Obituary Persis (Earle) Wells

            Transcribed from the Norwalk Weekly Reflector, dated 12 February 1867, page 3 column 4.

            Mrs. PERSIS WELLS departed this life Sunday, Dec. 30, 1866.  She was born Oct. 18, 1792, in the State of Vermont, and at the time of her decease was 74 years of age.  After a life of severe trial and many afflictions, she has gone at last to ‘the land of rest, the saints delight.”  With the exception of a few weeks at a time Mrs. WELLS spent the last nine years of her life in Sundusky, Ohio.  She was eminently a child of Providence and God took care of his elect.  Her little rooms were a perpetual Bethel, and she was foth to leave them when Providence seemed to require it.  She left a few weeks since to make her clesing [??] earthly sojourn with her daughter, Mrs. Richard Jeffrey, in Norwalk, Ohio.  Here she remained but few weeks, and at length quietly, on a Sabbath morning, just as she had often desired, she resigned her soul to God, and closed her eyes on earth.

            Sister WELLS was an earnest, sincere Christian; she was not content with form.  She desired her religion should tell for her eternal welfare.  She longed for more and more perfect acquaintance with God.  She was simple and childlike in her relations to the Heavenly Father.   She appreciated church privileges as only the faithful child of God does.  Her soul longed for the conris [??] of the Lord’s House “When shall I appear before God?” was the habitual language of her heart.  Infirmities kept her much from public worship.  How delighted she always was to see her pastor, and to hear him read and expound the Scripture in her quiet little tabernacle!  Once a violent thunder storm passed, and the nerve of her eyes was paralyzed; she became blind, and never afterward fully recovered her sight.  When the pastor called next day, he was saluted with these words:  “Oh! I’m blind!  What shall I do now? – What will the Lord do with me?”  We sat down and read the twenty-third Psalm – “The Lord is my Shepard; I shall not want; He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He Leadeth me beside the still waters; He restoreth my soul.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”  As we rose from our knees, sister W., with tearful eyes, said:  “I know that the Lord will take care of me; He has never forsaken me; He will never forget me; I’ve all I want – all the friends I desire – everything, everything.”  Said I, “Sister W., won’t you be glad when you open your eyes on the sunny plains of the heavenly land, and behold “the King in his beauty?” –“Won’t I! won’t I!” – she said, and her soul was at ease. -- She loved to sing:

Who would live away? Away from his God –

Away from your heaven, that blissful abode,

Where rivers of pleasure flow bright o’er the plains

And the noontide of glory eternally reigns.”

            Her funeral sermon was preached from the text – Ps 116?15, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

            As stated in the last post, James Wells Obituary, Persis aged 56 was living with daughter, Clarissa and husband Erastus Ivory and son William Whitney in Norwalk, Huron County, Ohio, born in Vermont, no occupation stated.  Persis aged 67, is living alone in the 1860 Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio US Census; She is working in a Tailor Shop and has Personal Estate valued at $10.00, born in Vermont. 

            I have a bit more information on Persis’ family.  Her parents were, John Earle b. 14 May 1771, Chester, Vermont d. 8 Mar 1845, Edwards, Saint Lawrence County, New York, United States.  He married, abt 1790, Abigail Chase b, 18 Oct 1776, Guilford, Vermont.  Persis’ family goes back to Raulphe (1580-1657) and Margaret (Browne) (1581-1647) Earle.  John and Abigail had three children:

1.     Persis Earle

2.   Arvin Earle b. 14 Aug 1794 in Vermont d. 5 Nov 1885; married 22 Jan 1818, Myra Pierce who died 1879.  They had a daughter, Hannah P. Earle who died 1887.

3.   Clarissa Earle . 23 Sep 1797 Chester, Windsor County, Vermont d. 26 Dec 1853 Chester, Windsor County, Vermont; married 24 Apr 1815, Ira Church, b. 14 Feb 1795 d. 18 Feb 1877 who was the son of Joshua Church.  Ira and Clarissa had 15 children:

·       Clarissa E. Church b. 22 Aug 1815 (twin of Abigail) d. 1 Apr 1836. She never married nor had children.

·       Abigail Church b. 22 Aug 1815 (twin of Clarissa) married Kendall Johnson

·       Ira Church b. 28 Nov 1817 d. 15 Oct 1849

·       Henry Church b. 16 Dec 1819 d. 19 Jun 1875

·       Foster Church b. 24 Dec 1821 married Henrietta Tarbell

·       Harriet Church b. 15 Nov 1823 married George Holden

·       Martin Church b. 13 Aug 1825 married 1848 to Lydia Maria Paddleford b. 4 Aug 1830 d. 8 Aug 1861. Lydia was the daughter of Philip Paddleford.

·       Daniel Church b. 20 Feb 1827 d. 4 Nov 1849

·       Fanny Church b. 29 Jun 1829 married Florance Robbins

·       Amelia Church b. 14 Jul 1831 married Richard Killingbeck

·       William Church b. 19 Apr 1833 married Rebecca [maiden name unknown]

·       Warner Church b. 6 Jan 1835 married, 6 Feb 1868 to Hannah Ingrahm b. 16 Oct 1839; she was the daughter of Hubbard and Betsey (Church) Ingraham.

·       Francis Church b. 7 Mar 1837 married 2 Dec 1861 Ellen L. Gilson b. 19 Jun 1841, daughter of Edwin and Eleanor (Barney) Gilson

·       Mary Church b. 28 Dec 1838

·       Susan Church b. 12 Oct 1840 married William Anthony

            After the death of his first wife, Abigail Chase, John married Mary Avril, b. 22 Oct 1779 d. 6 Aug 1837.  John and Mary Earle had 10 children.

            The above is also from, The Earle Family, Compiled by Pliny Earle of Northampton, Massachusetts, The Earle Family, Ralph Earle and his Descendants (Printed for the Family; Worcester, Mass.:  Press of Charles Hamilton 1888), Seventh Generation. This is PDF file of the original book.  This book is also located on Ancestry Online (http://www.ancestry.com) the following is a biography of John Earle.

"When nine years old he received injuries to his hip by falling across a log, causing a lameness that lasted him through life.  He was appointed sexton in 1835, and served in that capacity over forty-three years, during which time he interred 1,124 persons and attended all funerals requiring the use of the hearse.  His business was that of a stone-layer, and in his workmanship he was excelled by no person about here, and his strength of endurance at times was wonderful.  At the marriage of Mr. Earle thirty persons were present and chairs being scarce rough boards were substituted.  After the ceremony was performed refreshments were served and the genuine old-fashioned New England 'toddy' was made in a large white mug and passed around in a quart tumbler from which all took a generous, but temperate sip.  Rev. Aaron Leland officiated at the wedding, and as a fee received two dollars, one of which he presented to the bride.  The sixtieth anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Earle's marriage was commemorated January 23, 1878, and in the following spring, occurred the death of Mrs. Earle.

Mr. Earle was a member of the Congregational Church over fifty-seven years, joining at the same time with his wife, in 1828, and together they signed the first temperance pledge ever offered in town, which they lived up to all their lives."

He died suddenly, when in apparently good health, not having "lost a meal, or a night's sleep in over seven years."

          John Earle’s parents were Esak Earle b. 10 Feb 1740/41 Leicester, Worcester County, Massachusetts d. 24 Oct 1823 Champion, Jefferson County, New York.  He married, 4 Sep 1762 Rutland, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Mehitable Snow b. 1738 Massachusetts d. 1810 Champion, Jefferson County, New York. She was the daughter of John Snow, 30 Mar 1706 Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts d. 12 May 1777 Chesterfield, Cheshire County, New Hampshire married 25 Mar 1729 Marlboro, Middlesex County, Massachusetts to Abigail Brigham b. 1708 d. 1790.

“At the time of his marriage, they lived in Rutland, Massachusetts, afterward, Leicester; then in 1764-1765, they moved to Chester, Vermont and subsequently, but before 1777, to Chesterfield, Vermont.  About 1804 to Champion, Jefferson County, New York, where he died.

He was one of the pioneers in the settlement of the country, and as a writer says of him, "loved hunting and trapping, and made traps with which he caught a great number of wolves, bears and panthers."