| Notes |
- Niagara Gazette - 9/29/1880
Mrs. Ellen Whitney Force, widow of
the lite Maj. Geo. B. Force, of Plalnwell,
Mich., and sister of Mr, John Whitney,
of this town, died, a t the .residence of
her brother on the 23d instant. We copy
tho following obituary sketch from the
columns of the Rochester .Union of Sat-
urday.
Ellen Whitney Force has' passed the
portal many call death. She was born
March 2d,, 1835, .at.Niagara Falls,-, and
died at that place on the 34d of th epre-
ent month: The early years of her married
life were-spent in Rochester, but for
several years past she has resided at
Plainwell, Michigan. She leaves an
only son Charles. Force, of- Plainwell,
and an adopted daughter,- Alice Force,
She was the widow of the late Major
George B. Force, of this city, who was
killed while in command of his regiment,
108th..New. York, at the battle of Antietam
in 1862. He.was the brother of Maj.
I. F. Force, of Rochester, who was then
also major of the 140th' New York Regiment.
It became the sad.duty of the writer of
this to convoy to Mrs. Force,the terrible
news of that event. At the time she was
visiting friends, in Ontario'county 'and
upon meeting her-shethen having with
her dear fatherless boy, aged but a few
months—her quick preception anticipated
what I would tell, and the deathly
pallid face, her suppressed breath, and
quivering lips, forbade me to speak the
word.- And after due preparation she
returned-with me in a carriage to Can- andaigua, holding in her arms her babe.
Very few words .were spokon, by either
person during that ride of about fourteen
miles.': When t h e silence was at length
broken by her asking with suppressed
breath in a whisper, was he killed in-
stantly, I could not answer. •.But oh
the anguish of that hour. Since then
she has shown a bouyant and cheerful.
spirit to the world, but that anguish
ceased only with the last breath. the
love she bore her noble husband was
always uppermost. Yet her duty to
others and especially to her son, who is
not grown to manhood - with attributes
to fill a mother's heart with joy- pre-
sented other attractions for life, causing
the cheerful smile an dkind word for all.
Whilst the underlying tension upon the
silver cord of life produced that fell dis-
ease consumption, and like the ripening
leaves; unseared by frost in this early
Autumn, she has fallen asleepl her spirit
has returned to God who gave it. A
more pure, lovely and gentle spirit has
not inhavited mortal frame. Her dear
son and her adopted daughter (her de-
ceased brother's child) will mourn for
her whose love.can never be replaced,
and her friends here, numerous and
true, will listen silently for that'voice,
whispering front the other slde-^No, he
was not "killed instantly," he still lives.'
I have met him in heaven.
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1835 - 1880 (45 years)