BROWN, Susie Alice Harkness 1874 - 1923

BROWN, HARKNESS, HUMESTON

Posted By: Richard K. Thompson (email)
Date: 5/2/2011 at 16:59:11

Fairfield Daily Ledger-Journal
Thursday March 29, 1923

OBITUARY

MRS. SUSIE HARKNESS BROWN

Susie Alice HARKNESS was the daughter of Richard A. HARKNESS and Susie B. HUMESTON, and was born in Garden Grove, Iowa.

When she was eight years old, her father accepted a call in the professorship of Latin in Parsons college. The family then removed to Fairfield, which continued to be their home until after the death of Professor HARKNESS in 1918.

Mrs. BROWN was graduated from Parsons college, and three years later received her M.A. degree from the same institution. While working for her master's degree and for a year or two after receiving it, she was employed as a tutor in Latin and Greek in Parsons college. At the termination of her work with the college she held for two years the position of Instructor in Latin in the Fairfield High school. She resigned this position to marry Dr. Samuel J. BROWN, a college classmate and neighbor in Fairfield, who had located in Panora, Iowa, two years before.

After their marriage on September 18, 1904 they went directly to Panora, and from that time Mrs. BROWN has taken an active part in the civic and religious activites of the town. She was for some time president of the Political Equality club, the predecessor of the present Women's club, and her interest in that work led to her acquaintance with the suffrage work in the state at large. She was the state treasurer of the Iowa Suffrage association for several years, and maintained an active interest in the work of the association until the ballot was granted to women.

For about nine years she has held the presidency of the Women's Board of Home Missions of the Synod of Iowa, and her work for that great branch of the boards of the Prebyterian church has been tireless and efficient. This has involved much travel and endless correspondence and it is small wonder that her slender strength gave way under the combined weight of this and the many local interests to which she gave her time without reserve.

Mrs. BROWN was a member of the Women's club, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Eastern Star and the P.E.O. society in addition to the active part she took in all the organizations of the church, the Sunday school, the Christian Endeavor, Aid and Missionary societies.

* Transcribed for genealogy purposes. I am not related to the person(s) mentioned.

Note: Susie was born on January 22, 1874 and died on March 23, 1923. She was buried in Old Fairfield City Cemetery, Fairfield, Iowa. Lot 22.