River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-08-25
Death of Mrs. Knowles

! most beloved and one OF the Oldest
/ ladies in town, died last Saturday IL
( the little home on Second street
! after an unconscious illness OF four
days. She was nearly eighty-three
years old and had lived in the cottage
/ where she died for the wide snan If
/ ~ years She had kind wishes for
/ every soul that breathed was well
coined, up to the week Of her death.
and with the warmest grace in the
world, into most of the homes in
town, and will perhaps be the most
missed Of all our good gray ladies.
She was the very soul Of piety. in
the good sense Of the word; and it
was a rare exception indeed that
| found her pew vacant in the east
section Of the Congregational church
where she sat for years beside her
husband. She had a rare gift Of con-
versation, and along with this a
| wealth Of neighborly charity that
| made her trim little figure. basket in
| hand, SO familiar a sight as she went
1 on her frequent trips from her we'll
kept garden to the friends whom she
was 50 ready to please. As mother
all the chiefest graces were hers; and
as wife she was so shining an eX-
ample Of tenderness and duty that
her devotion to her husband has been
the subject Of many and beautiful
tributes.
At four score years and more, death
loses many Of its terrors and puts on
look almost of invitation, and it was
| such look that death had long worn
for Mrs. Knowles. She spoke Of it
with serene voice and a heart uu-
shaken. 1t was to her but change
of habit, giving up Of one home
for another, a leaye-taking of one Oc-
cupation, which she had found both
good and cheerful, for second, which
she had faith to believe was infinitely
sweeter as well as infinitely long.
On Wednesday morning while she
was about her daily work-her hus-
band, with all the weight Of his 81
years, having gone into the garden on
an errand-she was smitten with a
third shock of paralysis and never re-
gained full consciousness. She re-
manned in this quiet state, her breath
ing almost insensible at times,
until Saturday afternoon, and
then, with kind hearts all about her
and the love of many people keeping
her tenderly in mind, her mild spirit
without a tremor, quietly winged its
way to God
Mrs. Knowles was born and educated
in New England and retained through
all her So years a certain flavor Of this
temperate land Her maiden name
was BetsyJ Giles and She was born in
Wolfboro, New Hampshire, Dec 20,
1873 She spent her early girlhood
there, going to Newmarket when
thirteen and to Boston when seven
teen, where, at the age Of 20 years, She
was married to Mr. Knowles, Nov /,
1885. For the three years succeeding
their marriage they made their home
at Boston and then removed to Con-
cord, n H., where they dwelt till
1896. At that time they set their
faces to the west and came through
to River Falls, taking up their home
almost Immediately in the house on
Second street where they have spent
the long interval since then-an ex-
ample Of fine christian content and
the blessedneSs of home.
1t was the wish of Mr.. Knowles, Of
ten but graciously expressed, that he
should be the first to go-that his
wife, the younger and better presery-
ed should walk with him the full
distance up TO the Towering Gate and
see him safely through But another
way seems TO have been the way Of
Heaven, and yet he finds it good
And so, with his son and his son 5
wife close beside him, he still sits by
the window, single after long union,
musing, in his gracious way, on a
sweet meeting and an endless reunion
in eternity.
OF their three Charley,
| Warren and Anna {Mrs. Hughes
Mr.. Charley Knowles alone survives.
One Of the grandchildren, Mr.. George
Hughes, is member of the regular
army and is now at Manila; and Miss
Jessie Hughes is teacher of Kinder
garten at Superior. With the eXcep-
tion Of these two, all the grandchild-
rem were in attendance at the
funeral
The burial service took place Mon
day afternoon at the home, Rev. Nc
Intosh officiating, and was made
beautiful by many flowers and the at
tendance Of a great number of friends.
On next Sunday morning memorial
service will be held at the CoDgrega-
| tiOnal church.
For SALE CHEAP.-A secondhand