Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 June 1916 — Funeral of Mrs. M. E. Thompson [ARTICLE]

Funeral of Mrs. M. E. Thompson

The funeral of Mrs. M. E. Thompson was held at her late residence on River street at 3 p. m., conducted by her old pastor, Rev. L. E, Connor of Cleveland, Ohio, and burial was made in Weston cemetery. Among those from out of town attending the funeral were: Mr. and Mrs. Thompson Ross, Mrs. E. G. Merrill and Mrs. W. B. Austin of Chicago. OBITUARY Mary Ellen Travis was the third of 13 children born to Frances McCune Travis of Lee county, Virginia, and Stephen Travis of Pennsylvania. She was born in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, Nov, 19, 1830. In one of her club papers she describes her schooling in these words, “Two books were all that I ever used in school—Cobb’s spelling book and the old English reader—and to spell out of the one and to read out of the other, was all they ever gave us to do. I read and spelled and spelled and read until l could repeat everything in them, and as there was nothing more for me to learn, they took me out of school at 13.” After the father’s death in 1851, the family moved to New Lisbon, Ohio, and a few years later to Prairie where on June 12, 1855, she was married to Alfred Thompson of New Lisbon and returned there to stay until October, 1 855, when they came to Rensselaer, then a village of 500 people, to make their permanent home. Throughout three score years ot devotion to her husband and children —her death being the sixty-first anniversary of her marriage—she retained a remarkable youthfulness, which found expression in a tireless effort to make her home a haven of cheerfulness and welcome for them, as well as for her friends. She was identified with many social, charitable and religious activities, and was a leader in civic improvements. She was a charter member of the Ladies’ Literary club which was founded N0v.26, 1877, the second oldest in the state, and was the first president of the Woman’s Suffrage club founded in November, 1878. She was a member of the Church of God from its time of organization here, Her spirit was modern and progressive, her mind liberal and open, her heart generous and brave, her hands busy and always ready to work for others.

She loved flowers and sunlight and trees and gardens, children and friends and home. She died at noon, June 12, 1916, at the age of 8"5 years, six months and 23 days. Her husband, Alfred Thompson, died in 1896, and her oldest child, Florence Thompson Sears, died in 1899. The survivors are a son, Delos Thompson, and a daughter, Ora Thompson Ross; six grandchildren —Thompson, Bradley and Livingston Ross, Alfred and Emily Thompson and Lois Thompson Kirk, and a great grandchild, Kennedy Paul Ross. xx