Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1899-02-18
MRS. ANNE ELIZABETH HEARD

more than fifty years she was ~ ma aa, oa
sister tried and true. Anna El;zoh".a'
he. was born at La Fayette, Cham
tGrs county, Ala June 70, 1928. Her
p"ap was a member of the wide spread
bt"utley FAMILY of North Carolina
n.nnhe grew to womanhood in n frontier
Eilage,' for the Creek Indians had Int
aa.ely oeen removed to their present re
seIVatlon' Her opport lnitv was slioht
W an Academic traini ig. At an earlv
ase she was married to Thomas Ue.rd
q member Of Il well known Georgia fam.
ny OF that name, a business man of ey
elnpiary habits and most attractive anal.
,Vies' the marriage Was an unusually
nappy Que. The Brantleys were Ran.
tls's, the Heards Methodists, and Ann
Iolne her husbands church Mob;l.
was thelr home for a time but New Or
leans offered a more satisfactory fold
,or Mr.: Heard's enterprise and if wa,
hnIs heard s place of abode for nearly
Nail Mail q century. In both Mobile and
view orleans, through their church and
family relations, they were brought into
close n agreeable contact with not a
rev persons of superior education and
fharacter. Sensitive to all good inan.
ences Mrs. Heard wa inspired by her
surroundings and associates to all good
WORDS and works, re iding the best books
developing a social charm and gaining a
arge catholic spiritual experience. Her
intellect steadily grew, the range of her
knowledge increased. her sympathies
"idened, becoming more earnest and
tender. while her VIII Die nature was inn.
oneo with the meek and gentle atfec.
IONS OF = profound and humble chris.
nan. Responding promptly and cheer.
Ivy within the measure of her means To
every demand of need and sorrow. and
every other form of suffering, she be
came a mlmlsterlns angel to men, WON.
eh aud children, white and back An
engaging presence, a face whose { atares
illllnlned by the b aiming eye an, m lde
harmonious by the pure tones of a ,oye.
~ voice and the outflow of a benign
soul, seemed to insphere her in a finer
ana purer atmosphere than that in which
we common mortals live. Her power of
conversation was rare, but her power f
iistenln,ng was larer still, and She drew
from all about her the best that was in
mem, the story of their deepest need,
or the secret that gnawed The hear. uu
spoken to any save to herself; thus the
balm of her ready and tender help was
as the draught of a health giving medi.
cine.
Her graceful and gracious life flowed
TRANQUILITY on until the Civil War came.
the time that tried the souls of men and
women. Her husband was among the
first to volunteer; distinguished himself
IN Stonewall Jackson s brigade and was
transferred from the arm O. Northern
Virginia TO that of the West, and as.
signed to duty Inder Gen. Kirby Smith,
whose headquarters were at Shreveport,
La, where his wife Joined him. Upou
the capture of New Orleans by General
Butler Mrs. Heard retired to the plan.
tatlon of her family in the Ouachita
country of La. and here served an an.
premiership in the use of the spinning
wheel and hand loom, making clothes
for the family and for the soldie 6. So
distinguished did she become that Bish.
op Marvin turned aside IN one OF his
journeys to see and pay his respects to 4
woman whose industry. skill, bepevo-
lence and enthusiastic devotion to the
cause of her country had made her
knt wn and revered through all that re.
gion. When the Confederate surrender
took place Maj. Heard and his wife re.
turned to New Orleans to begin life once
more. He was getting on his business
feet again when his life was suddenly
ended, and Mrs. Heard was thiownupon
her W resources, not only to support
herself, but also a number of nephews
and neices orphaned by the war. While
recovering from an attack of yellow fe.
Yer in the autumn of 1867 she was car
ried in her bed to a house which had
been rented for her by a friend, that she
might make the experiment of keeping
boarders, the only form of breadwin-
mng then open to her; and the next five
and twenty years wore given to the tolls
a d duties associated with that sort OF
household drudgery, and to the educa-
ton and training of her orphaned wards.
Instead of yielding to dependency, or
allowing the CRIME of the workyday
world to st in aud hatden her character,
she turned her necessity t glorious gain;
"And by objects which might force the soul,
To abate its feeling rendered more compass
stoned"
The school was Il severe one, but sae
learned in it life's deepest and highest
lessons-self sacrifice, self -forgetful-
ness, joyful labor at whatever cost of
ease or taste for the help and we'll being
of others. Many of those who sat at
her table and occupied iuer ROOMS,
Charmed by the grace OF her manners
and conversation, Won by che ,Veet.
ness aud beauty vi lcr chagu.t, 1.-THE
unworldly nobIeness / he. IL. life,
and the exhaustless tou ia is Of Ier
sympathy, BEGAN new creatures, re
formed their habits and ideals, and a.
dopted the ways of those who looked
not at the things which are temporal but
at the things which are eternal. Those
who knew her best dwell with delight
upon the ret election Of her self eta.
clog modesty, her masnanimlty and
heaven y minded charity. She poured
out the richness of her memory, culture
and genius, Us well as OF her regenera-
ted sui, with such u2stinted lioerallty
that all who came near her felt than
selves to be breathing an ampler eth.
or. a diviner air.. have ku jwn few
things so inspiring and %ennobling as this
woman's victory over stern conditions
and unfriendly circumstances. The list
of ner fliends, every Ii OF whom le-
celved a treasure for life from her ,pt,.
ituai D~eueiicence, makes u patent vi tie
highest honor.
The exhausting cares and labors OF a
gu ,rter OF Il century prayed upua her
fine physique and laid it open to the in-
roads Of disease and increasing weak
ness. / uring this period of t iaI she
had the unspeakabls comfort of the I'M
failing and tender ministry OF tho,e
whom she had nourished and brought
up, and of their children. The discl-
pine If pain and bodily weakness she
lore with her accustomed spirit of meek
ness and submission. Her end was
peace. The Lord 8 name was written
on her forehead and her hands, and she
has become a pillar in his temple and
shall go 10 more out.
Her body was taken to New Orleans.
the city she loved so well, and the fune-
raj service, attended by a company OF
her devoted friends, was held in Fel'cl-
ty Street Methodist Church, where for
| many wears she was a member, and the
address was delivered by her old FIR end.