by her husband, Randolph A Chamberlin, her two sons, Edward R., of Yonkers, N.Y., and Frederick G. Chamberlin of Afton, N.Y., a sister Mrs. Henry G. Carr of Afton and a brother Fred Grover of South New Berlin, N.Y.  In her early life, she united with the Afton Baptist church where she was very active and devoted in the work of the church, it being her great desire to aid in the work that would tend to bring the kingdom of God nearer this earth. She was a consistent Christian woman who lived as she believed, following the one straight path before her and never wavering or fainting by the wayside.  She knew whom she served, and no task for her Master and her Church was too great for her to undertake.  One of the griefs of her latter days was the affliction by which she was barred from many of the church activities which she loved.  In her home, she was the center, and well merited the love and devotion of those whom it was her great pleasure to serve, never wearying in her self-appointed tasks to make others happy.  Naturally of an energetic temperament, her work was but another expression of her true self.  Nine years ago she was stricken with an illness which in later years, developed into Bright's Disease, and for the past two years has been an invalid, most of the time, being confined to her home.  During these years of suffering, no work of complaint has passed her lips, her reply to inquiring friends being "I am all right," for she believed in greeting the world with cheerfulness, it being her philosophy that, "God is in His Heaven, and all's right with the World."  Patiently she sat, awaiting the summons that would relieve her pain racked body. The funeral services, which were held at her late home on Thursday, November 11th, were largely attended by many relatives and friends form Binghamton, Castle Creek, Harpursville, Nineveh, Oneonta, Milford Center, Franklin, Wellsbridge and South New Berlin. The services were in charge of Rev. Fuller of the First Baptist church of Afton, assisted by Rev. Ketchum of the Presbyterian church.  Interment being in the Glenwood cemetery, Afton [Chenango Co., NY]