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COPIED FROM: THE NEWS - Wednesday Morning, September 16, 1896
A Former Well Known Lynchburger Dies Near Alexandria. Mrs. William M. Blackford died on yesterday morning at the residence of her son, Mr. L. M. Blackford, the principal of the Episcopal High School, near Alexandria.
Mrs. Blackford was the widow of the late William M. Blackford, who died in this city in April, 1864, and who at one time was the owner and editor of the Lynchburg Virginian, but at the time of his death wsa the cashier of the Exchange Bank of Lynchburg, and the financial agent of the Confederate States for this district. Mrs. Blackford was the daughter of General John Minor, of Fredericksburg, Va., and her mother, prior to her marriage, was Lucy Landon Carter, of Cleve, King Georgce county.
Mr. and Mrs. Blackford came from Fredericksburg to Lynchburg in 1846, and here she resided until about twenty years ago, ,when she made her home with her son at the Episcopal High School.
She has been an invalid since her early married life, but such has been the strength of her character and the energy of her nature that she deeply impressed her influence for good upon all who came within its range. Her mother and herself were at one time said to have been the two most beautiful women in Virginia, and she retained her beauty until the day of her death. It was not, however, her personal loveliness, but the enthusiasm and poetic fire of her nature which gave her such social power and such capacity for good. From her girlhood she was a member of the Episcopal church, the church of her forefathers, but her benevolence ranged far beyond the lines of any domination and her sympathetic christianity embraced all who profess and call themselves christians, and all humanity came within the scope of her love.
Mrs. Blackford left many descendants. Her oldest child, Lucy Landon, was the first wife of Professor John Staige Davis, of the University of Virginia; her youngest, Mary is the wife of J. Churchill Cooke, of King William county. Her sons are Colonel William W. Blackford, now of Princess Anne county;
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Captain Charles M. Blackford, of this city; Captain B. Lewis Blackford, of Washington; L.M. Blackford, principal of the Episcopal High School, near Alexandria, and Major Blackford, of Maryland.
The funeral will take place from St. Paul's church this evening on the arrival of the train from the north, as stated in another column, and the interment will be in Spring Hill cemetery.
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COPIED FROM: THE NEWS - Thursday Morning, September 17, 1896
FUNERAL SERVICES OF THE LATE MRS. WILLIAM B. BLACKFORD. The funeral services of the late Mrs. William M. Blackford, whose death occuurred near Alexandria on Tuesday, took place in this city yesterday afternoon.
The remains reached the city by the 4 o'clock train on the Southern road, and were met at the depot by a large number of friends and relatives. The funeral procession was formed at the depot, and proceeded thence direct to St. Paul's Episcopal church, where the funal services were impressively conducted by the rector of St. Paul's, Rev. T. M. Carson, who was assisted by Rev. Dr. J. J. Lloyd, rector of Grade Memorial. A touching and impressivet tribute was paid by Mr. Carson to the memory of the deceased. He referred eloquently to the pure and lovable disposition of the departed, and the indelible impression made upon the people of the city by her years of residence in their midst.
A feature of the services was the beautiful singing by a full vested choir. There was a large and representative attendance. The remains were interred in the Spring Hill Cemetery, and the funeral cortege was long and imposing. The floral tributes were numerous, and many of them of beautiful and exquisite design.
The body was borne up the aisle of the church by the sons of the deceased, Captain Charles M. Blackford, of Lynchburg; Captain B. Lewis Blackford, of Washington; Major Eugene Blackford of Pikesville, Md.; Launcelot M. Blackford of Alexandria. Her nephews, Dr. Benjamin Blackford, of Staunton, and Mr. W. H. Blackford, of Baltimore, were also in attendance.
The pall-bearers were Messrs. R. G. H. Kean, Camillus Christian, John H. Lewis, F. S. Kirkpatrick, Randolph Harrison, J. W. Ivey, John D. Horsley, and N. C. Manson.