Smith / Stiles / Trueman

I'm not related to this family, but I found the following
information posted on ancientfaces.com, posted by David Trueman. I
emailed him but so far no response. He has also posted some
outstanding photographs (search for Nova Scotia).

Sara Mosher

*************************

Source: David Trueman

Posted on: ancientfaces.com

Araminta (Minnie) Jane (Smith) STILES

The life of Araminta "Minnie" Jane Smith was neither long nor easy.
At 21 she married Ezra Stiles, a man 11 years her senior and by the
time she was 33 she had borne seven children and was dead. The story
of her final days is one of irony and courage. On Christmas Eve 1889
her husband, who had been very ill for several months, died. The
following is an account of one of her daughters, Edna Minnie
(Stiles) Baker.

"After the funeral Grandmother Smith herded us and mother out to her
home in Nappan, Nova Scotia. Some of us were parked with aunts or
uncles who already had several small children of their own. We
orphans were only surplus baggage and, indeed, were made to feel
that way too. Mother stayed with the youngest ones at Grandmother
Smith's until Fall, when she got a chance to help out in a family
where the mother had recently died."

The following appeared in the Amherst Record in 1890:

GAVE HER LIFE FOR OTHERS
The Self-Sacrifice of an Heroic Cumberland Woman

An Athol correspondent of the Amherst Record says: "We feel that
some slight tribute to the memory of a noble, self-sacrificing woman
should be recorded, as few such deeds of heroism have ever come
under our notice. After the death of Mrs. Job Pugsley, September
8th, a widow, Mrs. Stiles, daughter of John Smith of Nappan, - came
to the aid of the afflicted family left with only one and
inexperienced girl, then nearly crushed by her mother's death. Mrs.
Stiles intended to remain only a short time, but the eldest son,
Frederick, who had been in Campbellton, came home to his mother's
funeral, and that day was prostrated with typhoid fever, contracted
in Campbellton. Mrs. Stiles could not leave the sick man uncared
for, and therefore remained and nursed him through a long and very
severe illness, but before he had entirely recovered, Florence, the
young sister, was prostrated, then the second brother, Albert, and
both for a long time lay in a very precarious condition. At length
the strain upon this faithful nurse was too much, and she succumbed
to the dire disease. Worn out with watching and anxiety, the fever
attacked the brain, and after a few days struggle with the foe she
passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 25th. Her remains were taken to
Amherst, and laid I am told, beside those of her departed husband.
She leaves a family of small children. We may well say, 'She gave
herself for others.' Of course, when she came none knew of the
sickness being fever, but when once in the sick home she would not
leave the helpless family to suffer.


A footnote:

"Minnie" (Smith) Stiles is buried in Amherst next to her husband,
Ezra Stiles.

The woman who died on September 8 1890 was Mrs. Job Pugsley, the
former Sarah Eliza Read daughter of Thomas Read of Amherst.
Source: "Historical Record of the Posterity of William Black" by
Cyrus Black, Esq., published in 1885 - p.183


Ezra STILES

At 43 years of age Ezra Stiles died 24 Dec 1889 leaving a widow with
seven children. A couple of months before his death Ezra's wife
wrote the following to her brother, Thomas Reid Smith who had gone
to the Klondike, then to Vancouver Island:

Springhill

Nov 1/ 1889

Dear Brother,

I sit down to write you a few lines to let you know how we are but
sorry to tell you that Ezra has been sick all summer with parpylise
and is no better yet and afraid he never will be and the baby has
been sick most of the summer so you see that I have been kept busy
all summer with sickness. I suppose that you will be cross at me for
not writing to you before this time but Dear brother I hope that you
will forgive me for not writing I have been very busy but still I
might have wrote but Dear brother I will try to better next time but
how much we need God's help in our every day life to carry us
through. More and more I relise it and Dear brother I do hope and
trust you do need God's help to carry and help you along for I am
sure you must feel lonely sometimes away in that strange country but
is there anyone there from this country that you know or not. Write
and tell me if there is anyone I suppose that you never think of
coming home at all and is the time good out there now and how do you
like the place to live in. Is it as good as Nova Scotia to live in
The times in Springhill are very good but Ezra is not able to do any
The folks are all well at present as far as I know. The folks down
in Nappan are all well the last I heard from them. Write soon Dear
brother and tell me all the news I must close with love to you Dear
brother as it is past twelve o'clock at night and the baby is crying
to get up so good by for this time from Minnie to loving brother
Thomas forget me not forget me never forget me not in the hours of
care though forgotten in the hours of pleasure Forget me not in the
hours of prayer Dear brother all though I have been long in writing
to you though are not forgot in my prayers Dear brother."

It is not clear of what Ezra died. There is some possibility that he
was paralyzed by some disease or farm accident. His death changed
the family drastically.

He is buried in Amherst Cemetery.


Etta Udella STILES

Etta Udella STILES had not reached her first birthday when her
father died and was not quite two when her mother died. The youngest
of the seven orphaned children, she was raised to the age of 13 by
her Grandparents, John Francis Smith and Sarah Ann Read. She was
then taken in by her aunt and uncle, Edmund Read and Lydia Higgs.
She had just turned 23 when she married George Trueman. A placid
woman and somewhat less than 5 ft. 2 inches tall, she was a hard
worker and kept a neat house. Initially, as a new bride she cared
for her failing father-in-law, John Gilbert Trueman, who lived in
the west end of the house in Truemanville, Nova Scotia, until his
death on the 19th of August 1924. She raised a family of six in the
east end. When Juanita Reid, their oldest son, Carl's, first wife
died of tuberculosis in 1946, the house was shared again. When Carl
remarried in 1949, Etta and George moved into the west end of the
house. Her door was open to all her grandchildren who streamed
through the big house on hot summer days looking for cookies or
string to go fishing in the "brook". She also took the grandchildren
on great adventures to the "cabin" in the logging woods on the north
side of the farm. Here she taught them the intricacies
of "Eights", "Fish", and other card games. Later in life, when she
was not besieged by hungry grandchildren, she crocheted and
did "fancy work". She had many relatives and friends who celebrated
with her and George on their 50th wedding anniversary in January
1962. She died of cancer eight years later aged 81.