The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-01-10
Miss Martha H Garfield

Hulme Canfteld one OF the Oldest ant
best-knowin OF the Arlington neigh
bors. She had been confined to he.
bed for more than a week with an Ill
ness which began as neuritds and de
veloped into .erysipelas. No alarm
was felt about her condition as she
was recovering rapidly and seemed
to be passing through normal, easy
conyalescence On Tuesday, ths
30th OF December she seemed ss
much better that the doctor prom SET
her If she continued to improve as she
had been do ng, she would be allow
ed to sit up the next day. But about
five o'clock that afternoon, following
on a slight exc tion, came a quick
failure of the heart. Death was al
most instantaneous, a painless, fear
less. quiet ending TO a long, sweet
and loving life.
Everyone who lived In Arlington or
ever came there on visits knew
Miss Matte. as she was called by
young and old alike, and the lnnum-
erable letters which have poured in
since her death all express the same
feeling, that Arlington will never be
quite the same without Miss Mat
ties" qu'et cheer and friendly, every
ready smile. One of the most touch
ing tibutes paid TO her gentle mem
ory, was one which summed up what
everyone felt about her. Mrs. Mary
Ann Buck said OF her, weeping, Il
have been to the Brick House every
week for thirty years and never saw
a frown on Miss Mattie's face"
Miss Garfield was the only daughter
OF the Reverend Eli H. Canfield Of
Christ Church Brooklyn. She was
born in New Yok on April II. 1850.
and spent the first part OF her life
there in the winters, while receiving
her education. But she spent great
deal Of time in Arlington also, and al
ways all the summer Vacations. When
her father retired from active work
in the min stry and came TO I've in
Arlington, she took UP that residence
in the Brick House" which was to
continue almost literally unbroken
until her death. At that time the
Brick House" was the abode OF sew
eral energetic members OF the Can
field family of the olde generation to
whom Miss Matte was always. even
when she passed middle life little
Matte" and the house was the cen
ter. as II has always continued to be,
OF family gatherings and reunions.
Miss Mattie's only brother was Dir.
lanes Hulme Canfield. the we'll
known educator, and he and his fam
~ liz IN ~
old home during all OF their wander
ings In various cities, His widow,
Mrs. F1avia Camp Canneld, and his
two children. James a Garfield Of
Pieasantvil'e, N. W and Mrs. Doro-
thy Garfield Fisher of Arlington are
all that are left OF Miss Mattie's i'm
mediate family, and to them all the
Brick House was second home.
When DR.. Garfield. Sr.. was strick-
en- with paralysis, 1t was Miss Matte
who cared for her father tendorly.
during all the many years OF his in
valid old age She closed the eyg,7
of her old uncle, Zadok Garfield, an
later, twelve years ago, she was left
alone by the death of her aunt Miss
Mary Ann Garfield Since then she
has lived alone in the big old house
with her faithful maid, Katherine
Killion, whom everybody knew as
miss Mattie's Katie" and who loyal
ly helped Miss Matte in all of her
quiet efforts for the common good.
These were many and constantly re-
newed Miss Mattie's devotion to
st. James Church was large part of
her life. She never missed sery-
ice. and many people have sncken Of
the fact that to see Miss Matte come
out of the Brick House when the last
church bell began TO ring, was as
much a part OF Sunday as the sound
of the bell. For thirty-five years
without single exception, she had
3nne the largest part OF the prepara-
tions for the Sunday School Christ
mas, and had been present, tired and
smiling, when the children received
their presents and sang thei carols.
She had taught in the Sunday school
all her life, generation after genera
tion Of little and big boys, who have
written back to Arlington of their
sorrow to til nix that dear Miss Mat
TIC, ouNh q pt4 lldACht iidil VI tuNh
childhood recollections, will not be
there to welcome them back on visits !.
sunnyfaoed, unchanged in
any way since their boyhood
Since the death of the last OF the
old people TO whom she ministe ed
with such affectionate care she has
h more tine 10 herself, and she had
added to her Church and Sunday
school and general welfare activities.
the establishment and upkeep of a H.
brary for Arlington. She received
no financial help from the town, and
at first very little encouragement or
even moral support ON anyone, but
in her simple. unpretending way, she
kent steadily working at the idea, and
when her sudden death removed her
from the work she left library of
well-selected modern books of more
than a thousand volumes, we'll
equipped reading-room with all the
usual magazines, and yearly circula-
tion in the village of about twelve
hundred volumes a year.
All this was in the minds and
hearts of those who attended her fun
eral in the church she loved so well,
and who followed her to her last rest