Alice Cogswell Bemis: A Sketch by a Friend

								

their young lives, founded on the bedrock of Christian characters, are
well qualified to work out their own destiny and make their lives
whatever they will."



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Mr. and Mrs. Bemis were married at the home of Mr. and Mrs. George B.
Roberts, in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, on November 21, 1866, and went
directly to their new home in St. Louis. There the oldest son, Judson
Cogswell, was born in December of the following year; and there they
remained until they returned to Boston in 1870, when for business
reasons it became necessary for Mr. Bemis to have his headquarters in
that city. After the birth of the second son, Albert Farwell, they moved
to Newton, Massachusetts, where their three other children were born:
Maude, now Mrs. Reginald H. Parsons, Lucy Gardner, who lived less than
three years, and Alice, now Mrs. Frederick M. P. Taylor. Three of these
survived their mother and had long been established in their own homes
before she left them. To the father and mother was given the great
happiness of seeing each of these new households controlled by the same
standards of right and the same sense of personal and civic
responsibility on which they had built their own united lives.
Mr. and Mrs. Bemis's home was in Newton for eleven years, and during
that time it was the centre for the family connection in New England and
for many friends. It was always rich in association for themselves and
family, and was made rich in the same way for many others. Family cares
that came upon Mrs. Bemis and the part she took in the life of the
church and the community made the years spent there the most active of
her life. After her removal to Colorado Springs, she showed in a
practical and liberal form her interest in the First Congregational
Church in that city, which the family attended, but she had such a
strong sentiment about the church at Newton and the experiences that
came to her while connected with it that she never removed her
membership; its pastor, Dr. Calkins, and his wife were among her most
valued friends.



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In 1881 a serious throat trouble developed, and Mrs. Bemis was taken
south for the winter. She did not gain there, and the following year was
sent to Colorado Springs. Slight hope was then given to her family of
her living more than a few months, but the climate and the sunshine
effected what had seemed impossible, and within a few years she was able
to lead a comparatively normal life in the new home where she was
happily settled. A house was rented for the family until 1885, when the
one at 508 North Cascade Avenue was built. This was henceforth home to
her and to all the family as long as she was there with her welcome for
them, and it soon became a centre for a large number of friends who are
rich in memories of the unfailing welcome and genuine hospitality so