Cornelia A. (Palmer) Briggs (1839-1915)

PALMER, BRIGGS, WITHEY, MCCALL, MURPHEY, MORAN

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 12/25/2021 at 11:29:47

From Nevada Representative January 12, 1915 (page 5)

OBITUARY

MRS. CORNELIA A. BRIGGS

The funeral of the late Mrs. Cornelia A. Briggs was conducted according to announcement Saturday afternoon from the home of her nieces, Miss Rose Murphey and Mrs. Margaret Moran, Rev. J. G. Leith officiating. Ole and true friends were present in generous numbers a floral offerings were numerous and fine. The body had arrived in charge of Geo. H. Briggs early Saturday morning, the journey from California having been made without mishap or delay.

Cornelia A. Palmer was born at Noblesville, Indiana, November 13, 1839, married Samuel E. Briggs at Nevada, Iowa, September 29, 1861, and died at Claremont, California, January 3, 1915, aged 75 years, 1 month and 21 days. She was a younger sister of Mrs. H. F. Murphey, who with her husband came to Nevada in the middle '50s, and Miss Palmer joined the Murphey family here in 1857. Her marriage was in the Murphey home, which was then is what is now the Purkhiser homestead, and her funeral some 53 years later was from the same home. Mrs. Briggs lived all her married life of more than forty years in Nevada, and was in those years actively identified in any amount of good work for the people of this community.. After the death of Mr. Briggs in April, 1903, she remained here for a year or more and then went to join her children in California. She established her home in Orange; but recently she had been with her son George and daughter, Mrs. McCall, at Claremont. There she was taken suddenly ill in the early morning of New Years day an she died two days later while actually engaged in conversation with her son George. Three of Mr. and Mrs. Briggs eight children died in infancy. The others are Mrs. Abbie Withey and John C. Brigg of Pasadena; Geo. H. Briggs and Mrs. Letta B. McCall of Claremont, and Prof. Fletcher Briggs of Iowa State College at Ames.

As noted, Mrs. Briggs was a woman who had the disposition to work for her own improvement and for the good of others. She was an early and efficient promoter in the effective organization of the public library. She was active in the Bi-Weekly Tuesday Club, which was one of the early organizations here for self-improvement. She was a charter member of the Woman's Club and one of its most active members while her residence continued here. She had ability, force and public spirit, and she was able to attend most efficiently to the needs of a large family and still give heed to good matters outside. Her life was highly useful and she is profoundly regretted.