The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-05-26
DEATH OF MRS. MARY W. OONGER

The Galesburg Register of May 10,
contains the following "Ip Memoriam"
of Mrs. MARY w. CoNGER, one of the
elect saints of our church, the mother Of
Rev. E. L. Conger, of California: Died,
May IL, 1888, at Galesburg, Ill, Mrs.
Mary W. Conger, widow of Lorentus E.
Conger, formerly of that city.
Mrs. Mary West Conger, eldest
daughter of Elisha and Harriet Hurd,
was born in Plymouth, VT, Jan. II, 1916.
Her parents moved to Cayuga county,
N. Y, when she was two and halt years
old. She received a common school ed
ucation and became successful teacher.
She was married to Lorentus E. Conger
in October, 1885. In the winter of 1886
they started with their few earthly pos
sessions in wagon and drove across the
the country in midwinter, arriving in
Log CITY, the home of the Galesburg COL
ony, in February, after dreary journey
of six weeks. With her husband she
cheerfully shared the hardships of their
pioneer days, and with all the cares of
home and large family she gladly did
her part toward the social, religious and
educational development of the new com
munity. They lived for number OF
years at Cherry Grove, but in 1850 they
moved to Gslesburg to secure better adj
vsntages for educating their children.
She took great interest in the founding
of the Illinois Liberal Institute, now
Lombard University, as she felt the need
of liberal school where her children
could be educated free from undue
sectarian influence or pressure on their
young lives. She was also anxious that
her daughters should have eq ual advan-
tages with her sons in securing higher
education, and there was no college west
of ObeIlin founded on the co-education
of the sexes. The first informal confer
ence of three or four friends to consider
the idea of establishing such a school
was held in their little house where the
Clifton hotel now stands. To it they
gave of their poverty, and, as they were
prospered they gave of their abundance,
at one time giving $4,000 to endow the
L. E. Conger Profsssorship of Natural
Sciences. Though living for many years
in another State, she has always retained
strong interest in the college and has
recently joined her children in endowing
free scholarship of $1,000 in the Uni
yersity.
Mrs. Copger was of deep religious
nature and she early joined the Presby-
terrain church, the church of her parents.
When the old First church was organized
her name was added to the roll, and
stands upon the records to-day as one of
the early members. But the harsber doc
trine of Calvinism became so repugnant
to her sense of right and her conception
of God as revealed in the Scriptures, in
nature, and il life, that she at length en-
braeed the doctrines of Universal Father
hood, Universal Brotherhood, and ac-
eepted her Saviour as the Universal Saw
Jour, who would at last be what the Fa-
Their sent him to be, "The Saviour of the
World" This faith brought great peace
to her soul, and happiness to her life. At
great sacrifice she cast her lot with this
unpopular sect that then had neither in.
fluence nor churches. But to her the
faith was Gods truth, and that was
enough. In it she reared her children;
for it she gave with unspsring hand, to
all departments of general and local
church work. She with her husband was
one of the first Universalist families in
Galesburg, and their zeal, activity, devo-
ton and unquestioned Christian charac-
ter contributed largely to the starting of
the Universalist church and its growth
and influence in this community. Her
religious faith was very strong. 1t sus-
tanned her in all the experiences of life
and made her last days peaceful and full
of hope.
The family moved to Dexter, lowe, in
1870, where Mr.. Conger died in 1878,
since which time Mrs. CoDger has lived
with or near her children, doing good,
devoting her life to others and dispens-
ing charity with quiet but liberal hand.