Baldwin County (Georgia) Cemeteries

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Patsy (Pansy?) Howard

ca. 1880 - Oct 10, 1896

Cemetery: Memory Hill
East Side, Section E, Lot 40, Grave 5
-- See section's Lot Layout map on Memory Hill website. (Map will open in a new window.)

Inscription and Notes:

Called 'Pansy' in Union-Recorder obituary, 'Patsy' in A/D, and 'Mary F.' in BCC.
First girl student to die at G.N. & I. College.

Death and Burial of Miss Pansy Howard (obituary from the Union Recorder, Sept. 13, 1896)

One of the saddest events in the annals of the Georgia Normal & Industrial College occurred last week in the death of Miss Pansy Howard, one of the students boarding at Atkinson Hall. Miss Howard was among the new students who entered the college at the opening of the session about a month ago. At that time she was a perfect picture of healthy, robust, joyous girlhood. She was taken sick Sunday afternoon and died at 3 o'clock on the following Saturday morning. The terrible malady by which she was attacked obdurately refused to yield to treatment although three skilled physicians were in constant attendance and she had the very best of nursing and attention.

She was the daughter of Mr. Gordon Howard, a citizen of Wilkerson county and well known in Milledgeville. Her mother died some years ago and for the past several years her home has been with her uncle, Hon. S. A. Reid, of Macon, a prominent lawyer and member-elect to the next Georgia legislature. She was just 16 years old and was a member of the sophomore class. Death's untimely frost rarely falls upon a fairer flower. She was a remarkably bright, handsome and lovable girl, and in intellectual endowments, she was far above the average. Her teachers all unite in declaring that there was not a more attractive or promising student in the entire college. Her uncle, Hon. S. A. Reid and her brother, Mr. Gordon Howard, of Macon, and her father, Mr. Howard and her uncle, Dr. Geo. Crawford, of Wilkinson county, were with her from Wednesday evening until her death, early Saturday morning.

The funeral took place at 4 o'clock Saturday afternoon from the Baptist church in this city and was one of the most impressive occasions of the kind ever seen in Milledgeville. It was attended by the full faculty and nearly the entire student body of the college and by many citizens. In the procession to the cemetery there were over three hundred G.N. & I. students in line all dressed in the college uniform. The Sophomore class of fifty members, distinguished by their pure white shirt waists and badges of mourning, headed the line and carried flowers to lay upon the grave. The funeral services were impressively conducted by Rev. Jno. A. Wray, of the Baptist Church. Miss Howard had many friends in Milledgeville as she formerly lived in the country near here and was at one time a student of the M. G. M. & A. College. Six young men, former friends of hers, acted as pall bearers. She was laid to rest at the burial lot of the distinguished Jesup family who were closely related to her on her mother's side. The coffin and the new made grave were profusely covered with beautiful floral offerings. It was a deeply touching scene when, just as the golden autumnal sun was setting and amidst the suppressed sobs of her school girl companions thronged around her open grave, the preacher uttered the solemn words, "earth to earth, dust to dust, ashes to ashes."


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