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Obituary.

In Albany, N.Y., March 10, Mrs. Margaret, widow of the late Col. Lester Barker of Clinton, Oneida Co., N.Y., in the 85th year of her age. Mrs. Barker, whose maiden name was Odell, was born in the town on Greensburgh, Westchester Co., on the Hudson, on the first day of March, 1801. She married Col. Barker in 1829, and immediately removed to Clinton, his native place, and where, it was said, he was the first male child born to the early settlers of that neighborhood. That whole region was originally occupied by Indians, especially the Oneidas, who have left their name upon several natural objects of the country —— as Oneida creek, Oneida lake, as well as given names to several places, as Oneida, Oneida Castle, and, finally, to one of the most populous and wealthy rural counties in the Empire State. Here Mr. and Mrs. Barker continued to reside till his death, which occurred about twenty years ago. They held a prominent position in society, and were identified with all the interests of the place. They were closely connected with the Universalist parish there for a whole generation, as they also were with the Clinton Liberal Institute from its very inception. Of both the society and the Institute he was constantly one of the trustees, and by his rare business abilities and judgment in practical affairs, was enabled to render great service. They were of course most intimately connected with Rev. Stephen R. Smith, in his efforts in founding the Institute and furthering the interests of our cause in that region. From the neighborhood of her birth and early life, I should assume that Mrs. Barker's education was of the Dutch Reformed, or rigidly Calvinistic, order; but if it was she soon after her marriage rose into a higher and wider faith. She was an intelligent and sincere believer in the Christian religion as interpreted and understood by the Universalist church, and adorned her profession by a life of singular beauty and usefulness. Her heart was full of charity for all, and her hand was ever ready to succor the needy, whencesoever they came of whatever name they bore. In seasons of sickness and death her poorest neighbors knew where they could find sympathy and aid. In all relations of life she was a model women, and one of the excellent of the earth. After the death of her husband she resided for a time with a widowed sister in Brooklyn, N.Y., but for several years has been a member of the family of her only daughter, wife of Hon. Wm. B. Ruggles, at Bath, N.Y., but who, on his appointment as State Superintendent of Public Instruction, removed to Albany, where her death occurred suddenly of pneumonia after an illness of only three hours. She had a wide acquaintance and many intimate friends beyond the narrow circle of her family, and none will hear of her departure without a pang of sincere regret. 
T.J.S.
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town while I did some errands. Mr. Days and Mr. Crane came to the wagon to talk to him. After we came home I dove up the street back of Reillys to Kingston and back, to give him more of a ride. The wind blew from the South and it is disagreeable to be on the road. Sara had the sitting room cleaned and put in its summer garb, which ends her operations in this line. I went over to my studio and painted another little Paestum study a little lighter in tone. After tea, my 75 feet of hose having arrived I joined it to Girards to see if it would reach the flower bed, but it came only to the edge of it. Wrote a short note to Mrs. Ruggles neé Carrie Barker. 

Sunday June 14" 1885. This is the second anniversary of poor Maurices untimely death. The same hot, mournful wind has blown all day as it has for the past two days and as it did on the night he lay suffering alone in his room when Sara listened to his moans and sighs mingling with the melancholy moaning of the wind. Sara and I called down at Johns this evening to see [[strikethrough]] Ev [[/strikethrough]] Agnes Dibbler who is visiting there and as we came back to the house she remarked that it seemed strange there was no one here to meet us. Indeed it does seem strange and stranger still that I get accustomed to it and am not constantly saddened by it. I gave my father a bath this morning. He seems very feeble, but not more so than usual. Still I recognize on what a frail tissue his life holds. As he sits in his chair with his head bowed, as he often does he seems very old and helpless, yet he has been up all day and does not seem at all unhappy or depressed as he did some time ago. It has been a very warm day and not a pleasant one with the hot west wind. I got up early and picked the peas and mean to do most of my work in the early morning during the hot weather. I wrote to Miss Nesmith and lounged about without a coat most of the day reading the Sunday papers and trying to keep cool. 

Monday 15" Was up at 5 o'clock and at work down in the garden making a trellis for the tomato vines which I nearly completed by breakfast time. After I had got through my work I took a bath and dressed myself and sat out on the front porch pretty tired while Sara drove my father to Kingston. It has been a much pleasanter day than yesterday, clear and with very little wind. Miss Ray came while Sara was gone. She is to come to me when her painting materials arrive and I will get her started in her work, perhaps tomorrow. In the afternoon, I changed my clothes again, got Girards hose and joined mine to it and led it through the stable into the garden which I gave a good drenching  

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