Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Dodge, Ruth 1872 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Marilyn Ransom mlnransom@chartermi.net August 19, 2010, 3:29 pm The Ionia Sentinel, Friday, October 11, 1872 In Ionia, Oct. 1st, after a brief illness, Ruth Freeman, wife of David Doge, Esq., in the 73rd year of her age. The deceased, the eldest child of David and Dolly Freeman, was born at Dudley, Mass., August 15th, 1800. At the age of 18 years she experienced religion and united with the Congregational Church of Millbury, in the same county, then under the pastoral care of Rev. Mr. Goff. On the 26th of April, 1826, she was married to David Dodge (who now survives her) at Oxford, Mass., and the same year she removed with him to Rochester, N.Y., where she united with the Third Presbyterian Church of that city, then under the pastoral care of Rev. Joel Parker, D.D. She continued to reside in Rochester until the summer of 1844 when she removed with her husband and family to Long Plains in this county, and in the following fall connected herself with the First Presbyterian Church of Lyons. In this connection she remained for several years when, for convenience of worship and communion. She connected herself with the Methodist Episcopal Church of North Plains in 1857 she removed with her husband and family to Ionia, and then united by letter with the Methodist Episcopal Church of that place, in which connection she remained until Jan. 3d, 1869, when she united with the Presbyterian Church of the same village and remained in this relation until her death. Mrs. Dodge was the mother of ten children, nine of whom, three sons and six daughters, are now living. She had in all thirty-seven grandchildren, twenty- five of whom were living at the time of her death, and three great grandchildren, two of whom are now living. Mrs. Dodge was a thorough New England woman. She was characterized by great physical activity and remarkable energy and industry. She was a faithful friend, an excellent neighbor and a devoted wife and mother. She looked well to the ways of her household. But with all the cares and labors attending the management of a large family, she diligently improved every opportunity which presented itself for the cultivation of her mind. She was a great reader, principally of works of religious character. For many years previous to her death she was in the habit of reading after her family had retired until long past the hour of midnight. Consequently, she was intelligently informed upon various subjects, and with her intelligence she united an excellent practical judgment which rendered her conversation at all times interesting and instructive. Mrs. Dodge was no ordinary Christian. She was firm and decided in her convictions which were based upon a clear apprehension of the great doctrines of the Gospel. With all her reading, the Bible was her favorite book, which she perused daily through all her Christian life. With more cares and labors than most women, she was active in all Christian work until she was laid aside by the infirmities of advanced age. Her religion was not a mere profession, nor was it the creation of fickle impulse and fleeting emotion. Having once set out in the Christian life, she went resolutely forward and did not falter in the path of duty. She was a Christian in every relation and wherever she went. In her own family her Christian character shone forth most beautifully. She did not leave the religious education of her children exclusively to the Sabbath School. She felt that in this particular she had a duty which no one could discharge in her place. She faithfully instructed her children in the Scriptures, and in addition to this she zealously labored and prayed that they all might be gathered into the fold of the Good Shepard. She lived to see eight of her nine living children professors of religion and members of Christian Churches. Mrs. Dodge died as she had lived. When near her end she was calm, peaceful, without doubt or fear, staying her soul on Christ trusting as the ground of her hope, not in what she had done or attained to, but in what Christ had done, and firmly believing that He would be with her when she passed through the dark valley of the shadow of death and that His rod and His staff would comfort her. The last words which she uttered to her pastor were “Grace, Grace, Grace.” File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/d/dodge8290nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 4.8 Kb