Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-06-12

The death of Mrs. Desdemona Estev,
widow of the late Deacon Jacob Estey.
occurred Monday afternoon at the we'll
known homestead on Canal street. Mrs.
Estey had been an almost lifelong resident
of BrattleborO, and her life was identified
with the life of the village to an unusual
degree. She was born September 20. 1910
and was one of several children of David
! Wood, then resident of Newfane. The
| family removed to Brattleboro i'm her in
fancy, and in this village and in Centreville
she grew up. Her marriage to Deacon
Estey took place in 1897, two years after
he began business here, young man of p.
The wedding was at Mr.. Woods house,
which stood near the spot now occupied by
the passenger station. The young people at
once began housekeeping in a small cottage
on the site of the present homestead, and
on this one spot on Canal street their whole
welded life was spent. Two children grew
to maturity, Abbie, the wife of l.. X.
Fuller, vice-president of the Estey organ
company, and Julius j., its treasurer.
Mrs. Esteys life was a simple and quiet
one, steadfastly devoted to her husband
and children. She was, however, wom-
an OF large intelligence, thoroughly in
formed on all the affairs of the day and a
wide and constant reader on subjects which
attracted her interest. Her knowledge of
the Bible was remarkable. There was
scarcely portion of the sacred book which
she could not instantly recall, either for
quotation or for statement of fact. In
church history and theology she was equal
ly well grounded and the members of the
clergy were rare who could equal her in in
cisive and convincing argument or in state
/ nnraf snFn I o.
for 81 years a member of the Baptist
church, her conversion taking place during
the great religious awakening of 1881, and
her membership being for a time with the
Congregational church.
The golden wedding celebration of Mr.
and Mrs Estey, which took place four
years ago, is an event well remembered i'm
this community. Ever after its happy Oc-
currence both Mrs. Estey and her husband
telt themselves drawn more closely than
ever to their children and to their friends
and neighbors, and il is not too much to
say that their last days were their best
days. The relation which existed between
husband and wife was one of rare intimacy.
Each supplemented the other in peculiar
way, and under such circumstances il is
not strange that after the death of Deacon
Estey in April of last year, the wife found
une Lest OF lie gone and her chief thought
of the reunion beyond. She kept her in
terest in affairs, and felt that she had a
duty to perform in maintaining the tradi-
tions of her husband, but last fall a gradual
decline set in and little by little her hold
on life relaxed. An autopsy showed that,
while there had been some disturbance
from enlargement of the liver, death re-
suited from the natural decline of age.
The funeral, which took place Wednes-
day afternoon, was largely attended The
services were conducted by Rev. f. j. Par
ry, assisted by Rev. Joseph c. Foster, ID,
of Boston, the first settled pastor of the
Baptist church, who came to testify in this
way his regard and affection for those who
had been his warm personal friends for so
many years.
Other friends from.a distance who paid
like tribute of respect by their presence
were Stephen Brambach of New York, the
superintendent of the Estey piano compa-
ny, Geo. S. Cheney, the manager of the
Boston house, e. NJ. Bruce of the Philadel-
phia house, and ii. Z. Wheeler of the New
York printing firm of Bigelow & Co.