Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-03-22
MRS. FANNIE A. CROSBY RICE

Large and Helpful Place in This
Community.
The despatch which brought from
Washington late Saturday afternoon
the news of the death of Mrs. Fannie
A. Crosby Rice touched poignantly
many hearts. bringing as it did a
realization of the loss of a true Chris
tian woman who had for years filled
a large and useful place and been
power for good in the community.
Mrs. Rice went to Washington Sat
urday, Feb. &c. to attend the National
Congress- of the Daughters of the
American Revolution. She had
rooms with Miss Susan Clark at the
Y. |. hotel near the Dewey. She was
attacked with grip on the following
Tuesday and was very i'll from the
first. Her condition became alarm
ing last week and as noted in The
Phoenix her brother-inlaw. L. f.
Adams, and her daughter, Marion NJ.
Rice, went to Washington Monday, ar
irving there Tuesday morning. and
they were followed on Wednesday by
her son, Howard Crosby Rice. from
Ansonia, Conn. On Thursday aud
Friday her condition seemed more
encouraging. but Saturday morning
about five o'clock she suffered from Il
severe attack OF asthma and about
noon she sank into unconsciousness
from which she never rallied and
death took place at 4.40
Mrs Rice was not ill with typhoid
fever, as was understood in Bratle-
boro last week. The illness with
grip was followed by pleurisy, with
effusiOn, the heart was in a weakened
condition, and these complications
were added TO by the final strain of
the attack of asthma which could not
be resisted.
Arrangements were made by Mr..
Adams, Howard and Marion Rice,
Miss Susan Clark and Mrs. Annie G.
Cobb to leave Washington with the
body on Saturday evening. Mrs.
Cobb and Miss Clark had been in
Washington several weeks, the latter
accompanying Mrs. Rice there and
being her companion throughout her
sickness. The party reached Brat
tleboro on the 1910 train Sunday
night, and the body was taken to the
Brooks House, the homestead on High
street having been closed for the win
ter.
Mrs. Rice was the eldest of eleven
children, born to the late Edward and
Betsey Jones Crosby. Her birth took
place in Marlboro June %, 1874 in a
house about one-half mile this side
of Marlboro village. This house was
afterward taken down and rebuilt as
one of the Melrose Academy buildings
in West Brattleboro. Her parents
moved to West Brattleboro when she
was a child and later to the East
village.
Mrs. Rice attended the High school
here under Colonel Miles. and was
also a student two or three years at
the Glenwood Seminary in West Brat
tleboro under the late Hiram circuit.
One of her classmates there was Sally
Joy White, the well known writer of
the Boston Herald staff.
Mrs. Rice was married April II,
1866 to Charles B. Rice, and they be-
gan housekeeping in the Burditt
cupied by H. II. Thompson. Mr.
Rice came here from CharlemOnt,
Mass, in 1860 to work for Edward
Crosby. He was one of the ardent
young patriots and enlisted in Com
pany c of the I'd Vermont regiment
in 1861. He was severely wounded
in both legs in the battle of Bull Run
and being taken prisoner, was thrown
into a freight car and carried to Rich
mond, where he was imprisoned in
a tobacco warehouse. He was eX
changed in 1862 in a very exhausted
condition, and was hOnOrably dis
charged from service in November
1862. AS soon as able he entered
the Office of Edward Crosby < Com
pany as boOkkeeper, and two years
later became a member of the firm
He was an active business man and
was a strong supporter of Mr.. Crosby
in the important enterprise of building
Crosby block. He withdrew from
the firm in 1873 to engage in the
flour and grain business in Worcester
Their son was born while they lived
IN Worcester. Mr., Rice's health
which had been shattered by his suf-
feTings in the war, compelled him to
retire from business in a few months.
He was obliged to spend the winters
in the South and the family were with
him at Aiken, S. c., one winter, and
also for several winters at Tallade-
ga where Mr.. Rice was treasurer
of Talladega college. Mr.. Rices
death took place here November A.
1885, at the home of Mr.. and Mrs.
Mrs. Rice had lived in Brattleboro
continuously since then, first with her
parents on Western avenue, and later
on High street where both the father
and mother died.
Mrs. Rices last surviving sister,
Ella, wife of l.. F. Adams, and both
father and mother died within a
short time II years ago, and after
ward Mr.. Adams and his five children
came to the house on High street and
for nine years the children were UNI
der the care and direction of Mrs.
Rice.
Mrs. Rice united with the Centre
Congregational church on March l,
1863 She took a letter to the Pied
mont church in Worcester in 1873,
but transferred her membership back
to the church here in 1886. She
always supported and was interested
and active all affairs of the church.
Mrs. Rices ancestry was of good Rev
dictionary stock and she was men,
Der of the Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution and Of the Colonial
Danes.
Mrs. Rice is survived by her two
children, Howard Crosby Rice. for
merly wiz. The Phoenix and of late
with the Ansonia, Conn, Evening Sen
tinel, and Miss Marion M. Rice, who
is preparing for Mount Holyoke
college. The only survivors of her
fathers family are her two brothers,
IRA ,rrar1 Trncbu and Gbap1ac