Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1920-10-07
Mrs. John S. Sweeney

| y
life of Rose, devoted wife of
John S. Sweeney, one is led to
recall the history of this i'm
mediate vicinity for the past
sixty-fve years and to reflect
on the qualities that in the wo-
men of preceding generations
were considered most natural
and admirable.
Born at st. Johnsbury, March
s, 1855, the daughter of Cornell
D. Stevens, Mrs. Sweeney went
while a child with her parents
to live at East Charleston. At
that period in Vermont history
such a community was a kind
of assemblage of families which
were for generations it's perm
anent inhabitants. Being a
way from the railroad and
without modern methods of
transportation, it was natural
that they should live with inter-
ests closely associated and To-
cally confined, and that wo-
mans affections, if her immedi-
ate family relations were fort
innate, should centcrin herhome
and it would more and more
become her little world. The
woman to whom opportunity
gave the conditions for such a
home, and who by frugality
and devotion could keep it in
tact, was contented, and kept
good influence in the COM
munity the loss of which was
deeply felt when she passed a.
way. Such a woman was Mrs.
Sweeney. But the Incidents of
her life were not only those in
cluded in this description.
Somewhat of the romance Of
earlier times came to her.
When she was a little girl
the war came and she saw one
hundred and twenty-one of the
youth Of the locality enlist,
thirty-fve Of whom went out to
die. The going away of the
young men made help on the
farms scarce and Eliphale.
Prescott went up into Canada
to find a boy. At Ayers Flats
he found one whose father had
enlisted in the Union army and
he brought him back to work
COR him. In this manner John
Sweeney came to Charleston
and became the boy friend Of
Lafayette Stevens who took
him one day to his home where
he met his sister Rose.
On July l, 1875, John S.
Sweeney and Rose E. Stevens
were married by the Rev. F. J.
Spencer. They began house
keeping in three rooms, and
that day and for forty-fve
years he had a home to which
she greeted him on his coming.
Mr.. Sweeney's life has ever
been one Of energy and entc--
prise, land for years his business
engagements have taken him
to other places to which he al
ways carried with him the help
full knowledge that she kept
waiting for his return, a pleas
ant home.
In 1898 Mr.. and Mrs. Swee-
ney took up their residence at
Island Pond.
Into their life at Charleston
there came one child, the
daughter Iva, now the wife
of DR.. A. E. Parlin, and because
| of the fact that the two fami-
lies have resided together, Mr..
and Mrs. Sweeney have had
with them in their later years
at Island Pond, the grandaugh-
ter Pauline. In this home in
both communities and to the
very last, Mrs. Sweeney lived IN
quiet patience and generous
hospitality. In it she cared
| for her mother for five years
and for her father for tenyears
To it she brought Esefa Chap
pell, the orphaned child of her
sister, and for more than twen-
lty years was to her like a moth
er. The declining years of Mr.,
and Mrs. John G.. Parlin were
lpassed in this home, and only a
| few weeks since, at the age OF
imore than four score and ten
years, the frail and gentle life
of Mrs. Parlin went out from
Its solicitous care.
The life of Mrs. Sweeney,
though literally it extended to
only two small communities