Allegheny County

Churches

GRACE CHURCH PARISH,
 

MOUNT WASHINGTON, PITTSBURGH, PA.

PAGES 230 - 261

Burials

Transcribed and contributed by Joan Skinnell Benincasa

A HISTORY

OF

GRACE CHURCH PARISH,

MOUNT WASHINGTON,

PITTSBURGH, PA.

WITH LIST OF PARISHIONERS, VESTRYMEN, BAP-

TISMS, CONFIRMATIONS, MARRIAGES,

BURIALS, ET CETERA,

BY
REV. ROBERT JOHN COSTER, D. D.,
RECTOR.

INCLUDING, ALSO, A SKETCH OF THE EARLY
HISTORY OF THE PARISH,

BY

HON. THOMAS T. BIGHAM,
LATE SENIOR WARDEN.

1903 :
WM. O. JOHNSTON & CO.,
PITTSBURGH.

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230

BURIALS, 1854-1903.
 

No burials recorded in Parish Register prior to 1854.

September 22, 1854;
JOHN PARKER, in Mount Oliver Cemetery, aged 56 years.

November 7, 1854:
JAMES VICTOR LESLIE, in Allegheny Cemetery, aged 2 years.

February 27, 1857:
HUGH BLACKHURST, Allegheny Cemetery, aged 57 years.

July 8, 1858:
SAMUEL F. LESLIE, Allegheny Cemetery, aged 2 years.

September 8, 1858:
THOMAS FREY, M. D., Allegheny Cemetery, aged 78 years.

December 29, 1858:
HATTIE CHIVERS, Allegheny Cemetery, aged 1 year.

January —, 1859:
ELLA LAURA CHIVERS, Allegheny Cemetery, aged 6 years.
These two children of Mr. and Mrs. George Chivers were first buried in the churchyard, but in March, 1859, their remains were removed to the Allegheny Cemetery.

September 30, 1860:
ANNA ELIZABETH LANGDON, Concord Cemetery, aged 14 months, Rev. Jubal Hodges officiating.

July 10. 1866:
PHEBE ANN McMILLIN, aged 50 years, wife of Capt. John S. McMillin, of Grandview avenue and Bigham street. Service at the church, conducted by Dr. Killikelly, the rector, assisted by the Rev. Dr. Page and the Rev. Mr. Snively, of the city. Buried in Allegheny Cemetery. "A devout communicant of Grace Church, a most excellent Christian woman and a valuable member of the church and of society."

November 9, 1866:
MRS. SUSAN BLANTON, wife of Charles Blanton, in Allegheny Cemetery, Rev. B. B. Killikelly, D. D. rector, officiating.
 

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February 3, 1867,
WILLIAM ADAMS, a native of England, aged 66 years, Allegheny Cemetery, by the Rev. B. B. Killikelly, D.D., rector. A trustworthy mechanic, engaged for twenty-six years in the Pittsburgh Gas Works. A devout communicant in the church of his forefathers.

August 6, 1871:
MARY GOLDING, mother of Capt. Thomas H. Golding, Mount Washington, died at her home, Grandview Avenue and Shiloh street, and buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. Dr. Page officiating. Aged 80 years.

April 15, 1872:
CAPT. THOMAS H. GOLDING, died at his residence, Grandview avenue and Shiloh street, Saturday, 13th, after a long and painful illness, borne with great patience. Funeral service in Church, Sixth avenue, and burial in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector of Grace Church, officiating. Aged 50 years.

July 24, 1872:
MARY ALBERTA TORRENCE, infant daughter of David R. and Margaret Torrence, aged 13 months; in Concord Cemetery, the rector officiating.

April 27, 1873:
MRS. DOROTHY TROTTER WOODS, wife of John Woods and daughter of Robert and Dorothy Trotter, of Mount Washington, aged 23 years. Service in Grace Church; burial in Hilldale Cemetery, the rector officiating.

January 7, 1874:
SAMUEL GOLDTHORP STEELE, infant son of Thomas W. and Mary Goldthorp Steele, aged 18 months, in Hilldale Cemetery, the rector, Rev. R. J. Coster, officiating.

June 19, 1874:
MARY JANE EWENS, wife of Tom Thomas Ewens, aged 34 years. Died at her residence, No. 1 Pastor street, after a long illness, which she bore with Christian fortitude; buried in Bellevue Cemetery, Allegheny.
 

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July 24, 1874:
MRS.________ADDINGTON, mother of Mrs. Charles Goehring, aged 79 years, died at the residence of her daughter, Grandview avenue, near Stanwix street, buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating.

October 4, 1874:
JULIAN GEORGE BOND, eldest son of William L. and Annie M. Bond, aged 8 years and 6 months; in Allegheny Cemetery, the rector officiating.

June 13, 1876:
JOHN BINDLEY McMILLIN, eldest son of John S. and Mary B. McMillin, aged 3 years, died at the family residence Grandview avenue and Bigham street, buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the rector officiating.

September 16, 1877:
ZEBINA McMILLIN, eldest daughter of John S. and Mary B. McMillin, aged 7 years; in Allegheny Cemetery, the rector officiating.

October 4, 1877:
JOHN PARE, born in England, died at his residence, Garden street, Mount Washington, after a long illness, borne with great patience and submission, and buried in Union Cemetery, Allegheny, after service in Grace Church, the rector, Rev. R. J. Coster, officiating.

February 7, 1878:
MRS._________LINDSLEY, aged 65 years, died at her residence, Gray's Road, Mount Washington, and buried in Mount Lebanon Cemetery, the rector officiating.

February 10, 1878:
MR.__________ALKER, an Englishman, aged 76 years, died at his residence, Norton street, and buried in the South Side Cemetery, the rector officiating.

January 2, 1879:
MRS. MARY LOWEN, wife of George Lowen, born in England, died at her residence, Union Township, Allegheny County, aged 70 years, and buried in Chartiers cemetery, Mansfield Valley, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating. Raised a large family, was a devoted mother and a faithful, conscientious woman.  ''The memory of the just is blessed."
 

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January 11, 1879:
MRS. SARAH REESE, widow of the late David Reese and mother of Mrs. Mary E. Torrence, widow of Robert, died at the residence of Mrs. Torrence, Mount Washington, aged 87 years, and buried in Concord Cemetery, the rector officiating.

April 12, 1879:
MRS. MARIA ADAMS, widow of William, born in England, came to America in early womanhood, settled in Pittsburgh, married and lived on Mount Washington, Virginia street, and was for nearly thirty years a regular attendant on the services at Grace Church; died at the Home for Aged Women at the age of 78, and was buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster and the Rev. J. P. Norman officiating.  In her will, of which she made Henry J. Lynch, of Pittsburgh, the executor, she left to Grace Church a legacy of fifty dollars ($50), which sum was set apart by the rector and vestry as the beginning of an endowment fund for Grace Church, called, in her memory, '"The Maria Adams Endowment Fund." By this gift her name will be remembered and other devout souls be prompted to similar action.  "Though dead she yet speaketh."

January 20, 1880:
MISS MARGARET GOEHRING, eldest daughter of Charles and Eliza A. Goehring, after a long and painful illness, died at the residence of her parents, on Grandview avenue near Stanwix street, in the thirty-fifth year of her age, and was buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating. She had a gentle
spirit, and was a devout, faithful woman. She bore her great suffering with remarkable patience and died in full assurance of faith that God would give her peace and rest.

February 6 and 22, 1880:
RALPH REVELVY, on the 6th inst, aged 4 years and 6 months, GRACE REVELVY, on the 22d inst, aged 7 years, children of Paul and Mary Revelvy, in Hilidale Cemetery, Allegheny, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating.

July 14, 1880:
JOHN WILLIAM JACKSON, died at his residence, Southern avenue, aged 55 years; buried in Mount Lebanon Cemetery, the Rev. Robert J. Coster, rector, officiating.
 

234

December 27, 1881:
TIMOTHY SEIFERT, aged 30 years, in Hilldale Cemetery, the rector, Rev. R. J. Coster, officiating.

July 9, 1882:
DR. DAVID PALMER, died at the residence of his mother, aged 35 years. The rector officiated at the house and the remains were taken to Windsor, Vermont, for interment in the family burying ground.

December 24, 1882:
CHESTER REED, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel G. Reed, aged 17 months; service at the parents' residence by the rector, and the remains taken to Brownsville for interment, where the Rev. Mr. Day officiated.

January 7, 1883:
MARY AMELIA BINDLEY, infant daughter of John and Emeline Bindley, aged 10 months, in Allegheny Cemetery, the rector officiating.

March 22, 1883:
SARAH LOWEN GOLDTHORP, wife of Samuel H. Goldthorp and daughter of George Lowen, died at the family residence, Wyoming street, near Sycamore, aged 53 years, and buried in Chartiers Cemtery, Mansfield Valley, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating. A noble and devout woman, a tender and devoted wife and mother, and an earnest church worker, adorning every sphere in which she moved with a consistent, gentle and beautiful Christian life.

September 11, 1883:
MRS. RUTH REED, wife of Samuel G. Reed, aged 33 years. Services at her home by the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, and the remains taken to Brownsville and interred in the family burying ground.

January 26, 1884:
MRS. JEMIMA ALKER, widow, aged 80 years, died at her residence, Norton street, Mount Washington; buried in South Side Cemetery, the Rev, R. J. Coster, rector, officiating.

February 7, 1884
MRS. JANE BRATT, wife of Squire Edward Bratt, died at her home, Wyoming street, near Virginia avenue, aged 77 years; buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating. She was a regular attendant of the service of Grace Church for nearly twenty years, a communicant and a faithful worker in her Master's service. She departed in peace, looking for the rest that await the people of God.
 

235

March 21, 1884:
MRS. SARAH E. MINSINGER, wife of William Minsinger, daughter of Charles and Margaret Ream, Mount Washington, aged 30 years; in Allegheny Cemetery, .the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating.

May 19, 1884:
MRS. REED, daughter of George Lowen, from the residence of her brother, Seth Lowen, Virginia street; in Chartiers Cemetery, Mansfield Valley, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating.

November 11, 1884:
THOMAS J. BIGHAM, a vestryman and one of the founders of Grace Church, died at his residence, Woodlawn, Mount Washington. Funeral service held in Trinity Church, Sixth avenue, the Rev. R. J. Coster, assisted by the Rt. Rev. Cortlandt Whitehead, Bishop of Pittsburgh, officiating. Buried in Allegheny Cemetery. He was senior warden of the parish for many years, acted as lay reader and superintendent of the Sunday School, and from the organization of, the parish in 1852 was one of its chief supporters. He was. a devout, patient man, simple in his tastes, strong in his convictions and firm in his belief of the truths of the Gospel. He finished his course in faith and now rests in hope.

February 14, 1885:
GEORGE T. LOWEN, born in England, died at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. Price, in Union township, Allegheny County, at the age of 76 years; buried in Chartiers Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating. He was one of the members of the first vestry of Grace Church and active in its affairs while he lived on Mount Washington; but after he moved to his farm beyond Saw Mill Run he seldom got to church, although he maintained his interest in the parish to the last. He was an upright, reliable man, and left a large family of married sons and daughters to revere his memory and imitate his integrity.
 

236

November 1, 1885:
EDWARD BRATT, SR., born in England, an iron worker, came to America and finally fixed his home on Mount Washington and became a member of Grace Church; died at his residence, Wyoming street, near Virginia avenue, aged 80 years. Funeral service in the church, at 2 o'clock P. M., on All Saints Day, and buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating. He was for many years a vestryman and treasurer of Grace Church; he was a devout and regular attendent on public worship, faithful in all the relations of life, and highly respected for his integrity.

January 19 and 27, 1886:
RICHARD ROBINSON, on January 19, aged 19 years, and JOSEPH ROBINSON, on the 27th, aged 10 years; brothers, sons of William and Margaret Robinson; in Mount Lebanon Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating.

January 31, 1886:
EMELINE BINDLEY, wife of John Bindley, a vestryman of Grace Church, in her thirty-third year; from her residence, Boggs avenue, Mount Washington, laid to rest in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating.

February 15, 1886:
MARY GOLDTHORP STEELE, widow of Thomas Steele and daughter of Samuel H. and Sarah L. Goldthorp, aged 38 years; in Chartiers Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating. A faithful and devout Christian woman.

March 1, 1887:
MARY V. LOWE, infant daughter of John J. and Elizabeth C. Lowe, of Plymouth and Sycamore streets, Duquesne Heights, aged 16 months; in Bellevue Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating.

March 25, 1887:
SARAH ISABELL REESE, wife of William A. Reese and daughter of William L. and Annie M. Bond, of Virginia street, aged 24 years; in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating. Buried from her home, in Etna borough.
 

237

April 13, 1887:
GEORGE MARLAND, brother of Alfred Marland, aged 35 years; from his home, on Duquesne Heights, in Mount Lebanon Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating.

June 19, 1887:
ELIZABETH F. HOWE, wife of William Howe, of 247 Virginia avenue, aged 76 years; in South Side Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating.

August 26, 1887:
SAMUEL H. GOLDTHORP, of Wyoming street, aged 63 years; in Chartiers Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating. Several years he was vestryman of Grace Church.

August 27, 1887:
HANNAH IRENE WEYGAND, wife of Charles William Weygand and daughter of James and Mary A. Robinson, aged 29 years; in Chartiers Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating. A fair young life, full of happiness in her married life, which ended with the birth of her first child. God doeth all things well.

September 11, 1887:
ELMER DAVIS, daughter of Michael and Agnes Davis, aged 3 years; in South Side Cemetery, the rector officiating.

July 29, 1888:
ARTHUR PHILLIPS, stepson of H. R. Heppinstal, aged 16 years; in South Side Cemetery, the rector officiating. Drowned on July 26, while bathing in the Monongahela River.

October 16, 1888:
MARIA LOUISE BIGHAM, widow of the late Thomas J. Bigham, aged 70 years, died at Hill Home, Mount Washington, her late residence. Funeral service in Grace Church, attended by a large congregation of those among whom she so long lived and worked as a Sunday School teacher and a church member; buried in Allegheny Cemetery beside her husband, the Rev. R. J. Coster, her rector, officiating. She was the chief promoter of and contributor to the organization of Grace Church, and for forty years lived among its people and shared their struggles in maintaining public worship and religious instruction for the young. A noble, Christian woman, of great dignity of manner, of great strength of character, of high refinement and culture, of strong faith and deep piety. She died in faith in her Lord, and now, life's sorrows and disappointments over, she sleeps in peace.  "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord."
 

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October 23, 1888:
THOMAS JACKSON, born in England, raised in the Church, came to this country and settled in Pittsburgh 60 years ago; became an active member of St. Andrew's Church, moved to Mount Washington, and for a number of years assisted in the Sunday School of Grace Church. Died at his residence, Prospect street, near public schoolhouse, in the eighty-first year of his age; buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating.

February 3, 1889:
EDITH N. FERGUSON, daughter of David B. and Katharine Ferguson and granddaughter of Charles and Margaret Ream, died at her mother's residence, corner Woodville avenue and Merrimac street, aged 31 years.  Funeral service in Grace Church, attended by a large congregation of her friends; buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, her pastor, officiating.  An artist of great promise, a lady of fine literary taste, a devout communicant, and a woman of generous, sympathetic nature, whose rare qualities of mind and heart won for her a large circle of devoted friends.

April 16, 1890:
EVANGELINE HARDY, daughter of Charles C. and Cornelia E. Hardy, of Joel's Lane and Sycamore street, aged 5 years; in Uniondale Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating.

July 17, 1890:
SENA SHALER, wife of John C. Shaler, Sr., and mother of John C. Shaler, Jr., died at her residence, Duquesne Heights, aged 66 years; buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating. A retiring, gentle woman and a devoted wife and mother.

November 6, 1890:
HELEN JONES, wife of Thomas Jones, born in England, died at her home, Natchez and Cuthbert streets, aged 35 years, and buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the rector, Rev. R. J. Coster, officiating.
 

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December 2, 1890:
EMILY McMILLIN, third daughter of John S. and Mary B. McMillin, died Sunday, November 30, aged 19 years, and buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating. A devout communicant, a gentle, lovable woman, full of faith in her Lord and of the hope of immortality.

December 11, 1890:
HENRY YATES ROBINSON, son of James and Mary A. Robinson and grandson of George T. Lowen, died at the home of his parents, on Oneida street, aged 18 years, and buried in Chartiers Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating.

February 15, 1891:
WILLIAM M. HUGHES, died at his residence, Wyoming street, aged 55 years; buried in South Side Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating.

February 26, 1891:
JOHN CONWAY SHALER, SR., son of the late Judge Charles Shaler, died at his residence, Sweetbrier street, Duquesne Heights, aged 75 years, and buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating.

March 31, 1891:
GEORGE ALBERT GOULD, infant son of Edward and Silence Gould, Wyoming near Sycamore street, aged 2 months; in South Side Cemetery, the rector officiating.

June 28, 1891:
NEVILLE SYDNEY MILLER, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. N. S. Miller, aged 9 months; in South Side Cemetery, the Rev. C. A. Bragdon officiating for the rector.

July 18, 1891:
LAWRENCE SMITH HUMBERT, only child of Charles and Josephine Humbert, aged 10 years. Service at the parents' residence, corner of Grandview avenue and Bertha street, by the Rev. R. J. Coster, assisted by the Rev. Mr. Farran. Interment in the Summit Cemetery, near Cresson, Pa.
 

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November 15, 1891:
SAMUEL SPARKS WELTY, son of Frederick K. and Martha L. Welty, died at the home of his parents, Grandview avenue and Shiloh street, aged 7 years. Service at the house by the Rev. R. J. Coster, and interment in St. Paul's Cemetery, near Pleasant Unity, Westmoreland County, Pa.

November 29, 1891:
ELIZA AUGUSTA STOUT, second daughter of Melville L. and Mary J. Stout, and granddaughter of the late Thomas J. and Maria L. Bigham, aged 3 years and 2 months; in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating.

January 17, 1892:
MARY STOUT, third daughter of Melville L. and Mary J. Stout, aged 15 months; in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating.

February 13, 1892:
JOEL LEWIS BIGHAM, eldest son of the late Thomas J. and Maria L. Bigham, aged 45 years, died January 20, 1892, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, B. A. His remains were brought to Pittsburgh and interred in the Allegheny Cemetery beside his father and mother.

June 18, 1892:
ISABELLA GOLDING, only daughter of the late Thomas H. and Sarah M. Golding, died at a sanitarium near Harrisburg, Pa. Remains brought to Pittsburgh and interred in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating. She was a great sufferer for several years with rheumatism, which rendered her incapable of walking. She bore her great and trying affliction with fortitude and resignation, awaiting in patience her final release.

June 20, 1892:
WILLIAM MINSINGER, aged 45 years. Service in Grace Church, in the presence of several societies of which deceased was a member, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating. Interment in Allegheny Cemetery.

September 23, 1892:
MARGARET ARMIGER, aged 53 years, wife of James B. Armiger; residence, corner Sycamore and Stanwix streets. Service in Grace Church and interment in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating.  A devout Christian woman, who departed in peace, full of resignation and hope.
 

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October 12, 1892:
SARAH DAVIS BIGHAM, wife of the late Joel L. Bigham, aged 40 years; in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating.

November 3, 1892:
MRS. ELIZABETH A. SMITHSON, aged 60 years. Service in Grace Church and interment in Allegheny Cemetery. A great sufferer in her illness, but patient and submissive to the Divine Will. Her last communion with the rector and her daughter Edith, Saturday, October 29. Departed in peace, in faith and hope.

November 22, 1892:
ELIZABETH CHURCH SINGLETON, aged 90 years, died at the residence of her son-in-law, Louis H. Purkey, Plymouth street, Duquesne Heights, and interred in Uniondale Cemetery.

December 21, 1892:
ROBERT GARDNER, infant son of Robert and Elizabeth Jackson Gardner, Simms street, near Southern avenue, aged 11 months; in Homewood Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating.

December 29, 1892:
WILLIAM DEXTER SADLER, father of Dr. O. W. Sadler, aged 75 years; died at his son's residence, Grandview avenue and Bigham street, Service at the house on above date, and the remains taken to Millburn, Lake County, Ill., for interment in the family burying ground.

January 8, 1893:
ALEXANDER MURRAY, son of Antony S. and the late Mary Nimick Murray, aged 17 years, died at the Episcopal Academy, Alexandria, Va., on January 6. His remains brought to Pittsburgh and interred in the Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating. A noble, generous boy, pure and true, whose youth gave promise of a virtuous manhood. So gentle and winning was he that all who knew him loved him. He was the most intimate companion of the rector's son Charles, whose first great sorrow was the death of his young friend.
 

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January 11, 1893:
GEORGE MARLAND, father of Mr. Alfred Marland, of Southern avenue, aged 77 years; born at Ashton-under-Lyne, England, came a few years ago to Pittsburgh, and died at his son's residence. Service at the house and interment in Mount Lebanon Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating.

March 14, 1893:
JOHN SMITH McMILLIN, aged 76 years. Service at the late residence of the deceased, Grandview avenue and Bigham street, and interment in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, his pastor and friend for twenty-five years, officiating. A strong character, noted for his simplicity and integrity. (See obituary.)

April 2, 1893:
MRS. JEMIMA CRAWFORD, aged 76 years, Service at the residence of her son-in-law, Edwin Wills, No. 3 Edith street, and interment in South Side Cemetery, the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, officiating. Came from Toronto, Canada, with her son-in-law.

June 5, 1893:
MARGARET REED, eldest daughter of Samuel G. Reed, aged 18 years, died at her father's home, Boggs avenue. Funeral service at 8 P. M. on the 4th inst., and interment on Tuesday, 6th, in the cemetery at Brownsville, Pa., the family burial place. A gentle, pure spirit; she now sleeps in peace.

November 20, 1893:
JAMES BENNETT BOGGS, aged 39 years, son of the late Samuel Boggs, of Boggs avenue, Thirty-second Ward; went in 1884 to Denver, Colorado, for the benefit of his health, then to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he made his home for the last few years; returned to Pittsburgh in July this year in bad health; continued to grow worse and died November 18, 1893, at the residence of his brother-in-law, Edwin H. Dermitt, Stanton avenue, near Negley. Service at the house at 2:30 P. M., by the Rev. R. J. Coster, assisted by the Rev. George Hodges, rector of Calvary Church; buried in Allegheny Cemetery at 4 P. M., the large number of his relations and friends present indicating how highly he was esteemed for his noble traits of character.  A great sufferer, but "He giveth his beloved sleep."
 

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April 12, 1894:
ANNIE MURRAY McELROY, daughter of the late James G. Murray, of Bridgeville, Allegheny County, Pa., and wife of Robert N. McElroy, of Pittsburgh; died at her home, Lake and Turrett streets, Pittsburgh, Monday, April 9, and buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery near Bridgeville, Pa., at 4 P. M., on above date. A generous, self-denying soul, pure and true.

May 27, 1894:
BERTHA MATILDA HAMBLETON, wife of E. W. Hambleton, of Pittsburgh, and sister of M. L. Stout, died at her home, Belonda street, Friday, the 25th, and buried this day, the 27th, in South Side Cemetery. Aged 39 years.

October 7, 1894:
EDWIN WILLS, died at his home on Plymouth street, Duquesne Heights; buried in South Side Cemetery.  Aged about 50 years. A carpenter by trade, and late from Buffalo, N. Y.

March 23, 1895:
MRS. SARAH SHAW BOGGS, daughter of the late Benjamin Bennett, and widow of the late Samuel S. Boggs, of Boggs avenue, Pittsburgh; born March 11,1826, in Bellefonte, Pa.; married Samuel S. Boggs, October 23, 1869; died March 20,1895, in the seventieth year of her age, after an illness of two years, which she bore with great patience. Funeral service at her late residence, Boggs avenue, Saturday, 2 P. M., above date; interred in Meadville, Sunday, March 24.  A noble woman, generous and faithful.

April 8, 1895:
ADELINE MATILDA WHITTIER, daughter of John and Mellicent Stone Washburn, born September 16, 1812, at Lempster, New Hampshire; married Isaac Whittier, of the same place, November 1, 1836; came to Pittsburgh the same year, where she spent the rest of her life; died April 6, 1895, 5 P. M., in the eighty-third year of her age, at the residence of her widowed daughter, Mrs. Samuel Harper, Grandview avenue and Bertha street, Mount Washington, where she had resided for nearly forty years. Formerly a member of St. Andrew's Church, Pittsburgh, but for the last ten or more years a regular communicant of Grace Church, Mount Washington. Funeral service at Grace Church, at 2 P.M., in which the rector was assisted by the Rev. J. C. White, D.D., rector of St. Andrew's Church. Interred in Allegheny Cemetery.  A devout and faithful Christian woman.
 

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April 30, 1895:
ELLIZABETH H. HARRISON, widow of William R. Harrison, of Meadville, and second daughter of Benjamin Bennett; born in Bellefonte, Pa., August 28, 1823; married in 1841; died at the residence of her sister, the late Sarah Shaw Boggs, Boggs avenue, Pittsburgh, Sunday April 28, 1895, in the seventy-second year of her age. Funeral service at the house by the rector, Tuesday, April 30, at 8 P. M.; interment at Meadville, Wednesday, May 1, the Rev. Messrs. Byllesby and Kirkus officiating.

June 29, 1895:
MRS. MARGARET JANE WOODS, wife of Robert A. Woods, born in Ireland; came to Pittsburgh in 1892, and lived on Plymouth street, Duquesne Heights; died of typhoid fever at the Homeopathic Hospital on June 28th, in the thirty-seventh year of her age. Buried in the South Side Cemetery on the 29th, the rector officiating at the house and at the grave. A faithful wife and mother.

July 17, 1895:
MRS. ELIZABETH GOEHRING, widow of the late Charles Goehring, of Pittsburgh, nee Adlington; born in New Orleans, La.; came to Pittsburgh when three years old, where the rest of her life was spent. She was raised a Lutheran, but in 1873 she and three of her daughters were confirmed in Grace Church by Bishop Kerfoot, and became regular communicants. She was living at that time on Grandview avenue near Stanwix street. She died at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Cyrus M. Robinson, on Bailey avenue, on Tuesday, July 16, in the seventy-seventh year of her age. Funeral service at 8 P. M., the 17th, the rector, Rev. R. J. Coster, officiating, assisted by the Rev. Mr. Jennings, a Presbyterian clergyman, and long an intimate friend of the family. The body was cremated by direction of the deceased, and the ashes buried in Allegheny Cemetery beside the remains of her late husband. She was a patient, devout woman, who endured many reverses and privations. May she rest in peace.

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July 31, 1895:
GEORGE E. REED, son of Samuel G. Reed and late Ruth Reed; died of consumption on Monday, July 29th, at the home of his father, Boggs avenue, in the twentieth year of his age. Buried in the Brownsville Cemetery, Fayette County, Pa., Wednesday, July 31, the rector, Rev. R. J. Coster, officiating both at the house and at the cemetery, Brownsville, a number of the deceased's Sunday School friends acting as pall-bearers.

October 10, 1895:
MARGARET TORRENCE BURRELL, wife of Henry M. Burell and daughter of Mrs. Mary E. Torrence, of Stanwix street, died at her home, Sycamore street, near Shiloh, Thirty-second Ward, on Tuesday, Oct 8th, in the thirty-fifth year of her age; buried in Concord Cemetery, October 10th, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating at the house and at the grave. During the service at the house, Herman Heisler, a member of Grace Church choir, sang the Hymns " Jesus, lover of my soul," and "Rock of Ages, cleft for me."

July 7, 1896:
MRS. MATILDA C. VERNER, nee McClurg, wife of late Melchior Verner, of Carson and Thirty-Third  streets,South Side. She was born at the McClurg homestead, Whitehall, Allegheny County; was married by the Rev. Dr. Killikelly, in Grace Church, Mount Washington, April 14, 1867, and died at her late residence on South Side, Pittsburgh, on Sunday, July 5, 1896 and buried in a mausoleum at Whitehall, Tuesday, July 7th, beside the remains of her late husband. She was a devout communicant of St. Peter's Church and an exemplary Christian woman.

July 28, 1896:
OLIVER H. STINSON, Jr., only child of Robert and Mary Stinson, and nephew of Oliver H. Stinson, Sr., of Bailey avenue, died from the effects of a fall from a tricycle, in his seventh year, and was buried in Uniondale Cemetery.

August 7, 1896:
WILLIAM PHILLIPS, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Phillips, of McClurg avenue, Allegheny, Pa., an invalid for fifteen years; died in Philadelphia, Tuesday, August 4th, in the forty-third year of his age, and buried August 7th in the Uniondale Cemetery, in the family lot, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating at the house and at the grave.
 

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October 4, 1896:
HENRY DENNY UTTING, an Englishman by birth and a stonecutter by occupation, died October 2, at his home, on Sweetbrier street, Duquesne Heights, in the thirty-first year of his age; buried Sunday, October 4, in South Side Cemetery, leaving only a wife.

November 15, 1896:
DAVID LEWIS, an Englishman, died at his home, Sweetbrier and Sycamore streets, of pneumonia, Friday, November 13th, in the forty-second year of his age, leaving a wife and 7 children; buried in South Side Cemetery November 15th, his fellow-workmen acting as pall-bearers.

November 21, 1896:
JAMES M. CHRISTY, born in Pittsburgh in 1818, died at 1613 Locust street, Pittsburgh, on Thursday, November 19th, and buried Saturday, the 21st, in Allegheny Cemetery, aged 78 years, the Rev. R. J. Coster officiating. A devout churchman, a member of St. Peter's congregation.

December 1, 1896:
EDITH GROVES, daughter of Samuel and Maria Groves, of Duquesne Heights; buried in South Side Cemetery; aged, three years.

December 25, 1896:
WILLIAM MARKS SPEER. He and his family became members of Grace Church parish in 1872 and resided on Wyoming street, in the parish, until April 1, 1892, when he moved to Ben Venue Place, East End, where he died Wednesday, December 23d, aged, aged 60 years, and was buried in Allegheny Cemetery December 25, Christmas Day, at 2 P. M. Service at the house and at the grave by the Rev. R. J. Coster.

January 24, 1897:
JOHN CONWAY SHALER, son of John C. and Sena Shaler and grandson of the late Judge Charles Shaler of Pittsburgh, born on Duquesne Heights, October 13, 1843; was baptized and confirmed in Grace Church; an active parish worker all his life, as Sunday School superintendent, as vestryman and warden; died Friday, January 22, 1897. Funeral service in Grace Church Sunday, January 24th, at 2 P.M., conducted by the Rev. R. J. Coster, rector, assisted by the Rev. A. D. Brown; buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the following persons acting as pall-bearers: Thomas F. Ashford, Sr., Oliver H. Stinson, George A. Johnson and Harry W. Neely, vestrymen of Grace Church, and A. P. Linhart and William Reitz. an intensely cold day, the snow covering everything. The deceased was a noble, pure, devout servant of God, faithful and untiring in his work for his Master. "Though dead, he yet speaketh." __Dormiat bene. (See biographical sketch, page 269.)
 

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February 14, 1897:
SIDNEY PENTON GROVES, infant son of Samuel and Maria Groves, of Oneida street, Duquesne Heights, aged 14 months and 17 days; buried in South Side Cemetery.

February 20, 1897:
REV. SAMUEL MAXWELL, D. D., formerly rector of Trinity Church, Pittsburgh, late of the Diocese of Long Island; buried in Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, the Rev. R. J. Coster, D. D., officiating at the interment. Dr. Maxwell was an earnest, successful parish priest, doing a noble work for his Master in the thirty years of his ministry.

Augut 11, 1897:
MARGARET ELIZABETH SCHORNAGEL, aged 19 years and 6 months; buried in South Side Cemetery, the Rev. W. L. H. Benton, assistant minister of Trinity Church, officiating.

October 3, 1897:
MRS. MARY THOMPSON, daughter of the late Squire Edward Bratt, of Pittsburgh, long an invalid and for several years confined to the house and tenderly cared for by her daughter Agnes and her sister, Mrs. John C. Shaler, died at her home, the Bratt residence, Wyoming street, Friday, October 1, and buried in Allegheny Cemetery Sunday October 3, the Rev. R. J. Coster, D. D., officiating at the house and at the grave.
 

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November 10, 1897:
GEORGE FRANK SLOCUM; infant son of George F. and Ardella A. Slocum; buried in Allegheny Cemetery; aged 8 months.

January 7, 1898:
GEORGE WALFORD LOWEN, son of John Lowen, of West Liberty borough, Allegheny County, Pa.; born on Second avenue, Pittsburgh, August 11, 1861; baptized by the Rev. Dr.Van Dusen, in St. Peter's Church; died at his father's residence January 5 and buried in Chartiers Cemetery January 7, at 4 P. M.

March 26, 1898:
B. HARRY RUBIE, born in Ireland in 1840; came to Pittsburgh in 1854; died at his home, 407 Liberty avenue, Wednesday, March 23, and buried Saturday, March 26, in the fifty-eighth year of his age. A large number of his friends present at the funeral, chiefly middle-aged men. Mr. Paul Hackie and Miss Annie Smith, with whom he had lived for more than thirty years, were the chief mourners. He was the last of his family; a noble, generous man, much loved for his honesty and sincerity.

November 14, 1898:
MRS. MARIA LOWEN HALPIN, wife of William Halpin, of Mount Washington and daughter of George T. Lowen, born in England; came to Pittsburgh and married William Halpin and lived on Virginia avenue, Mount Washington, most of her life; was long a communicant and active worker in Grace Church; died at her home, Virginia avenue, Saturday, November 12, and buried in Uniondale Cemetery, Allegheny, Pa., on Monday, November 14, the Rev. R. J. Coster, D. D., officiating. A loveable, peaceful woman, faithful as wife and mother, and exemplary in all her conduct.

January 17, 1899:
THOMAS FRANCIS ASHFORD, Sr., son of Thomas F. and Georgiana Roberts Ashford, born in London, December 14, 1840; came to the United States in 1865; married in Pittsburgh and moved to Mount Washington in 1883; became a vestryman of Grace Church at Easter, 1889, and continued to serve the parish in that capacity until his death. Died of pneumonia Sunday, January 15, at his home on Bailey avenue, and was buried in Chartiers Cemetery Tuesday, January 17; aged 58 years. Service at Grace Church and at the grave, the Rev. R. J. Coster, D. D., officiating. He was a generous soul, liberal to a fault, and loved by many friends.
 

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March 21, 1899:
MRS. ELIZABETH H. TORRENCE, wife of David R. Torrence, of Bertha street, died at her home Saturday, March 18, after an illness of two weeks, in the fifty-first year of her age; buried in Concord Cemetery, South Side, Tuesday, the 21st, the rector officiating at the house and at the grave. A faithful wife and mother and a devout, charitable woman.

April 9, 1899:
WILLIAM JULIAN BOND, infant son of William L. and Ida B. Bond, Jr., buried in Allegheny Cemetery; aged 8 months.

July 16, 1899:
WILLIAM HOWE, born February 4, 1809, in Bristol, England, where he was raised and learned the trade of coach building; came to America in 1830, and married October 2, 1835, in Toronto, Canada, Elizabeth Denny, from the Isle of Heligoland; moved to Pittsburgh, Pa., and conducted for some years the business of a confectioner on Fifth avenue, where the opera house now stands; later moved to Washington,. Pa., and worked at his trade; returned to Pittsburgh in 1877 and made his home on Virginia avenue, Mount Washington, where he ended his days. His wife died in 1887, at the age of 76, and he died July 5, 1899, in his ninety-second year; funeral service at the home of Robert McMillin, his son-in-law, and interment in South Side Cemetery. He came of a vigorous English stock, and kept his faculties to the end. He was noted for his moderation and his integrity ; and he died as he lived, full of the hope of immortality, and trusting alone in the merits of Christ, his Saviour.
 

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July 20, 1899:
ANNIE HIGGINSON, infant daughter of James and Eliza Higginson; buried in Allegheny Cemetery; aged 7 weeks.

August 8, 1899:
JOHN C. DAVITT, son of the late John C. and Mrs. Nettie Davitt, of Bellevue, Pa.; baptized in Grace Church by the present rector January 21, 1872, his parents at that time residing on Mount Washington and being members of Grace Church; died suddenly in Chicago, Thursday, August 3d, in his thirty-second year. His remains brought to his mother's home, in Bellevue, Allegheny County, Pa., and interred in the Allegheny Cemetery on August 8th, the Rev. R. J. Coster, D. D., officiating.

September 27, 1899
FRANK GLAZE, son of George A. and Emily Glaze, of Bigham street; died of typhoid fever Monday, September 24, at his father's residence, aged 17 years and 3 months; buried Wednesday, September 27, in the South Side Cemetery

December 21, 1899:
MRS. MARY CRONER, daughter of Mrs. Alfred Marland by her first husband (Smith), moved to Passadena, Cal., in 1886; came to Pittsburg to visit her friends in July last; died in the Mercy Hospital, Pittsburg, in her forty-fifth year, from an operation performed for the removal of tumor, and buried from the home of her sister, Mrs. John Kinney, Knoxville, South Side, the service being held at 8 P. M. on December 21, and the interment in the South Side Cemetery on the following day, December 22. She was a bright, cheerful woman, devoted to her husband and daughter.

December 28, 1899:
MRS. MARY MacDONALD, wife of Mathew MacDonald, of Oneida street, Duquesne Heights (nee Nelson), died December 25 (Christmas Day), at 6:40 P. M., aged 53 years, and was buried in Homewood Cemetery on December 28. She was a member of the Bishop Whitehead Guild of Grace Church, an earnest worker, and a gentle, Christian woman.
 

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April 13, 1900:
WILLIAM HALPIN, born in Dublin, Ireland; spent most of his life in Pittsburg, where he became a successful business man; always an earnest churchman; died at his residence on Virginia avenue, Thirty-second Ward, Wednesday, April 11, aged 70 years. Service at the house by the rector, and interment in Uniondale Cemetery on April 13, at 4 P. M. (See biographical sketch, page 277.)

June 2, 1900:
MARY ANN NEILL, wife of Harry Neill, member of St. Andrew's Church ; died at her home, in Cherry Alley near Liberty Avenue, on Thursday, May 31, in the forty-fifth year of her age, and buried June 2 in Allegheny Cemetery, the Rev. R. J.Coster, D.D.,officiating.

July 28, 1900:
MRS. EMILY JAMES GLAIZE, wife of George Alfred Glaize and daughter of Harry James, Sr., died July 26, at her home, West Elizabeth (to which place the family moved from Bigham street, Mount Washington, a year ago), aged 40 years; buried in South Side Cemetery, the rector, Rev. R. J. Coster, D. D., officiating. A faithful and devoted woman.

September 6, 1900:
EDITH STEVENS, infant daughter of Isaiah and Eva Stevens, of Duquesne Heights; buried in South Side Cemetery; aged 2 months.

January 12, 1901:
HARRIETT RUTH REED, daughter and last child of Samuel G. Reed, of Boggs avenue; died of typhoid fever at the Homeopathic Hospital, Wednesday, January 9, in the twenty-third year of her age. Funeral service at her father's residence, Boggs avenue , Friday, January 11, at 8 P. M., and interment in the cemetery at Brownsville, Pa., on Saturday, January 12, in the presence of about twenty friends who went up with the remains from Pittsburgh, the Rev. R. J. Coster. D. D., officiating both at the house and at the cemetery.

January 20, 1901:
LOUISE KEMP, died at her home on Duquesne Heights, Wednesday, January 16, in her twenty-first year, and buried in Allegheny Cemetery January 20, the Rev. R. J. Coster, D. D., officiating.
 

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January 23, 1901:
JULIAN GEORGE MADDOX, son of Cartwright and Hannah Maddox, born at Deerfield, Ohio; died at the residence of William L. Bond, Sr., Virginia avenue and Oneida street, Monday, January 21, in the sixty-ninth year of his age. Service at the house by the Rev. R. J. Coster, D.D. ; buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the ceremonies at the grave conducted by the officers of the Dallas Lodge of the Masonic Fraternity, of which the deceased was a member. A peaceful, faithful, honest man.

July 2, 1901:
CARLESS MEAHL, infant son of Phillip and Rebecca Meahl, died Sunday, June 30, at their home, 404 Dewey street, Knoxville, Pa., aged 13 months and 20 days. Interred in the South Side Cemetery, July 2.

July 27, 1901:
WILLIAM L. KENAH, born in Ireland August 11, 1823; came to the United States in early manhood, lived for a time in Western Maryland, where he married; came to Pittsburg, where he spent the last twenty- five Years of his life, and died at his home, on Bigham street, Thirty- second Ward, July 25, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. Buried July 27 in Allegheny Cemetery. The rector, in an address at the funeral service, said : "Mr. Kenah was a man peaceful in temper, unobtrusive in manner, retiring in disposition, gentle in act and speech, conscientious in duty, and faithful to every obligation as a Christian and a citizen. He has left behind him the record of a well-spent, pure, upright life. We honor him, therefore, for his worth; and we thank God for the graces that, according to His mercy, adorned the character of His devout servant.  "Dormiat in pace."

September 6, 1901
SEVERIN JOHN KONSTANZER, son of Severin and Kate Konstanzer, born May 21, 1886, drowned while bathing in the Monongahela River, Wednesday, September 4. Service at the residence of his parents, 10 Oneida street, Duquesne Heights, and interment in Allegheny Cemetery on September 6; aged 15 years 3 months and 17 days.
 

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October 4, 1901:
CLARENCE SHALER, son of the late Judge Charles Shaler, of Pittsburgh, and grandson of Major Kirkpatrick. Spent all his life on Mount Washington, where he was born; studied law and served as magistrate of his ward for many years ; lived a reserved and retired life; died at his home, 70 Olympia street, October 2, in the eighty-second year of his age, and was buried in Allegheny Cemetery on October 4, the Rev. R. J. Coster, D. D., officiating.

October 29, 1901:
JOHN P. KINNEY, son of Alexander and Nancy R. Kinney, born in Allegheny, Pa., in 1849, and lived on Orchard street, Knoxville, Pa.; married Sarah A. Smith, daughter of Mrs. Alfred Marland, September 27, 1877; died in Wadestown, West Virginia, on Sunday, October 27, aged 52 years. His remains were brought to Pittsburgh and the funeral service was held at his late home, and the interment took place October 29 in the Uniondale Cemetery, Allegheny, the Rev. R. J. Coster, D. D., officiating.

November 10, 1901:
MRS. LIDA ANN ROBINSON, wife of Cyrus M. Robinson and daughter of Capt.Charles Goehring; lived with her father's family a number of years on Grandview avenue, near Stanwix, and after her marriage on Bailey avenue; confirmed December 28, 1873; died in Coraopolis, Friday, November 6. Funeral service at the residence of Henry W. Sellers, Bailey avenue, on Tuesday, November 10, and buried in Allegheny Cemetery, the rector officiating.

April 3, 1902:
LYNN M. THOMPSON, son of Mr. and Mrs. John M. Thompson, of Virginia avenue, died at his father's home, Tuesday, April 1. Funeral service at the house, Wednesday, 8 P. M., and the interment in the Brownsville Cemetery, at Brownsville, Pa., on Thursday, April 3, the rector officiating. A lovely character, gentle and dutiful.

April 8, 1902:
OLIVER HALPIN STINSON, a vestryman and warden of Grace Church, run over by a traction car, at the foot of Castle Shannon Incline Plane, Saturday, April 5, about 9:30 P.M.; taken to the South Side Hospital, where he died at 6 o'clock Sunday morning, April 6. Funeral service at his late residence, Bailey avenue, Mount Washington, on Tuesday, April 8, at 1:30 P.M. and his interment at 4 P. M., in Uniondale Cemetery, the rector officiating. A genial, popular man, successful in business and much loved by a wide circle of friends. (See biographical sketch, page 280.)
 

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June 22, 1902:
HENRY W. CLARK, organist and choir master of Grace Church since Easter, 1899; born in London, England, July 9, 1867; came to Pittsbugh in 1884; died of typhoid fever, at his home on Stanwix street, June 18, aged 35 years. Funeral service in Grace Church Sunday, June 22, at 2 P. M., conducted by the rector, the full choir of the church being present and singing the Hymns "Asleep in Jesus" and "Lead, Kindly Light. " The Masons acted as pall-bearers and conducted the ceremonies at the grave. Interment in Uniondale Cemetery. A Christian gentleman, true and noble.

June 25, 1902:
AUGUST ELIZA BIGHAM, second daughter of the late Thomas J. and Maria L. Bigham, of Hill Home, Woodville avenue; born January 31, 1857; spent her life at her ancestral home, on Mount Washington. A devout communicant and efficient Sunday School teacher until physical infirmity compelled her to relinquish the work; a clever, quick-witted, sympathetic, Christian woman; loved by children, whom her command of clear, forcible language and her strong, accurate memory enabled her always to entertain. Died at her home June 23, in the forty-fifth year of her age, and buried in Allegheny Cemetery. Eight young men, members of her last Sunday School class, in accordance with her request, bore her remains to their final resting place.

July 17, 1902.
PHILIP FLINN ASHFORD, infant son of Thomas F., Jr., and Harriett J.Ashford; buried in Chartiers Cemetery; aged two months.
 

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October 1, 1902:
ARTHUR BERTRAM MARTIN, infant son of Harry and Amy Martin, of Mount Washington; buried in the South Side Cemetery.

December 21, 1902:
ANNIE MARIA BOND, wife of William L. Bond, Sr., of Virginia avenue and Oneida street, Duquesne Heights; born September 1, 1837, died December 18, 1902, aged 65 years. Her whole life was passed in the limits of Grace Church parish, of which she was a member from the time of its organization in 1851 . She was many years teacher in the parish Sunday School and later in the Mission School, on Duquesne Heights, where she continued to teach until deafness and failing sight obliged her to give up. She was long an active worker in the Mite Society, and later for several years a member and also secretary of the Bishop Whitehead Guild of Duquesne Heights, an auxiliary society of Grace Church parish. The last six months of her life she passed in total blindness and great physical weakness, suffering at times intense pain; but under it all she was patient and resigned, expressing the greatest confidence in God's mercy and goodness. She was a devout communicant, a faithful wife and mother, a consistent Christian woman—truly a mother in Israel. The funeral service was held in Grace Church, and her remains buried in Allegheny Cemetery.

January 5, 1903:
MARY BRUCE ZEHFUSS, daughter of Phillip and Louisa Zehfuss; born December 6, 1894, died January 3, 1903, at the residence of her parents, Kearsage street, near Sycamore, aged 8 years, and buried in South Side Cemetery.

March 18, 1903:
CHARLES HOWARD DURHAM, infant son of Charles H. and Edith S. Durham; born July 3, 1902, died suddenly March 17, aged 8 months and 12 days. Funeral service by the rector, at the residence of his parents, Plymouth street, Duquesne Heights, and the remains interred on the 19th at Rangoes, N. J.

June 25, 1903:
ALBERT CLARENCE MARTIN, son of Albert Martin; drowned in the Monongahela River and buried in the South Side Cemetery.
 

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July 19, 1903:
EMMA BENNETT, born in Bellefonte, Pa., June 16, 1832; lived some years in Meadville, then, about thirty years ago, she came to Pittsburgh and made her home with her sister, Mrs. Sarah Boggs, of Boggs avenue, until Mrs. Boggs' death, in 1895. She continued to live in her sister's late home, which she inherited, where she died Friday, July 17. The funeral service was held at her late home Sunday, the 19th, the rector officiating, at 5 P. M. The interment took place in Meadville, Monday, July 21, the rector of Christ Church of that city officiating. A gentle, faithful woman; a consistent Christian, loved and trusted by many friends.
 

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MARIA LOUISA BIGHAM,
THE CHIEF FOUNDER OF GRACE CHURCH, MOUNT
WASHINGTON.
 

     MRS. MARIA LOUISA BIGHAM, the daughter of Dr. Joel and Mary Ann Lewis, was born in Pittsburgh, June 8, 1819. Her father, Dr. Joel Lewis, a prominent physician, was born in Christiana, Delaware, where his ancestors, of Welsh extraction, originally settled; moved to Philadelphia, and finally, after graduating at the Medical School of that city, settled in Pittsburgh and married Mary Ann Kirkpatrick, the youngest daughter of Maj. Abraham Kirkpatrick, of the United States Army, whose home was on the Monongahela River near where is now the corner of Water and Short streets. Dr. and Mrs. Lewis were members of old Trinity Church, and here the subject of this sketch was baptized in infancy, and reared under the pastoral care of the Rev. Dr. Hopkins. She was confirmed in the same church by Bishop Onderdonk in 1834.

     She was educated in the schools of the Rev. Dr. Lacey and Mr. Twining, two well-known educators of that day, and afterwards spent several years in Philadelphia in the family of her paternal uncle, William. D. Lewis, a leading banker of that city, in whose home she enjoyed many social and literary advantages. Returning to Pittsburgh, she was married in Trinity Church, by the Rev. George Upfold, D. D., December 30, 1846, to Thomas J. Bigham, a young attorney at the Pittsburgh bar, just then rising into prominence in the politics of his native State.

     Soon after their marriage her husband built a handsome brick residence on Mount Washington, on his wife's property, inherited from the estate of her grandfather, Major Kirkpatrick. They moved up to their new home in 1850, and there, in a beautiful spot, surrounded by the primitive forest, they reared a family of five children, two sons and three daughters,
 

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and passed in peace the rest of their days. Mrs. Bigham had an ardent attachment to her Hill Home. She loved the stately trees and the beautiful wild flowers which grow in great profusion in the woods, and nothing distressed her more than injury to her trees or wanton destruction of the flowers by chance passers through the grounds. Soon as she was settled in her new home she began to form plans for the religious benefit of the neighborhood, and it was chiefly through the efforts and influence of herself and her husband that Grace Church congregation was formed and the present church building erected.

     Mrs. Bigham was all her life a very active church-worker. She taught in the Sunday School for many years; she played the organ and directed the singing for a time after the church was built, and always took a leading part in the plans adopted for the support and improvement of the church.

     Here we may mention a pleasing and somewhat unusual incident in the life of Mr. and Mrs. Bigham, in which the rector was called upon to take part. Sunday, December 30, 1883, was the thirty-seventh anniversary of their marriage, and they were desirous of publicly marking the day by special thanksgiving; so, at morning prayer, immediately after the second lesson, the rector having stated that they desired the congregation to unite with them in thanksgivings to God for His mercies to them during the past thirty-seven years of their married life, and in invoking His special blessing for their remaining days, Mr. and Mrs. Bigham went up and knelt at the chancel rail. The Lord's Prayer was said, followed by the Collects for the fourth Sunday after Trinity and the fourth Sunday after Easter, a special thanksgiving and other selected prayers. The rector then closed with the prayer and blessing from the Marriage Office. The mind shot quickly back to the time, thirty-seven years before, when these same words were first said over this man and this woman. Each called up in memory the hopes and the fears, the successes and the disappointments that had marked these slow gliding years, and noted the unmistakable traces which they had left upon the now aged couple. In place of the bloom and buoyancy of youth with which they had stood before the altar of Trinity Church to
 

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receive this blessing there were now present all the signs of age. The hair was white, the cheeks pale, and the step faltering. All felt, however, for these reasons, a more tender sympathy for man and wife going on thus faithfully together, trusting in Him who had safely brought them through all these years, and firmly hoping that the God of their fathers would be with them to the end; therefore, when that blessing was again pronounced, there went up from the hearts of all present a most fervent "Amen!"

     This was their last marriage anniversary together. About ten months later Mr. Bigham was called to rest, and Mrs. Bigham passed her remaining years in her Hill Home, where her sorrow and loneliness were relieved by the devoted attentions of her son and her two daughters. She was still the same cheerful, hopeful woman, devoted to her children, loving her wood-embowered home, and relying peacefully upon the mercy and goodness of God.

     She lived four years after the departure of her husband, and died Sunday, October 14, 1888, in the seventieth year of her age.

     Her remains were buried in Allegheny Cemetery beside those of her husband.

     Mrs. Bigham was a woman of strong character, full of energy and firm of purpose. She inherited from her parents a fine physique and the instincts and traits of a well-bred lady. She was quiet and gentle in speech; had great grace and dignity of manner, and possessed rare intelligence and a highly cultivated mind.  She was an earnest and devout churchwoman, as much from choice and conviction as from inheritance and education. She was a regular and faithful attendant upon public worship, and found in the church ministrations comfort and help in all times of trial and sorrow.

"For her we need not mourn. 'Tis we who stand
In need of pity for our grevious loss.
We miss the loving heart, the helping hand,
The faith that gloried in her Savior's cross.

"Among the blessed ones she finds her home,
And converse holds with angels face to face;
And when they worship 'neath heaven's arching dome,
With native courtesy she takes her place."
 

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     In the address made at her funeral the rector said:

     "Our departed sister had nearly filled out her three score years and ten, and retained in remarkable vigor up to her last illness all the powers of mind and body. Her interest in life and her activity in its duties continued to the last, and when stricken down her mind was full of plans for the furtherance of schemes of religious and benevolent work, in which she always took a deep interest. I knew her intimately for twenty years, and during these years saw much of her life, and knew much of her hopes and wishes. She gave me unreservedly her confidence as her pastor, and her affection as a friend; and I found in her family much of the encouragement and help which a pastor so greatly needs. I feel, therefore, that not only has our parish lost an active, earnest worker, but that I and all of us have lost a kind and sympathetic friend.

     She valued very highly her privileges as a member of the Church. From her birth she had been accustomed to the use of its beautiful liturgy and reverent worship, and as years went by she learned to love and value these the more and in them to find her greatest spiritual help. Her high estimate of membership in Christ's Church was shown in regular attendance upon public worship. You know how rarely she was absent, how constantly she came to the Holy Communion, how devout and earnest she was in the service, and how strictly in voice and manner she performed her part of the worship, acting throughout as if she felt that here she was in God's presence, and that her only duty here was to honor His name and Word. Reared and nurtured in the Church, she never knew any other spiritual guidance but that which it supplied, and she found all her needs satisfied in its ministrations. She accepted in simple faith the great truths of Redemption as presented by the Church. Knowing that she was the child of God by baptism, and trusting for salvation through the merits of Christ, she calmly relied upon God's promises and submitted patiently to His will. As the years went by and sorrows and disappointments came to her,
 

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they seemed to soften and deepen the spiritual side of her nature and to strengthen her faith in God's promises to His children.

   "I believe that God rewarded her faith with a comforting sense of His goodness that does not come to us all. She died as she lived, trusting in her Savior, and we can therefore lay her to rest with the hope that God will have her safe in His blessed keeping.

     "Let us, then, Beloved, honor her memory and emulate her example. Let us thank God for her simple faith in His Word and her lifelong devotion to His service.
 

     "May a large measure of her devout spirit fall upon us all, and may God raise up here among us many to serve Him in like earnestness.

     "'Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.' "
 

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