Obit: Hart, Mira (1847– 1935)

Contact: Crystal Wendt

Surnames: Hart, Longenecker, Knight, Caswell, Richmond, Gotham

----Sources: Neillsville Press (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) 20 June 1935

Hart, Mira (29 June 1847 - June 1935)

Tuesday afternoon Rev. and Mrs. G. W. Longenecker received a telegram from Mrs. Henry Knight at Blissfield, Mich., stating that her aunt, Mrs. George Hart, has passed away.

The body will be brought here for burial, and it is planned to hold the funeral at the Congregational church Thursday afternoon.

Mrs. Hart was a long resident of this city. A more complete obituary will be published next week.

----Sources: Neillsville Press (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) 27 June 1935

Mira Caswell was born June 29, 1847, at St. Lawrence, Jefferson County, New York. After finishing school she taught for a number of years until she was married in September, 1875, to George J. Hart, an old school mate. Mr. Hart had come to Neillsville several years before and returned to New York for her. Their entire married life was spent in Neillsville, Wis.

Mr. Hart was the first telegraph operator in Neillsville before the railroad came, and Mrs. Hart assisted him and became able to take and send messages. Later Mr. Hart ran a grocery store and then for twenty-eight years had charge of the express office, and always Mrs. Hart was his cheerful and able assistant.

In spite of caring for her home and helping her husband in his work, Mrs. Hart always had time for helping in anything she considered for the good of the community. She was a charter member of the Congregational Church and that always held the first place in her heart, but she also had time to be an active member of the W. C. T. U., the missionary society, and to take part in social gatherings of her friends.

Having no children of her own, Mrs. Hart was interested in all children. She taught the primary class in Sunday school for so many years that in many cases she taught the children of her earlier pupils. She always took a keen personal interest in the after lives of all her pupils and was always especially pleased when they wrote to her or came to see her.

For years Mrs. Hart took it upon herself to go to the church before any services Sunday or week day and see that all the books were in their proper places and do any last dusting that might be needed. Unless she was out of town she was always in her per at every church service. She frequently said, "I always ask myself, what kind of church would my church be, if every member were just like me?" So much was she a part of the church life that the remark was frequently made, "If Mrs. Hart ever leaves, the church will die." She herself scoffed at such an idea, and nothing pleased her more in her visits back here than to find that others had taken her place and the church work was still going on without her.

After Mr. Hart’s death in December, 1919, Mrs. Hart filled her house with school girls who she loved and mothered. Each year she was sure she had the nicest bunch of girls in town, and she often said how much she enjoyed watching them gather about the long table at night with their books.

For ten years Mrs. Hart’s mother-less niece, Carrie Gotham, lived with her. On July 10, 1931, Mrs. Hart gave up he home in Neillsville and went to Blissfield, Mich., to live with Carrie, now Mrs. Harry Knight, who had always been like a daughter to her.

In 1932 and 1934 Mrs. Hart came back to the old home town to spend most of the summer and was happy in seeing again her old friends and sitting in her pew at church.

During most of her life, Mrs. Hart enjoyed exceptionally good health. During the past winger she did not have a cold and did not miss a Sunday at church. About a week before her death she seemed to have a cold, but she insisted it was nothing and she would soon be over it. On Sunday she stayed home from church and in the afternoon consented to calling a doctor. The doctor said her lungs were badly congested and she had better stay in bed which she did on Monday. She insisted she did not have an ache or a pain, but she coughed badly. Sometime early Tuesday morning she passed peacefully away in her sleep. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Knight bought the body to Neillsville to be placed beside that of Mr. Hart. The funeral was held on Thursday afternoon at the Congregational Church, conducted by her pastor, Rev. G. W. Longenecker.

Besides her niece, Mrs. Harry Knight, Mrs. Hart leaves a brother, J. H. Caswell, a nephew, William Caswell, a niece, Mrs. Florence Richmond, all of Cleveland, O., a niece, Miss Edith Caswell of Detroit, Mich.; a nephew, Bert Hart of Cortland, Calif.; a great nephew and niece, and three great-great nieces.