The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-06-02
IN MEMORY OF I'D. FERNALD
Brief Sketch Of Late Prominent Blue
Earth County Resident.
From, ThurSdav'S Daily

| EdTIU SOuUty nSSt0Suts
From Thursdays Daily.
| The funeral of the late Benjamin L
Fernald took place from his home Sat
urday, May goth, at 2:3O, and the in.
| terment was at the Vernon Center
cemetery. 1t was very largely attend.
ed many of the deceaseds friends be-
ing present.
Rev. j. Nichols of the Baptist
church, assisted by Rev. George HI
Davis, rector of the Mankato Episco-
pal church, conducted the services
which were tenderly impressive and sad
Friends and schoomates of Mr.. Fer
Maid from abroad were Mr.. and Mrs
Martin Carpenter; Mr.. and Mrs. JEFF.
ferson Carpenter all of Winnebago;
William HI. Williams of st. Paul
George M. Palmer, D. S. Evans, Capt
Clark Keysor of Mankato; j. H. Sprout
of Blue Earth, Mr.. and Mrs. w. H
Davis and Mr.. George Green of Maple
ton.
The Masonic service was carried out,
and Captain Keysor gave the rituals
tic work in most beautiful and i'm
pressive manner.
Benjamin F. Fernald was born in
Mankato, July 3lst, 1857. Left an or
phan at the early age of five years, the
family consisting of himself, one broth
er and a sister were scattered. The
sister afterwards dying at the age of
seventeen years.
Left alone in the world he passed
several years of mis- boyhood in Man
kato. Thinking he could do better else
where, he came to Vernon Center and
spent about three years in the families
of A. C. Wilbur and S. j. Minis. He
returned to Mankato for the purpose
of attending the high school, where he
attained good education. Mr.. Fer
maid was married to Jennie L. Blanch-
ard of Vernon Center. Sept. l4th, 1879
To this union was born four chill
dren, one son and three daugh-
tiers, the youngest of whom was taken
from them in 1900, at the age of two
years.
Mr.. Fernald was converted during the
Hunter revival" and united with the
Vernon Center Baptist church.
He was an active member of the Ma
sonic fraternity, also of the Knights of
Pythias, in which orders he held promi-
nent and responsible positions.
He was a man of unbounded ambi-
ton, and this combined with great
energy and industry resulted in secur-
ing him fine home, and the con-
seriousness that whatever success he at
tanned in life was due to his own eff
forts, as he truly achieved the right
to be classed in the ranks of "self made
men,"
Mr.. Fernald caught a severe cold
while in st. Paul in January, which
terminated in tuberculosis, resulting in
death at his home on Thursday, May,
18th, 1905, at ten minutes past eleven.
Mr.. Fernald is survived by mis- wife,
one son Clinton, and two daughters,
Della and Dora; also one brother resid-
| ing at Claresholm, Alberta, Canada
All that skilled physicians and low
ing hands could do, could not stay the
reckoning hand.
But if in this life only we had hope
we of all men most miserable. Although
he has passed from our earthly vision
yet we know, and are assured he has
only solved at last that greatest of all
mysteries, the sweet and solemn mystery
that men call death. In an instant he
has reached a height of knowledge, far
beyond our mortal wisdom; a height
that we only can attain unto, when our
feet like his, shall have climbed the
heights immortal in the Paradise of
God.