The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-03-08
Mrs. Henry Ward Beecher
Dies at Stamford.
Had Been In Feeble Health
for Several Months.
Her End Was Peaceful--Sketch of
the Life Of the Deceased.


Beecher died at :42 o'clock this morning
after "a long illness.
singular fact i'm connection with the
death of the aged woman is to be found
in the information that it Is just 10 years
ago today that Henry Ward Beecher passed
away.
Mrs. Beecher's death came at almost
exactly the same hour of the day as that
of her husband, decade ago.
Eunice Beecher, was born in August
| 1872, in Sutton, Mass She was the
daughter of DIR. Bullard,a "a physician, who,
besides attending TO an extensive practice,
was the owner of one of the largest farms
In that part of the country His children
comprised seven sons and two daughters,
and 1t was typical New England family.
| The children, brought up on the farm.
| performed their share of the labor there,
but with the exception of two or three,
whose health was poor, all were given IA
| college education. Several of Mrs. Beech
| er's brothers won high distinction. One
| OF them, Asa, was for many years agent
| and secretary of the Massachusetts, Sab
bath School association, and edited paper
| published by that society, which became
| the National Sunday School society of the
| denomination. Another brother Talbot.
| was physician. His volunteer services
in behalf of the wounded troops from
Indiana after the battle of pittsburQ
Landing attracted the favorable notice of
| the governor of Indiana
Although In poor health, DIR. Bullard
performed similar scrvtce for Indiana
troops after the battle of Vicksburg, and
shortly died. Another brother leading
citizen Of st. Louis, was killed i'm rail-
road catastrophe. Still another brother
who had started for the Sandwich Islands
upon government mission was, with
many Others, drowned in shipwreck that
occurred before the vessel was fairly out
of San Francisco Harbor.
Only one of Mrs Beecher's brothers is
living, Ebenezer Bullard, a clergyman of
Pennsylvania, whose twin sister is the
wife of DIR. Jones OF New York.
Mrs. Beechcr came OF "a family noted for
longevity. One Of her maternal ances-
tors lived TO be los, and she had a grand
mother who was 30 years of age at her
death.
Miss Bullard S marriage to Henry Ward
Beecher was not lacking in the elements
of romance. Mr.. Beecher though not yet
ordained had received call TO the pasto-
rate Of church in Lawrcnceburg, o., and
he wrote to Miss Bullard, TO whom he
was affianccd, suggesting that their mar
riage take place Immediately after his or
dination. After mailing this letter. Mr..
Beecher argued, why wait for the ordina
tionS Why not have her present as my
wife to witness it?' With this idea upper
most in his mind, Mr.. Beecher started post
haste for Sutton, where he arrived on the
evening of the day on which his letter was
received. The young preacher succeeded
in winning Miss Billiards. consent to an
early marriage. 1t was July 20 when he
arrived, and there were just four days left
TO prepare for the ceremony fixed for Au-
gust 3 1897. Mrs Beecher's friends de-
lighted TO hear her tell about that wed
ding; how the village dressmakers were
noarly distracted when they Were directed
To make the trousseau at such short no.
ticc; how the village store was drawn
upon for supplies for the wedding feast,
and how she rose early on her wedding
day and prepared with her own hands
the wedding cake, her prospective husband
assisting 20 the extent of seeding the
raisins. Few of their friends lived near
enough to be present and the ceremony
was one which in these days would be
called quite home affair.
Both of Miss Bullard' sisters had been
married in stormy weather, and she de- |
clared that the ceremony in which she |
was a contracting party, must take place |
while the sun shone.
The hour set was 3 o'clock. Just before |
that time violent storm arose with |
crashes of thunder and vivid flashes of |
lightning, while rain poured i'm torrents |
from dark sky. The parson was i'm |
waiting, the guests had assembled, and |
patient To lead his bride To the altar. The |
bride was firm, however, in her determi- !
nation that there should be no ceremony |
until after the storm. The ceremony |
was, therefore, postponed one hour. At4 |
O'Clock the sun appeared and as the |
bride, leaning upon the arm of her hus- |
band To bc, entered the parlor, a rainbow, |
one of the most brilliant the members of |
the party ever saw, appeared upon the |
horizon. The officiating clergyman re- |
fcrrcd To the rainbow i'm his prayer, cx- |
pressing the hope that IL might be- n har-
biugcr of happiness for the young couple |
whose lives were about 10 be linked to-
gcther.
immediately after the marriage Mr.. and |
Mrs BcCChcr started for Iawrcnceburg |
Their experiences and trials ON tho west
crn frontier have been referred To in |
several interesting sketches 10y Mrs.
Bccchcr which have appeared In maya
zines They Were three years IN Law
renccburg, six years i'm indianapolis and
after that Mr. Beechcr, as pastor Of Ply
mouth Church, Brooklyn, and as one Of |
the most eloquent preachers of his time,
won worldwide reputation.
Mrs. Bcccher was always devotedly at
tachcd 30 her husband and children. OF
the latter -four are living and four are
dead. The eldest is tho wife Of the Rev
Samuel Scovillc, pastor of the First Con-
grcgational church Of Stamford Conn, /
with whom Mrs. Bccchcr spent much time
during her later years. although she had u
home I'm Brooklyn. The others are Col
Henry Barton Bcccher, OF BROOKLYN. en-
gagged in the Insurance business; William
Beccher, n lawyer, with an Office I'm the
broadway Bank building New York, and
"A captain of "a steamboat at
Port Townsend, Washington shortly
after removing to Brooklyn from the
west, Mrs Bcccher wrote little book of
which the early trials and final SUCCESS of |
her husband formed the leading subject
She has written articles upon various
subjects, including "reminiscences of her
husband, for various magazines
For some years the aged woman mt the
time Of her death - years of age had been