Obits: Wayne County, Pennsylvania-- COLWELL, Sarah  1903

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This obit for Sarah A. White Colwell is from a Carbondale, PA paper dated
January 25, 1903.  Surnames mentioned are COLWELL, WHITE, DOLPH, SWINGLE,
BONE, CHAFFEE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mrs. Sarah Colwell Passes Away

     Mrs. Sarah A. Colwell, wife of the late Thomas Colwell, and a member
of one of the pioneer families of northeastern Pennsylvania, passed
away about one o'clock yesterday afternoon at the home of her son
Frederick, corner of Wyoming Street and Seventh avenue, where she had
lived for several years.  
      Although one of the oldest residents of the city, being in her
seventy-sixth year, Mrs. Colwell had enjoyed excellent health till about
two years ago, when the infirmities of old age began to affect her.  Last
August while carrying her little grand-daughter she had the misfortune to
fall, suffering a dislocation of the shoulder, a fracture of the shoulder
and of the collar bone.  While the broken bones grew together and in time
she was able to be about as before the accident, the mishap left serious
results and greatly impaired her health.  During the past month, however,
she had been quite active, but Thursday of last week she began to complain. 
Sunday she was compelled to take to her bed, and from then on sank
gradually till the time of her death.  Her passing away was very peaceful.
     The deceased was before her marriage Sarah A. White.  She was the
eldest child of Ephron (sic, Ephraim) White and the first of the family of
five children to pass away.  Her father was one of the earliest settlers of
Dundaff, where for many years he conducted the leading blacksmith shop and
where Mrs. Colwell was born July 25, 1827.
     The deceased lived in Dundaff, then the foremost town in these parts,
till she was nine years of age when her family removed to Seelyville where
her father started an ax factory, which soon became for that time, a very
important industry.  From Seelyville, Mrs. Colwell went to Honesdale, where
she lived for a considerable time.
     In September, 1850, the deceased was married to Thomas Colwell.  The
destination of their wedding tour was Wilkes-Barre which they reached by
stage coach.  They stopped over night at a small inn at what is now
Providence and the young couple remarked that Scranton was composed of but
a few small houses.
     Immediately after their marriage Mr. And Mrs. Colwell took up their
residence on a farm at Cherry Ridge, which continued to be their home till
the death of Mr. Colwell twenty-two years ago.  The next year Mrs. Colwell
came to Carbondale, where she has resided continuously since.
     Mrs. Colwell's career was an interesting one.  Her native place was at
the time of her birth the metropolis of northeastern Pennsylvania and that
time the land now covered by Carbondale was either forest or swampland. 
Dundaff contained a bank and a newspaper.  Having spent her whole life in
this section Mrs. Colwell watched the material growth of the territory with
no little interest and during her later years took keen pleasure in
recounting reminiscences of the early days.  Three years ago she held a
family reunion on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of her marriage
and one of the most delightful features was the telling of her early
experiences.
     The deceased is survived by four sons and two daughters, as follows: 
Frank, Sidney and Frederick Colwell, Mrs. Charles Dolph and Harry Swingle
of this city, and Arthur Colwell, of Schenectady, N.Y.  The surviving
brothers and sisters are:  Joseph White, of Scranton; Crandall White, of
New York city; G. W. White, of Honesdale and Mrs. John Bone, of Scranton. 
While the deceased was not a church member she was of a highly religious
nature and a constant attendant upon the services of the Methodist church. 
The funeral will be held Thursday afternoon.  The services will be
conducted at the house at 1:30 o-clock by the Rev. A. F. Chaffee, pastor of
the First methodist church.  Burial will be made in Brookside cemetery.