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Subject: Obituary MISS ELLEN A. BLACK b. 1852, Galveston, TX, d. 1924, NYC, daughter of CHARLES & MARY (STUBBS) BLACK, m. 1873 Newport, Vt, THEOPHILUS GROUT. Extensive Obituary
Date: 1 Nov 2004 20:47:46 -0700
This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Surnames: BLACK GROUT SOMERVILLE STUBBS SLEEPER
Classification: Obituary
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http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/JNE.2ACIB/3275
Message Board Post:
Complimentary copy sent from the VERMONT DEPT. OF LIBRARIES - Montpelier,
Vermont. 11-1-04
Newport Express & Standard - Nov. 7, 1924 - Page one.
ELLEN BLACK GROUT
MRS. GROUT died at 560 West 180th St., New York City, Saturday morning, Oct.
26, 1924, from heart failure, after a lingering illness of over three years
which confined her to the house. The body was taken to Newport, her old home,
and buried from ST. MARK'S Church, Tuesday afternoon, the REV. R.H. TRILL,
rector of the church, conducting the service, and making interesting and
appropriate remarks on the life and character of the deceased. The interment
was in the
GROUT family lot, Newport East main Street cemetery, REV. MR. TRILL reading
the committal service. MAYOR LINDSAY, City Clerk SPEAR, FRANK R. SHERMAN, E.
J. PROUTY, CHARLIE BROWN, HENRY BLANCHARD, old time friends and neighbors,
acted as bearers. The choir sang "Lead Kindly Light: and other favorite hymns
of
the deceased.
ELLEN A. BLACK GROUT, the subject of this article, was born in Galveston,
Texas, July 11th, 1852.
She was the daughter of CHARLES and MARY (STUBBS) BLACK. Her parents were
among the early settlers of Galveston and both are buried in the old city
cemetery at Galveston. After the death of MRS. GROUT's parents in 1869 she
lived
and made her home with the REV. WM. C. SOMERVILLE and wife, then of Houston,
Texas.
MRS. SOMERVILLE, (Note: JUDITH ADELINE SLEEPER) whose first husband's name
was SMITH, was an early settler of Galveston and had been well acquainted
with
the deceased and the BLACK family, for many years. In 1870 MR. SOMERVILLE,
then
(continued on page three)
ELLEN BLACK GROUT
(continued from page one) (page three)
pastor of the first Presbyterian church of Houston, Texas, obtained a leave
of six months, and accompanied by his wife and MRS. GROUT, then MISS BLACK,
came to Stanstead and Coaticook, P. Q., to visit her relatives. During this
time
the Congregational church at Newport, Vermont, was without a pastor, and REV.
MR. SOMERVILLE supplied the pulpit, and became the regular pastor of the
Newport church, May, 1871, and with his wife and MISS BLACK boarded at the
old
Memphremagog House, Newport. On the 25th day of November, 1873, MISS BLACK
was
married to THEOPHILUS GROUT, then a lawyer at Newport, where they made their
permanent home until 1901, when they sold their home on School Street with
spacious grounds to the Newport School District, on which lot the present
Newport
high school building now stands.
During the thirty or more years that MR. and MRS. GROUT lived in Newport, she
was an untiring active zealous worker in organizing and building Saint Mark's
Episcopal church at Newport. MRS. GROUT with the other brave and courageous
women of the Episcopal faith took the ground that an Episcopal church could
be
built and paid for and maintained in Newport, and if the fainthearted
husbands could not see their way clear to build it, the women would undertake
the
task. This was too much for the men, and by the unanimous request of all
interested THEOPHILUS GROUT drew up the following articles of association,
which was
the real beginning of the beautiful little SAINT MARK's church and rectory
house on Second St.
"Articles of Association of the Mission of SAINT MARK's Church, Newport,
Vermont.
"We the undersigned citizens of the town of Newport, county of Orleans, state
of Vermont, do hereby associate ourselves together as a religious society,
under the laws of the state of Vermont, to be known and called as the mission
of
SAINT MARK's church, Newport.
"We associate for the purpose of maintaining the worship of Almighty God,
according to the provisions of the Protestant Episcopal church in the United
States, in its liturgy, canons and usages, and for doing whatever else may be
necessary in promoting the main purpose:
"We do hereby adopt, receive and promise entire conformity to the
constitution and Canons of the Diocese of Vermont.
"Signed at Newport, Vermont, November 8th, A. D. 1879.
NAMES
"THEOPHILUS GROUT, ELLEN A. GROUT, VICTORIA GROUT, ROBERT J. WRIGHT, M. T.
HAMILTON, FREDERICK CHATFIELD, MRS. L. B. CLEVELAND, MRS. M. T. HAMILTON,
MRS.
W. FULLER, MRS. R. J. WRIGHT, MRS. F. P. DAVIS, MRS. F. CHATFIELD.
"Town clerk's office, Newport, Dec. 11th, A.D. 1879. Received for record at
ten o'clock a. m., and recorded in Vol. one, page 20, of Newport records in
town.
Attest: H. S. ROOT, Town Clerk."
Immediately after the signing and recording of the foregoing articles of
association, the Episcopal ladies formed a guild known as "The Ladies Guild
of
SAINT MARK's Church, Newport," and the good work commenced.
The first year the Ladies' Guild cleared about $800 and within three years
had realized around $2000, and a lot was purchased and paid for.
On the 5th day of October, 1882, the cornerstone of SAINT MARK's church was
laid, with imposing ceremonies by the Right REV. W. H. A. BISSELL, then
bishop
of Vermont, assisted by BISHOP NILES of New Hampshire, and a large number of
visiting clergy and laity from Vermont, Canada and New Hampshire. It was a
beautiful and imposing service.
In January, 1884, the church was completed and opened for services, with a
small debt left on it.
Before September, 1884, this debt was paid off and SAINT MARK's church was
consecrated to the worship of Almighty God according to the constitution and
canons of the Protestant Episcopal church of the United States and the diocese of
Vermont.
At this beautiful and imposing service the late BISHOP BISSELL of Vermont
presided, assisted by BISHOP NILES of New Hampshire, and many clergymen and laity
from Vermont, New Hampshire and Canada. BISHOP NILES preached the dedicatory
sermon.
Soon after SAINT MARK's church was consecrated it was deeded to the trustees
of the Diocese of Vermont, a corporation chartered by the legislation of
Vermont, to be by them held in trust forever, to be used only for church purposes,
and never to be diverted to any other use or purpose.
A few years after SAINT MARK's church was thus consecrated and deeded to the
trustees of the Vermont Diocese, it received from MRS. FULLER of Chicago,
Illinois, aunt of MRS. M. T. HAMILTON of Newport, a legacy of $5000, which was put
into the hands of the trustees of the Diocese of Vermont to be held by them
in trust forever, the income thereof only to be used for the support of SAINT
MARK's church.
At the time this legacy of $5000 was paid over to the trustees as before
mentioned, about $1300 interest had accrued, and this was used to help build the
present rectory house, no one played a more important part than ELLEN A. GROUT,
the subject of this sketch. She loved the little church she had helped to
build, thought it beautiful and homelike, and desired to be buried from it, and
her requests have been carried out.
She leaves to mourn her departure her husband, THEOPHILUS GROUT, a son,
CHARLES T. GROUT, a daughter, ADDIELOU GROUT ROSEBERY, a granddaughter, ROSANNA
GROUT, and two grandsons, WILLIAM W. GROUT and GROUT ROSEBERY, and
daughter-in-law, ALICE CANON GROUT, wife of CHARLES T. GROUT.
She was a woman of many accomplishments whom everbody loved. She was a
beautiful character, richly endowed by nature, cultured, amiable and refined, a
noble Christian wife, mother and grandmother.
She has fought a good fight and kept the faith, and gone to her home in
heaven, there to receive a crown of righteousness form her Lord and Saviour.
Peaceful be thy rest, and a tender goodbye, dear heart, until we meet again,
in that land where the Lord God giveth eternal light.
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