The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1916-06-08

Although the active life Of Mrs.
Hemcnway in our community was
closed several years ago, the news Of
her passing away In HONOLULU on May
IL, brought deep sense Of loss TO all
who knew her.
There are a few among Us who can
recall her a. she looked when She first
came 70 Manchester in 1863, the guest
~ her friend and school-mate, gary
Barnham. IL was then she met Or.
Hemcnway, who was in the first years
Of his practice here, and on Sept 2ist,
1870, they were married In Bethany
Church, Montpelier, BY the Rev. DR..
William A. Lord. From there they
came directly to Manchester to estab-
fish the home which for more than
forty years was center Of hospital
ity and Of activity in every good work.
Mrs. Hemenway was born in Mont
pclicr Nov. Sth, 1916, the daughter Of
Joseph and Frances Cotton Reed. She
was early sent to Mrs. Worcester's
School in Burlington, which was noted
for the high quality Of its instruction,
and later she spent a year at the
famous school Of DR.. Dio Lewis in
Lexington, Mass.
DR.. Lewis was a pioneer in many
ways and especially in advocating ply
steal training for women. Under his
instruction Mrs. Hemenway added to
her inheritance OF bodily yigor, which
was SO marked a characteristic and
which never failed her until the time
when her house Of life was ready to
be taken down.
Into the Hemcnway home we're born
five children, daughter and four
sons. Later a motherless cousin came
10 share the home with the others and
became the second daughter Of the
house and heart. 1t was good to see
Mrs. Hemenway in her family. Her
word was law, but il was the law OF
kindness, and like the excellent woman
in Proverbs "her children arise up and
call her blessed; her husband also and
he praiseth her.
ANY sketch Of Mrs. Hemenway's life
would be incomplete which did not re-
fer to her hospitality in her home and
- ,kt,t.
Her guest book, II she had kept one,
would have needed many pages to re-
cord the names of all who sat at her
table or tarried under her roof. There
was no spare room" in her house I'M
I'll some of the family had grown up
and gone away, but by doublings and
plannings room was always made for
the delegate or the guest, and for all
the kinfolks who came from time to
time to visit.
In the church there was no form OF
activity from the serving OF tables to
the promoting Of missionary interests
in which she did not lead. To the
church, the prayer meeting, the Sun
day school and to the benevolent and
missionary work Of the church her
tolls and prayers were given in I'M
stinted measure. Her children were
early established in the habit Of church
attendance and in all her actions she
made her own the words of the
Psalmist. IL was glad when they said
unto me, Let us go into the house of
the Lord"
Ii was in 1909 that those nearest to
Mrs. Hemenway first noticed a slack
ening of her energies, and from that
time on there was a slow but gradual
weakening Of all her powers.
Ii was thought her life might be
prolonged by removal to a warmer
climate and in the autumn of 1917
she went with her husband and
daughter to Honolulu, Hawaii, to make
her home with her oldest son, Charles
r. Hemenway, who was established
there. In 1914 she was able to re-
turn to Manchester for a summers
visit to her children and grandchildren
in the old home and once more her
friends were gathered there to greet
her. She was the same cordial hostess,
yet not the same, and when she left to
return to Honolulu we felt that we
should not look upon her face again
Tenderly cared for by her husband
and children she looscd her hold on
life little by little, without pain or
suffering, and at the last passed quiet
ly away.
There were services at the home OF
her son in Honolulu where friends
brought flowers and heaped them
about the urn which held her ashes.