Joseph Franklin Stillman was born in Westerly, R. I., August 2, 1826, and died at Westerly, R. I., October 18, 1905.
He was the son of Adam and Lydia Spaulding Stillman. He spent his whole life, as his father had done, in the ancestral home which was built in 1748. For sixty-three years he had been a most worthy member of the First Seventh-day Baptist Church of Hopkinton, R. I., which church he dearly loved, as he did also his Master and His cause. A marked feature of his Christian life was his faithfulness in attending the appointments of the church, especially the prayer-meetings. Although his voice will be heard on earth no more, his testimonies for Christ will be remembered long, and the influence of his life will remain a constant help to those with whom he came in touch.
The large and representative company which gathered at the funeral service Sabbath afternoon, October 21, attested to the high esteem in which he was held.
Fifty-seven years ago, he was united in marriage to Lorinda Maria Greene, who, together with two brothers, and six children, Mrs. E. D. Krebs, Eugene F., Alfred A., John A., George L., and Wayland F. Stillman mourns his departure. The family has lost a devoted husband and father, the church a faithful Christian and the world a man in whom it had confidence; but our loss is his eternal gain, for the end of earth life came to him with triumph, through faith in a risen Saviour.
W. L. B.
