Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Blanchard (Brewster), Harriet November 10, 1895
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Ionia Standard – Friday, 15 November 1895
Mrs. Harriet Brewster, wife of Hon. John C. Blanchard, died on Sunday morning, 
after an illness of several weeks.  The funeral services were held from the 
family residence on East Main Street at 2 o’clock Tuesday pm.  The remains of 
deceased were viewed by a large number of friends between the hours of 10:30 
and 12:30.  The floral offerings were profuse and beautiful, including 
handsome designs from friends, and from societies of which Mrs. Blanchard had 
been a member.

The services were by Rev. D. F. Barnes, D. D., pastor of the M. E. church, of 
which deceased had been so long a consistent member, prominent for her good 
works.  He was assisted by Rev. J. L. Buell, president elder of this 
district.  The M. E. church choir sang several selections, favorites of Mrs. 
Blanchard’s and they were assisted by Mrs. C. W. Parsons, who sang as a 
solo, “Some Sweet Day”, by Doane.

The pall bearers were the official members of the M. E. church.  The casket 
was provided with a top and lateral opening, showing the full form of 
deceased, enclosed in flowers, during the entire services.  Charles Bradley, 
of Bretz & Bradley, had general supervision.  No sermon was preached but Dr. 
Barnes gave a brief sketch of the life of deceased as follows:

We stand this moment in the presence of a universal fact.  It is no uncommon 
event; the children, even are familiar with the paraphernalia made necessary 
by the event of death.  No place, no man, no condition, no family circle, is 
exempt from this dread intrusion; no cottage, no princely dwelling, no granite 
walls, can prevent its entrances.  No Samson with his strength, no Solomon 
with his wisdom, Alexander with his victories, Caesar with his triumphs, 
Oroesus with his riches, have been able to resist its power.  No discoveries 
of science, no victories of faith, have been able to successfully cope with 
it.  Death is no respecter of persons.  The generations of the centuries have 
gone and the tramp of the world’s millions of today will have ceased in the 
near tomorrow.  With this over increasing host, of whom it is 
written, “departed” this precious one, to whom we pay a tribute of love and 
respect, must now be numbered.

Harriet Augusta Brewster was born in Burlington, Vermont, Dec. 10, 1825.  In 
the spring of 1839, when a girl of fourteen years, with her mother and 
brother, she came to Lyons, Ionia County, Michigan.  October 6, 1845, she was 
joined in marriage to J. C. Blanchard, who by her death is bereft of a most 
worthy companion.  Five years of her early married life were spent in Lyons.  
In the fall of 1850, their home was changed from Lyons to this city, which for 
forty-five years has been their home.  Although reared under Christian 
influences, and for years impressed with the necessity of being a Christian, 
she was not converted until she was twenty-eight years of age.  In 1853, under 
the labors of Brother George Bignell, then pastor of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, she consecrated her life to the Master’s service.  She was well 
converted.  She knew it, and others have known it by her life during all these 
years.  Endowed with rich natural gifts, grace detracted nothing, but added 
much to each of these.  Immediately after conversion she united with the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and remained a faithful, useful and honored member 
until she graduated into the church triumphant.  She had a decided preference 
for her own church, and in it found sufficient scope for the exercise of her 
gifts and grace; but her faith and love were broader than any one 
denomination, and compassed all in the interest of the Redeemer’s kingdom.

It is proper that a few characteristics of the sister should be enumerated at 
this time. She was true to her convictions as to what was right.  Once 
convinced of the right, of what should be done, she was firm.  When you knew 
what she thought right you would always know where to find her.  It were for 
the world if this were generally true.  Our convictions may not in all cases 
be correct, but we should honestly stand by them until we see our error and 
are convinced of the same.  Far better this, than to stultify our convictions, 
weaken our will power and do a wrong thing.  I had rather be criticized for 
having too much firmness than for want of firmness.  She was the friend of the 
poor and unfortunate.  The queen of this elegant home, surrounded by a large 
circle of acquaintances and friends with fine endowment for leadership she 
might have been a leader in the social world had she so chosen, but to her, 
life was most real; she came by choice in touch with the poor, and these 
unfavorably environed.  To help such was her delight, I am reminded of a case 
of an English woman of rank who was more devoted to the poor then to the 
social life to which she naturally belonged.  On one occasion, when one of a 
large social party of royalty, she was for a time missed, and it was 
asked, “Where is Lady Huntington?”  It was answered,  “Probably with her 
poor.”  Appreciating the intended slur, the royal guest replied, “Yes, with 
her poor, but when the end of life is reached I should rather take my chance 
for Heaven with Lady Huntington and her poor than with all this brilliant 
company.  As her pastor, I have come to know some of her interest in the poor 
and unfortunate, her sympathy, her visitations, her material aid.  It was my 
privilege to have a few moments in her presence on Saturday, her last day 
here.  Speaking of friends in a general way she said “Bear to them all 
messages of love from me.”  Then she named two persons in whom she had of late 
been especially interested, the one a poor woman whom our sister found a year 
ago and brought to Jesus, saw her converted and has since befriended; the 
other a man who was unfortunate and sinful, whom she also brought to Jesus.  
Asking of them, she said, “I am glad to hear they are doing well; talk them to 
be faithful.”   At this very moment, speaking of her sufferings, she said, “O 
such agony” and yet not in an hour of suffering did she forget those whom she 
had helped to save.  It was the triumph of the Christ spirit, and the Master 
has said, “Inasmuch as you did it unto one of the least of these, ye did it 
unto me;”  she was loyal to Christ.  When twenty-eight years of age she was 
happily converted, and from that time on she never faltered in her loyalty to 
the Master.  Who has not had evidence of this in all these years?  Who of us 
has not heard it from her own lips, “Jesus is precious,” and has not seen in 
her life expressions of such loyalty.  Like all intelligent Christians, she 
grew.  Christ was more to her as years went by.  I well remember a 
conversation with her years ago, about consecrating all to the Master.  She 
said, “I am not able to say to him, ‘Call my daughters to be missionaries and 
have them go far from me.  Thy will be done.” I cannot do it.”  Years passed, 
some of which were years of suffering and discipline.  I saw her again; she 
remembered the former conversation, and, calling my attention to it said, “I 
have grown during these years; I have put all into his hands; I do say, “Thy 
will be done.”

It was in keeping with such a life that she was able to say at the last, as 
time passed and eternity dawned, the world receded and Heaven opened, “The 
faith I have held, and the Christ I have served, do not fail me now; Christ is 
all to me, now.”  How this reminds me of the close of that splendid life in 
Christian history, when the hero of a successful career was about laying aside 
his armor and entering his rest, pausing a moment for the review of the past 
and visiting again life’s moral and spiritual battle fields, he said “I have 
fought a good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith.”  Then, 
looking forward, as the vision opened, he said, “Henceforth there is laid up 
for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall 
give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his 
appearing.”  It is always so.  Loyalty to Christ revealed in a pure life will 
bear the believing soul through the beautiful gate into the Celestial City.

Our sister was a devoted wife and a loving mother.  Although careful of minor 
interests which were never neglected in her relation to her family, she was 
certainly ever solicitous for their higher and spiritual good.  Since this was 
so, it was the most natural thing that this solicitude should manifest itself 
in the supreme moment of her life; she had a message of love for each one, and 
at the close of the message, she said, with emphasis, ‘If you forget 
everything else, remember Jesus is precious.”  What a heritage to commit to 
her children, and in the family reunions of the future, and in the hours of 
trial, on beds of pain, in religious gatherings and on the death bed, this 
will be said a thousand times, ‘Mother said to me when she was dying, ‘if you 
forget everything else, remember Jesus is precious to me now”.  Oh, may it be 
as one after another from the home circle goes forth into that other life, 
that by a like faith in the same Christ, the greeting may be, “Mother, Jesus 
is precious to me.”  She thought much and spoke often of the promises of the 
word.  She kept some of these as collected in the little book, ‘Daily Food” 
for each day.  The one for the day of her greatest suffering was, “Fear not, I 
am thy shield, and exceeding great reward.”  And for the day she entered into 
rest, ‘The blessing of the Lord maketh rich and addeth no sorrow with it.”  It 
was to be expected that one whose life rested on the promises would realize as 
she expressed it at the very last, “There are no clouds.”  Her faith was 
strong, her vision clear, and heaven was near at hand; and so it was in the 
presence of husband and the four children whom God had given them, and their 
dear ones, Nov. 10 AD 1895, at fifteen minutes past two o’clock in the morning 
she fell asleep.

Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep,
From which none ever wakes to weep;
A calm and undisturbed repose,
Unbroken by the last of foes.

Asleep in Jesus; oh, how sweet,
To be for such a slumber meet,
With Holy confidence to sing,
That death has lost his venomous sting.

Asleep in Jesus, far from Thee,
Thy kindred and their graves may be,
But there is still a blessed sleep,
From which none ever wake to weep.


The following relatives and friends from out of the city were included in the 
notable assemblage who did homage to the memory of deceased by their 
presence:  Mrs. Clarissa VanVleck, Mrs. Clara Evans, Palo; Mr. and Mrs. Henry 
Hitchcock, Lyons; Mrs. M. P. Sapp, Monroe; Mr. and Mrs. H F. Blanchard, 
Hubbardston; Mrs. S. A. McIntyre, Grand Rapids; Mrs. Salome Jeffries, 
Hubbardston.

The remains were laid in Highland Park cemetery, a sightly spot overlooking 
the lovely river and valley which had been the scene of the life work of a 
woman devoted to deeds of charity and kindness – a noble, Christian woman, 
loving wife and devoted mother.




Additional Comments:
Highland Park Cemetery - Section 6

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