Renaud, Mary Jane 1849-1929

RENAUD, SMITH, GIFFORD

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 4/5/2013 at 10:33:42

The Grinnell (IA) Herald; May 14, 1929

WAS ONE OF
THE PIONEERS
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Mrs. Charles F. Renaud Died last
Week at Lynnville, Aged
80 Years
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CAME TO THIS COMMUNITY
BEFORE SHE WAS TWENTY
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Her First Husband, Albert Gifford,
Broke Sod on Prairie Farm
In Chester
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(By a Staff correspondent)

Lynnville, Ia., May 14, Special:

Mary Jane Smith, daughter of John and Elizabeth Smith, was born in the city of Blackburne, England, March 10, 1849, and departed this life May 8, 1929, aged 80 years, 1 month and 28 days.

When about 18 years of age, she came to America to work in the cotton and woolen mills of Holyoke, Mass. She was engaged in this work only a comparatively short time when, with some others, she came to Iowa at a time when Iowa was covered with prairie grass.

At 20 years of age, she was married to Albert Gifford, who died in 1875 and who broke up the prairie on the farm in the old Chester neighborhood which farm she had retained throughout her life. To this union were born two boys, Walter, who died at the age of 2 years, and A.T. Gifford of Lynnville.

A little over a year after the death of Albert Gifford or about 1876, she was married to Charles F. Renaud. To this union were born 6 boys and two girls: Willet of Long Beach, California; George of Beloit, California; Omer, Willis, Alphonso, Elmer and Avis of Lynnville; and Laura who died when two years old.

For the past sixteen years, she has been a loving mother to her grandson Ward, whose mother died when he was only three years old and to whom "Grandma" has meant the same as Mother.

In addition to these she leaves to mourn her loss twelve grandchildren and one great granddaughter.

Much the greater part of her life was spent on the farm in the Chester neighborhood where she was for many years leading singer in the little old Chester church. Her great Easter song "He is Risen, He is not Here" was called for time after time as a most fitting part of the Easter service each year.

In the early summer of 1907 retired from the farm and came to live in Lynnville where she had lived continuously ever since excepting one year at Montour, Iowa.

While still a young girl, she united with the Methodist church, and after she came west, she transferred to the Friends church of which she was a loyal member.

During her closing days, she was a close student of the Bible and every evening at twilight, she could be found reading from the Holy Writ from which she seemed to take great joy and comfort.

Loving and kind, loyal and true, always firm for the right in whatever she did. It may be truthfully said of her, "She hath done what she could."

Funeral services were held at the Friends Church Sunday afternoon, with a large company of friends and relatives gathered to pay their last respects. Supt. M.T. Mendenhall of Oskaloosa brought the message, using as his text "She hath done what she could." He was assisted in the services by the local pastor, Rev. L.W. Reynolds. Appropriate selections were sung by Mrs. Leo Davis, Mrs. Harvey Gause, Rev. L.W. Reynolds and Harlan Meredith with Mrs. A.F. Quire at the piano. Pallbearers were the five sons present, A.T. Gifford, Alphonso, Willis, Omer, Elmer and a grandson, Cheldon Renaud. Many beautiful floral offerings banked the front of the room. Interment was in the Woodland cemetery.