The Indianapolis journal., 1886-03-15
THE GLASTONBURY SISTERS.
The Last of the Family Laid to Rest-The
Early Life of Julia Evelina.

Hartford (COnn.) Special.
Mrs. Julia Evelina Smith Parker, wife of Amos
A. Parker died here last night, at the age of
ninety three years and nine months. Mrs. Par
ker was one of the famous Smith sisters Of Glas-
tonbury who, woman sufragists, refused to
pay taxes without representation. and their
Alderney cows were levied upon by the tax col
lactor and sold under the hammer The other
sisters died some years ago. Julla few years
ago, was married to Mr.. Parker. from Vermont
who was an octogenarian. She was involved IN
some legal troubles with u relative two three
years ago, and was compelled to quit the Glas-
tonbury farm. upon which her life and that of
her sisters had been spent. Of late she has
lived with her husband in this city. About J
year ago she suffered a fracture of the hip. and
never fully recovered from that injury. Their
resistance to taxation made the "Smith sisters"
somewhat famous in the country.
Miss Francis Ella Burr, for many years an in
innate friend of the Smith sisters, prints in the
Times tonight long obituary notice of Julia.
Included in the account is full memorandum of
conversations by the deceased relating to impor
tant events In her life. One of the most inter-
esting parts of the story refers to her education
and how she came to translate the Bible, and is
as follows. taken from her ownllps by Miss Burr
in shorthand little while before she died:
when was fourteen my teacher in the acad
emy wanted me to study Latin grammar. My
father thought it was not necessary but teased
him so much that he said could have his gram
mar, but told him that all Latin without
bit Of English Finally he said he would buy me
the next time he went to Hartford, so when
he went l was very eager to have
him get back with the new. grammar,
but when he came he said he had
forgotten it. That was bitter disappointment
to me. When l began to study the boys plagued
me, as it was not usual for girls to study it
They said ironically that must be going to col
lege, but the more they plagued me the more it
spurred me up to get ahead of them in the study,
and did. At eighteen went to a French
teacher in New Haven. He and his wife were
both French, and that was the reason / learned
to talk French SO readily. The young ladies and
gentlemen there ridiculed me because / applied
myself to my studies aad did not care to go to
cotillion parties. They said sarcastically that |
was above dancing. AT Alexander Stephens
party, given to thesuffrage ladies in Washington
several years ago-1878, | think-some of them
had spoke of the great advance that had been
made in woman's education, as eontrasted with
the early days 4 and said: Yes there
has been great advance, for when l was at
school in New Haven had to 60 to a cotillion
party to prove that had common sense
& "When was twenty went to Mrs. Wizards
seminary, in Troy, to study mathematics, and
was to pay for my instruction in teaching
Aaron Burr sent several pupils friends of his)
there to school My sister Laurilla who was
there teaching, wrote homo that these young
ladies knew twenty languages and that her sis
ter Julia would have to take back seat. /
wrote back that her sister Julia would not take
back seat. for great books did not always
make great ScDOlArS, ana Wnon Sn6 saw te6S6
young ladies she would ask them nine plain
questions This was from a book on federal
ism. and was called Steady Habits INDICATED;
or. Nine Plain Questions to the People of Con-
necticut. This book afterward became by
word there. / became teacher of French and
mathe tics at Mrs. Wizards and taught these
very young ladies. Aaron Burr's friends,
the Misses Eden who know so much. / wrote
home that these young ladies who going to
make me take back seat were my scholars.
Ioff r~% bod
in anti slavery Garrison's denial of the Bible
drove ministers away from the movement, Dr.
Hawes, of Hartford, among the rest. As the
churches were shut up against them, used to
have meetings in our front yard. A large tree,
which had been cut down, left good broad
stump for a platform for the speakers. The
churches were all down abolitionism. Then |
the excitement of Millerism came on; the world
was to come to an end in 1843, and we were all
greatly interested In that, 1t was this that led
to my translating the Bible for l wanted to see
if there was any authority for Milers claim
We five sisters and friend of ours met to-
gether once week for five years, to talk over
the Bible. / said I could translate the New
Testament, as understood Greek, so every week
we would read over what had translated, and
they all decided that it was clearer than the
King James translations. Soon after this l de-
cided to learn Hebrew and translate the Septua-
gint and this is the way it came about: | ap-
piled to Professor Jarvis, of Middletown, whose
father then bishop for some books Prof
Jarvis had the best library in the State, and I |
wrote to him that wanted to learn the meaning !
of the proper names in the Bible, and asked if I
could not find them in st. jerone. He replied |
that St Jerome's works were in numerous vol |
umes, and that he could not loan them but if I |
would come to Middletown could have the use |
of any of them; but, he added, why don't you |
study Hebrew yourself. and learn the meaningr |
So he was the means of my studying Hebrew. I |
studied it by myself, but I translated the |
Septuagint from the Greek before studied He /
brew.
"Soon after my Bible was published Prof. |
Young, of Harvard University, came to see me. |
He had been professor of Hebrew there seven |
years. He examined my Bible and said: I |
must have one of these. / am astonished that |
you could get the translation correct without |
consulting some learned man He was surprised |
that [ put the lenses as / did, said You |
that have translated according to |
the Hebrew idiom He replied: Oh yes. You |
have He acknowledged that it correct / |
translated literally as | have stated in my pre-
face. have had great many letters from diff |
ferent parts of the country in regard to my |!
Bible some of them from colleges. The cashier |
of the Hartford Bank, where our money was de- |
posted, said it was foolish throw away money |
to publish this Bible He said | would never |
sell one / told him it matter whether | |
did or not. but thought it just as well to spend
money to print this Bible as to put it into thou
sand-dollar shawl"