The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1858-12-08
For the Register.

DIED, in Bridport, Nov. 20, Miss AME.
LA H. MINER, aged rs years.
The circumstances of Miss Miners life,
sickness and death, are such as to make
it desirable, in the estimation of the wri-
ter and others, that short history of
them should be given to the public, and
especially to her friends in distant parts
of tho country. She was left an orphan
at the early age of Is years.by the death
of her father. She had even then
evinced desire to become able "to
care for herself" and 10 enable herself to
accomplish this object she entered the
Burlington Female Seminary in the spring
of 1850, when little over sixteen years
of age. She remained in that institution
two years, pursuing the different branches
of an English education, and also taking
lessons in instrumental music.
During this time, however, scrofulous
affection so developed itself on her fingers
as effectually to prevent her pursuing the
study OF music at that time.
Through the kindness of the Principal,
Rev. j. X. Converse, she had been per-
mitted to pursue her course partly upon
trust, and in the spring of 1852, Mr.. Con-
verse procured for her situation as teach
er in private family in Vernon, Tenn.
She left her home the first of May, unat-
tended by an acquaintance, and after en-
during great hardships by the way, ar
rived at Vernon about the middle of the
month, where she expected to find friends
to greet her with a cordial welcome, and
to console and comfort her in her loneli-
ness. When she arrived within about SO
miles of her destination, she found herself
obliged to make the remainder of her jour.
ney on horseback, attended only by ne
gro boy as her guide. through forest,
with saddle path only for road. Not
being accustomed to such mode of con-
veyance, and through the influence of ex-
cessive anxiety, eccasioned by her pscu-
liarly lonely and unguarded situation, she
became greatly fatigued, and at the end
of the first eighteen miles was unable to
dismount without assistance, and was
obliged to remain in that place week be-
fore she could proceed, She then finished
her journey in the same way. Not meet
ing with that kind and friendly treatment
which she expected, aud felt that she de-
served she remained in that situation only
three months, having procured for herself
in the meantime situation in public
school at Centreville, some fifty miles from
Nashville, Tenn. She remained there two
years, and returned to her home in YER
mont. in September, l s54, and discharged
her obligation to Mr.. @. She had now
accomplished the object which SHE had
proposed to herself three years before,
viz, to attend school another year and
then earn enough to pay her bills. But
she had done more; she had met and con-
qvered multitude Of difficulties. and had
thus developed, in good degree, her own
mental and mora! strength.
She now set herself to forming plans
for the future. Having taste for the
beautiful, and believing that she possessed
some artistic skill she determined to make
further effort to prepare herself to in
struct in the ornamentals of an education,
and for this purpose she entered the Fe-
male Seminary at Auburndale, Mass, in
February, 1855, and devoted herself tor
eighteen months,to painting and the high.
er branches of an English education and
to music as far as her hands would permit.
After returning again to Vermont in
the summer of $50, she received and ac-
cepted an invitation to enter the Judson
Female Institute, in Marion, Alabama, as
teacher of painting
Again she left her home unattended by
any acquaintance, and, after long and
weary journey arrived at the Institute
about the middle of the school year, and
remained through that and the following