Southampton County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Beaton, M. Frances Drewry, 1922 

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MARTHA FRANCES DREWRY BEATON

   Many hearts were overwhelmed with grief on Sunday night, August 27th, when 
the word was quietly passed around among relatives and friends that Mrs. 
Frances M. Beaton, know to a host of acquaintances as "Aunt Fan", had passed 
away.

   As the sun was sinking in its beauty beyond the western horizon of the 
little village of Branchville in which many of her happy years were spent, and 
where she had often spoken she would like to be when the end came, her soul 
passed quietly away with the coming of the dusk and without a tremor of a fear 
was ushered into the presence of her God. Just so did the end of her beautiful 
life come, as quietly as the setting of the sun upon that beautiful midsummer 
day in that quiet little village. It was significant that it had come as she 
had planned. For she had just returned to Branchville two days prior to her 
death to visit in the home of her relative and very dear friend, Mrs. Nora 
Wood.

   Aunt Fan had been in ill health for several months but it had not occurred 
to even those most near to her that the end would come so soon. She had been 
in good spirits all of the day and had visited several old companions in the 
village just a few hours before she became ill. Her illness lasted only a 
brief hour and she passed away as quietly as the flower droops its head when 
the day is done.

   Aunt Fan was the representative of a type of womanhood fast disappearing 
from our life and whose beauty and charm are living only in the pages of 
history and in the romances of the Old South. It was a privilege to know her, 
for her jovial disposition and fascinating manner made life worth the living 
and to walk by her side and be her friend was a joy indeed. Many a sad heart 
has been cheered with her brilliant wit and humor, many a soul has thrilled 
with ecstasy at the melody of her music, for she was an accomplished musician 
and loved dearly her piano and spent many years as instructor on this 
instrument. Scores of women in our county owe their musical knowledge to her 
untiring devotion and tender patience.

   She was born in 1858* on her father’s extensive plantation near 
Drewryville. Her father, James Drewry, was an influential citizen of our 
county in his day and an honorable gentleman of the old school. His home was 
celebrated for its hospitality and the doors were ever open to the weary 
traveler as for the nearby friend. His name still lives though he has passed 
away these many years. Her mother was Miss Martha Simmons, a very amiable and 
estimable lady, whose life added charm to her household and was a crown of 
glory to her husband’s worthy career. It was in this lively Southern home that 
Aunt Fan spent her childhood days and acquired her lovely disposition and 
charming manner. She was a student at the Southern College in Petersburg for 
several years where she specialized in music and in 1889* was married to 
George N. Beaton of Branchville. She was the mother of two sons: Drewry 
Francis Beaton of Atlanta, and George N. Beaton, Jr. of Boston, who survive 
her. She was the sister of our present County Treasurer, S. B. Drewry of 
Portsmouth. Several brothers and sisters have already preceded her spirit into 
the Beyond.

   There was no one just like Aunt Fan and no one shall come to take her place 
in our hearts. Her life inspires us to nobler living and a happier association 
with our fellow and we shall love in the hope of some day hearing again her 
jolly laugh and thrilling again at the melody of her soul.


Martha Frances "Aunt Fan" (DREWRY; Mrs. George N. Sr.) BEATON, 
d. 27 Aug 1922, 
interred in the DREWRY family Cemetery, Drewryville, 
"The Tidewater News" (Franklin, VA), Sep. 22, 1922, p. 4 

*Additional information: 

Fannie & her parents are interred in the DREWRY family cemetery, 
   "Cedar Grove," Cedar View Ln., Drewryville- she in 5th Row, Lot 4. 
   Cemetery list gives b. 1 Oct 1855. 
   Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project, 
   Miscellaneous Cemeteries, Vol. 6 (VI-13): 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/cemeteries/miscvol6.txt 

Date of marriage wrong above: 

George N. Beaton, 21, Single, b. & res. Southampton, 
   sn/o James and Sarah M. James, Merchant 
Fannie M. Drewry, 29, Single, b. & res. Southampton, 
   dt/o James & Martha T? Drewry 
m.lic. 12 May 1885 by clerk J.B. Prince 
m. 14 May 1885 at the Harris Place, Southampton Co., by M.S. Colonna 
(Southampton Co. MB5:449) 


Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by 
Mrs. Bruce Saunders (bs4403@verizon.net), 
and re-formatted by File Manager. 

file at: 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/obits/b350f1ob.txt