Representative women of New England/Lura C. Partington
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LURA C. PARTINGTON
LURA CHASE PARTINGTON, the first woman to hold the office of Grand Worthy Patriarch of the Grand Division of Maine, Sons of Temperance, is a native of the State of Maine. She was born in Cornville, Somerset County, August 11, 1831, daughter of Reuben Moore and Lydia Hewitt (Woodcock) Smiley. Her father was born in Sidney, Me., December 10, 1803. He died in Gardiner, Me., September 7, 1882. Seven of his ancestral kin were minute-men of the Revolution. His father, William Smiley, born in Sidney, November 30, 1757, was the son of Hugh and Marcy (Park) Smylie, who were married October 23, 1745. Marcy was the daughter of Alexander Park, who died January 26, 1760, and "Margrat" Park, who died May 11, 1752. William Smiley lived to the age of ninety-seven years, his death being caused by an accident. He had a sister who reached the age of one hundred and two, well known as "Aunt Sally Webber." Sarah Moore Smiley> the wife of William, died several years before her husband; and her funeral was att<*nded by their fourteen children. Seven of these children lived to be nearly eighty years old, and one, a daughter, died at the age of ninety-six.
The Smiley annorial ensign was conferred upon the ancestors of one John Smylie, barrister, resident of Dublin, Ireland, probably hi the seventeenth century.
Description: "Azure a chevron, ermine, be- tween three pheons, argent; for crest, on a wieath of the colors, an armed arm embowed proper, the hand holding a pheon by the point thereof, gules; and for motto, Virilms virtus."
Explanation: The chevron, or saddle bow, denotes military valor. The crest, above the wreath, is a mark of special honor. The armed arm signifies courage or might, and was probably awarded for great bravery. The wreath is symbolic of a victor. The pheons, or iron dart-heads, indicate royalty or dejfence of crown property. Azure (blue) denotes innocence; ermine (argent tufted with black), dignity; argent (white), purity; gules (red), courage. The motto means Valor in arms, or Virtue with power.
Mrs. Lydia H. Smiley, Mrs. Partingtons mother, was the daughter of Lil)erty and Susannah Woodcock. Born in Winthrop, Me., March 2, 1804, she died March 25, 1865. Mrs. Partington says of her: "She was a perfect housekeeper and a devoted mother. She believed that children should obey their parents, and not parents obey their children. When I was three years old, she sent me to the infant Sabbath-school. I was given a little card with one verse on it for my lesson. Monday morning I wanted to go out and play with my little playmates, but mother said I must get one line of my lesson first. I began to think that Sabbath-school was a nuisance, and I replied, 'I'm not going any more.' Mother said, *Yes, you will go'; and I knew that I'd have to go. She taught me one line of my verse every day, and then had me repeat the whole verse till I could say it perfectly. Of my mother's ancestry I know but little. They were of Scotch descent, and many of them in the Revolutionarv War."
While living in Gardiner, Me., Reuben M. Smiley was warden of the Episcopal church and leader of the choir. lie was one of the organizers of the Sons of Temperance in Maine. His daughter Lura attended the Gardiner public schools until she was twelve years old, then was sent to a private school or academy in Gardiner called the "Lyceum." W^hen only six years old, she signed the pledge at a temperance meeting in the Methodist P]piscopal church in Gardiner, Me., and two years later she joined the "Cold Water Army," which was then popular throughout the country. In 1846, the family having removed that year to Lowell, Mass., where her father was engaged in putting turbine wheels into the mills, she there joined the Daughters of Temperance, and, although so very young, was chosen chaplain of the Union. This society was afterward merged in the Sons of Temperance. She has held an unbroken membership for fifty-six years, and is now (1903) Grand Worthy Patriarch of the Grand Division of Maine. In 1849 she joined the Baptist church in Lowell, of which the Rev. Daniel C. Eddy was pastor. In 1851 her parents moved to Port- land, Me. This city she has ever since called her home, although temporarily residing in New York and other cities.
On March 7, 1853, she married Joseph Partington, a native of Islington Parish, London. Born August 9, 1831, he came to this country when seven years old, and settled in New York, but moved to Portland in 1851.
Mr. Partington was a thorough American, and when the Civil War broke out he enlisted in the Twenty-fifth Maine Regiment, commanded by Colonel Francis Fessenden. This regiment having completed the nine months' service for which it enlisted, Mr. Partington again joined the army, this time with a three years' regiment, the Thirtieth Maine, which was commanded by the same colonel, who afterward became a prominent general. Mr. Partington saw active service in Louisiana and Texas, and wiis also with Sheridan's army at Winchester. He remained with the Thirtieth until its consolidation with other regiments, when he was honorably discharged and returned home. Owuig to the hardships of army life Mr. Partington's health failed, and he died December 13, 1867. He was a member of the Chestnut Street Methodist Episcopal Church in Portland. Mrs. Partington also joined that church after their marriage, and she retains her membership therein.
In the spring of 1861 Mrs. Partington united with the Independent Order of Good Templars, joining Arcana Lodge, of Portland, the first lodge organized in the State. She has retained her membership and interest for more than forty years. Elected Grand Worthy Vice-Templar of the State in the early days of the order, she organized lodges and conducted effective missionary work. In 1871 she was engaged in gospel temperance work in Eng- land, giving many lectures. Returning home in the fall of 1872. she was chosen State delegate to the International Supreme Lodge, Independent Order of Good Templars, which met in London early hi 1873. At the close of its sessions she was engaged by the Hon. Joseph Malins, the head of the order, as Grand Lodge lecturer for England. For more than two years she contiuned her work in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, lecturing to crowded and appreciative audiences. Among pleasant incidents she related the following:—
"While travelling through Ireland, I stopped at a little whitewashed cottage, and asked if the woman living there could give me a supper of bread and milk. The woman replied, 'Walk in and sit down in your own place.' As I entered, I noticed in the centre of the room a large pine table, around which the family had gathered. The only chairs at the table were the ones occupied by the father and mother. The three elder children were seated upon stools, while the two younger were standing. Yet at the table was an empty stool, and before it a plate turned down. That was what the woman had called my 'own place.' I asked her why she had called it my place. She replied, 'We have a little superstition that, if we always keep the stranger's plate on our table, the dear Lord will always send enough to fill ours. And he generally does,' she added. It was a beautiful thought, and it would be well if we followed the example of that poor Irish peasant woman.
"While in Scotland I was invited to speak in Lord Kinnard's castle. There I had an audience which never would have come to any public hall. They all seemed interested and well pleased. I spent five weeks on the Isle of Jersey, the guest of -Sir Philip de Carteret, the last of that old baronial family."
While abroad, she was the recipient of many gifts, among them elegant regalia from friends in Ireland. On her first trip to Edinburgh she lectured seventy-four consecutive nights, and conducted services four times on Sunday. On her second visit, when leaving the city, she was escorted to the station by a band of music; and, as the train rolled away, sixty members of the band united in singing "Will ye no' come back again?" A local paper thus referred to her meetings: "Mrs. L. C. Partington, of Portland, Me., one of the representatives of the recent Right Worthy Grand Lodge session, has again visited Edinburgh. Although upon this occasion an invalid, seeking rest, she managed during her nine days' visit to address with great acceptance nineteen meetings, and left with the cry ringing in her ears, 'Will ye no' come back again?'" The Dundee Courier reported her lectures, and added: "Dundee is enjoying a rich treat in listening to the stirring addresses of Mrs. Partington, of Portland, United States. The enthusiasm with which she is everywhere received increases nightly. . . . Her whole heart is in the work." The Londonderry (Ireland) News and the Ballymena (Ireland) Advertiser referred in complimentary terms to her work, the editor of the latter stating that he had never heard "better argument or more convincing and eloquent advocacy of any cause."
Upon returning again to America, Mrs. Partington travelled in twenty-two States, giving lectures from Maine to California. The Baltimore American said of her: "One of the largest and most enthusiastic temperance meetings ever held in this city was conducted by Mrs. Partington. She proved herself to be one of the best speakers in the cause of temperance that have ever appeared in Baltimore, and spoke with an earnestness, distinctness, pathos, and humor that held the close attention of the assemblage to the last"
In her own State her friends are legion; and the Portland Transcript voiced the sentiments of all when it declared that "among the many speakers none made a deeper impression than Mrs. Partington, of this city."
In recent years Mrs. Partington has devoted most of her time to furthering temperance instruction among the children. She is District Superintendent of the Juvenile Templars in Cumberland County, Maine. On her seventieth birthday she was given a public reception in Portland, which was largely attended. Among the many gifts of love and respect which the occasion called forth is an Illustrated Life of Queen Mctoria" from the Juvenile Templars.
Since the first organization of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union she has been an active member. Her name is on the roll of the Union in Brooklyn, N.Y., where she often makes her headquarters. She is representative at large from Kings County Union, and has held other positions of responsibility. For several years Mrs. Partington had been a member of the W^ Oman's Relief Corps, auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic. Progressive and patriotic, she is a firm believer in the principles of equality and justice, and takes a deep interest in all the prominent (questions of the day. She is a cheerful companion and a loyal friend. When she was fourteen years old, she became acquainted with Lucy Stone, whose influence, she says, was an inspiration which has helped her through life.
Mrs. Partington has one son, Frederick luigene, born May 18, 1854. Her only daughter, Harriet Davis, born September 28, 1858, died when three years and six months old.
Frederick Eugene Partington, after several years at the high school of Portland, went abroad with his mother, and travelled two years, spending the winters in Brussels. He attended school and studied the French language in Paris. After his return he became a teacher in Pike Seminary, New York, and later he taught in Goshen, N.Y. Entering Brown University, Providence, R.L, in 1875, he was graduated in the class of 1879, of which he was chosen class historian. He then went to Germany, where he studied for a year and a half.
In 1881 he accepted a position as principal of New Paltz Academv, New York. After the building was burned, in 1884, he was chosen principal of Staten Island Academy, now one of the most popular educational institutions in New York. Through the efforts of Mr. Partington a new building has been erected, valued at seventy-five thousand dollars. Mr. Partington is a writer and lecturer upon educational topics. He has crossed the ocean many times, visiting Greece, Asia Minor, and other foreign countries; and his lectures upon his travels are very popular, especially the one on "The Land of the Midnight Sun."
On June 12, 1890, he married Miss Elizabeth Hamilton Bateman, of Portland, who was educated at Mount Holyoke Seminary.