Sarah A. Blair- Obituary from the
Naperville
Clarion, Naperville, Illinois
Died September 5, 1913
Sarah A. Blair was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, December 23, 1827.
She and her parents moved to Adeline, Ogle county, Illinois, in 1837 where
she resided until her marriage to Mathew Blair in October, 1849. After their
marriage they resided for some years in Mt. Morris, Illinois. They then
moved to Forreston, Illinois,
where they continued to reside until the death of her husband in 1891. Since that time she
has made her home with one or the other of her two daughters. For the past few years and
more she has continuously resided in this city.
Mrs. Blair was the mother of eight children. Three of these passed away
in their early childhood. Mrs. Alice Gibson, her daughter, died November 27th of last
year. The other four children are still living. They are J.D. Blair of Jefferson, Iowa;
Dr. Edward S. Blair of Wayne, Nebraska; M.W. Blair, and Mrs. C.S. Peters.
During the Civil War Mr. Blair, then a merchant of Forreston, heard the
call of his country and enlisted in the 15th Regt., Illinois Infantry, becoming Captain of
Co. F. Courageously and unflinching Mrs. Blair looked after the interests of the home and
family until his return in 1865, when the war had closed.
Mrs. Blair and her husband united with the Methodist Episcopal church
in Forreston in 1860. The Society was weak. The Charge had not been able to support a
regular minister. There was no church building. But immediately the little band of
Christian workers united in erecting a place of worship. It was an unpretentious structure
costing $1000.00, but in those days that meant tremendous sacrifice, and in this Mr. and
Mrs. Blair gladly joined. During the more than thirty years of their continued membership
in that church they both occupied a prominent place in caring for the interests of the
kingdom. Mr. Blair was for many years Sunday school superintendent and an official member,
and Mrs. Blair was his efficient co-worker. June 7th, 1903, Mrs. Blair became a member of
our church in Naperville. During these recent years her health has not been good and she
has not been able to take up the active duties of the church as in earlier life. But she
retained the quiet assurance of her faith in God and her sympathetic interest in his
church to the end. On Friday, September 5th, she passed peacefully over the river to
receive her reward as one of God's elect saints.
To her the words of the poet have at last
come true:
"Far, far away, like bells at evening pealing.
The voice of Jesus sounds o'er land and sea.
And laden souls by thousands meekly stealing,
King Shepherd, turn their weary steps to thee.
Rest comes at last though life be long and dreary,
The day must dawn and darksome night be past,
All
journeys end in welcome for the weary,
And heaven, the heart's true home, has come at last.
Angels sing on your faithful watches keeping,
Sing us sweet fragments of the song above,
Till morning's joy shall end the night of weeping,
And life's long shadows break in cloudless love."
Funeral services were conducted by her
pastor, Rev. E. J. Rose, on Saturday afternoon. The interment was in Forreston, Illinois.
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