An obituary notice of Sister Ann Graves death, was produced, read and agreed that it be Recorded - which is as follows:
Our Sister Ann Graves departed this life on the 11th day of Nov. last, aged 85 years, she had been afflicted with the palsy for about nine years, which with old age seem'd to cause her death without any other particular disease or pain - during the whole of her life she uniformly evinced the Strongest disposition to relieve the distress and to strengthen the weak & to comfort the comfortless & to divide the fruits of her labour with the poor, after she embraced the Christian religion her disposition was more associated to Christian Charity - & she invariably exercised it, particularly toward the needy within her knowledge - she seem'd to well recollect "It is more blessed to give than to receive" & it appeared as if "her prayers were heard. Her alms had in remembrance in the sight of God." - for she is as among the first of a numerous family connection who obtained the religion of our Saviour, which was in the year [blank] in Virginia where she then lived & she join'd the baptist Church at Blue Run - In the year 1797 with the most of her family she removed to Kentucky & settled near to & Join'd our church at Bullittsburgh where she continued until her death. from the time of her conversion she manifested the greatest solicitude & continual engagement for the promotion of the redeemers Kingdom on earth, & for its eternal blessings to be bestowed upon the unconcerned generally but more especially upon on those of her own household & offspring in which she was so singallly [blurred] favor'd. Her pray'rs so wonderfully answered so that even in Bullittsburgh church she had the pleasure of living in membership with & said numbered among her Brethren her husband John Graves who died about 11 months before she did aged 88 years - & with ten of her own children - twenty nine of her grand children & two of her great grand children, while nearly every other of her near relaitives & ascendants of sufficient age had join'd other churches of the Same deniomination - Thus with us it may be said that she was not only a mother, but a grandmother & great grand mother in Israel both literally & spiritually speaking, Such was the tendernap of her feelings & peculiarly of her disposition that it always appeared to give her pain & a degree of uneasiness to hear any human being spoken of lightly or disrespectfully, and it is said that she at all times carefully avoided even the rehearsal of any thing that might operate to the injury or prejudice of any person whatever, & unless she could speak well of a person she was silent - rare as it may appear it can be said of her that she stood through life not only blameless in the church but before the world also - never having injured or given offence to anyone but was guided by the wisdom that descends from above & such as was pure [?cible] gentle & easy to be entreated full of mercy & good fruits without partiality or hypocracy.
[The spelling, punctuation, language and capitalization are as they appear in the original. Transcribed and formatted by Jim Duvall, 1996.]
[Editor's note: This is an unusual obit as women were hardly ever mentioned for special notice in the church records at this early date. - Jim Duvall]
From Bullitsburg Baptist Churchbook, January, 1827
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