Histories

I found the following obit in a scrapbook. It would most likely have come from the Penn Yan Democrat or the Yates County Chronicle. --
Cathy Coon, Yates County Historian's Office


Died, near Branchport, February 12th, 1881, Mr. Joel ANSLEY, aged 76 years, 11 months and twenty-nine days. Mr. ANSLEY was born, (we think in the town of Seneca, Ontario county) on February 14, 1804, and lived there about twenty-one years. In 1825 he removed to a locality three miles west of Branchport, bought a part of the “Beddoe Tract,” which was then a wilderness, cleared it up and made his house there while he lived, and at the time of his death he and Mr. Albert A. COWINGS were the only original settlers on that tract who lived on the land they had cleared up.

On November 13th, 1830, Mr. ANSLEY was married to Miss Lois A. PARKER, by whom he had seven children, two sons and five daughters. One of the daughters passed away before him, but his wife and the others remain to mourn their loss. In 1825 Mr. ANSLEY was brought to a saving knowledge of, and interest in, Jesus Christ as his Savior, and we learn that from that time he was “a living epistle of Christ known and read of all men,” and that without any flaunting show or unnecessary display of his religion he was ever active by precept and example in promoting the social, moral and Christian welfare of the community in which he lived. We have been personally acquainted with him for twenty years, and it always seemed to us that he lived for another world, and cared very little for this world, aside from the spread of the gospel and the salvation of men.

The funeral services were attended by a great number of people in the Methodist Episcopal church, at Branchport, of which he was an honored member, and an appropriate sermon was preached by Rev. S. C. HATMAKER, from these words: “And behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias; who appeared in glory, and spoke of his deceit, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.” We then laid his body in the tomb to await the sound of the last trumpet and the resurrection of the just.” (sic) “He is not dead, but sleepeth, for he rests from his labors and his works do follow him.”

W. HERRIES.

Branchport, February 25th, 1881