Elizabeth Beard
Born: January 1st, 1970
Died: September 18th, 1890
Obituary
The funeral for the late Mrs. Elizabeth Beard was held at the now desolate home, 510 Garfield Avenue, Sunday afternoon, the Rev. Dr. McClintock conducting the services and Messrs. William Gillies, Geo. Whipple, MC McArthur, William Morehouse, HD Cameron, and IM Christy acting as pall-bearers. There were many sympathizing friends in attendance.
The death of Mrs. Beard came as a surprise to the large circle of friends of herself and family, who though knowing her ill health for the past few months, and the evil result of a severe attack of la grippe(the flu) last winter, were yet hopeful that her physical strength, aided by the skill of the best physicians, would enable her to recover and her life be spared yet for many years. But the disease which had taken such a stronghold baffled every effort for its removal and the end came suddenly on the 18th instead.
Mrs. Beard, formerly Miss Elizabeth Ronaldson, born in Madison, Indiana, August 6m 1834. Her parents soon thereafter moved to Chillicothe, Ohio, and a few years later, in 1845, came to Burlington, where, with their family, they made a permanent home. Ten years later, in 1855, she married Mr. Hiram Beard, then and until his death a few years since a well known and highly esteemed businessman of this city. To them were born two sons, Albert, who was born January 30, 1857, and died May 4, 1863, and H. Edgar Beard, born August 30, 1868, and who now grown to man’s estate, is the only surviving member of the family. There is surviving two brothers, however, Thos. Ronaldson, of Cincinnati, and John Ronaldson, of St. Louis, Missouri, and one sister, Ellen Ronaldson, or this city, remain to mourn her loss, all of whom were present at the funeral services on Sunday.
Thus has passed away another from the rapidly thinning ranks of the early settlers of this city, and one whose pure and Christian life has been a perpetual blessing to the community, her friends, and her family. Quiet and retiring in her disposition, domestic in her tastes and habits, she found her chief delight in her home and family, where, until a little more than a year since, she ministered with affectionate devotion to make glad the last years of her aged and invalid mother, whom she so soon has followed to the other shore. The warmest and most kindly sympathy of the community goes out in fullest measure to the remaining relatives in this last affliction.