St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1905-12-06
Death of Mrs, A. E. w. Robertson.
The Great Work among the Indians that
never Will he Equalled

| never Will he EquaIled
The death is announced at her home in
Muskogee, Indian Territory, Of Mrs. A.
E. Worcester, wife OF the late Prot. W.
S. Robertson. She had been in poor
health for several months and her death
was not unexpected.
Ann Eliza Worcester was born on the
banks OF the Chickamauga river, Nov. Z,
1926 Her mother was the daughter OF
Hon. John Orr OF Bedford, N. H., and her
father was Rev. DR.. Samuel A, Worces-
ter, at one time principal of Peacham
academy and one OF the most distinguish
ed divines that ever lived in Caledonia
county. At the time of her birth her
father was engaged in missionary work
among the Cherokee Indians. When she
was two years old her parents moved to
New Eschota, the capital OF the Cherokee
nation, where her father was engaged in
translating for the Indians. Her mother
died when the subject OF this sketch was
only IA years old, leaving the girl at the
head of the family. She attended to
household duties until her father married
again when she came to St. Johnsbury
Academy where she spent tour years.
Then learning that the Mission day
school at Park HilI in the Cherokee
nation, needed a teacher, she applied for
the position and was appointed in
September, 1916 In 1850 she became
the wife of Prot. w. S. Robertson, prnci-
pal of the Manual Labor Boarding
school at Tallahassee in the Greek nation.
In order to better reach the Creeks, she
mastered their language and assisted her
husband in his work among the Indians.
Her work of transating the English
language into Creek is one OF the great
est ever done by any woman. The most
OF her time was spent in loving endeav-
or to do this in order to get the gospel to
them and to do them good She trans.
lated many OF the beautiful hymns and
after twelve years OF almost incessant
work she had the New Testament print
ed in their language. She also did
great work on the vocabulary of Indian
words in "Albert Pixies Vocabulary"
she filled out the "Koasardy, the Chlcha-
saw and most of the Hitchity for DR..
Brinton to whom she gave definitions of
words sent to her in Creek, Yoochee and
Natchee and she futher assisted him in
bis grammar of the Creek language and
in his National Legend of the Chanta
Muskogee Tribes"
For all of this work and as a recog-
uition of her unusual scholarly attain
ments, Mrs. Robertson was in 1885 the
recipient OF the highest honor ever con
ferred upon woman by the trustees of
Wooster University when the title OF
Doctor Of Philosophy was granted to
her.
On the twenty.sixth Of June, 1881, her
husband died, leaving her to carry on the
work she had given her life to do. This
blow, however, together with her many
and various duties, left an impression
upon her constitution and she was
ordered north by her physician. She
went to Chicago and while there sus.
tanned severe injuries in an accident
which only by the best OF care were pre-
vented from causing her death. She
then returned to her beloved mission and
began again the work so dear to her
heart. Since July 1887, she has been EN-.
ployed by the Presbyterian Mission of
the Indian Territory and has been
claimed and supported by the Womans
Mission Society OF Huron Presbytery,
Ohio.
Mrs. Robertson leaves four children,
one son, Prot. S. W. Robertson, principal
OF the schools OF Rochester, N. H., and
three daughters, Mrs. N. B. Moore, Of
Haskell, l. T., Miss Alice Robertson OF
Muskogee. and Mrs. H. P. Merriman of
Chicago, Ill. All of these children are
following in the footsteps OF their
mother, working for Christ and for the
education OF the unlearned. For many
years her home has been with a daugh.
ter, her slender missionary salary having
been used in her good work for others.
The funeral services of Mrs. Robertson
were held in the First Presbyterian
church OF which she was one OF the oldest
and truest members. The church chan
Gel was very bower OF beautiful
wreaths and flowers, tributes of loving
friends. An immense crowd of her friends
and former pupils were gathered in the
church to hear the last words spoken
over her remains.
| The remains were taken on the three
O'Clock Frisco train to Park Hill for burial
with the body OF Mrs. Robertson's hus-
band, parents and deceased children.