The death of Perry Sweet occurred at his home in the village of Milton, Wis., the morning of March 20, 1897. He had been subject at times for the past three years to attacks of paralysis, and he was utterly prostrated by a sudden stroke of this disease eight days before his end, and remained mostly in an unconscious state during that time. His funeral was held Monday afternoon, the 22d, inst., in the Seventh-day Baptist church of this place, and was largely attended by his relatives and neighbors. Members of the Milton Grand Army post, with which he was connected, accompanied his body, some acting as pallbearers, to its burial in the village cemetery. President W. C. Whitford conducted the funeral services, preaching from 1 Cor. 2: 9, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard."
Mr. Sweet was born in Stephentown, Rensselaer county, N. Y., Oct. 25, 1812; and he was, therefore, at his death 84 years, 4 months and 25 days old. He was named after Commodore Perry, whose brilliant naval victory on lake Erie over a British squadron, the year following his birth, was honored by the whole nation. He was the fourth of fifteen children born to Elder Spencer and Hannah Rose Sweet. The former was reared in Rhode Island and the latter in Stephentown, where they were married Nov. 16, 1807. Of these children only two sons and three daughters now survive; viz., Joseph G. of Fresno, Cal., Ralph of Snow, Clark county, Wis., Mrs. Samantha Potter of the town of Alfred, Allegany county, N. Y., Mrs. Delia L. Estee of the village of Milton and Mrs. Cornelia P. Nye of Milton Junction, Wis. When Perry was eight years of age, his parents moved to Alfred and soon settled on a farm near the village of that name. His father, a very robust man, here followed his trade as a blacksmith, labored on his new land, and preached first for a regular Baptist church in the village of Almond, and subsequently for the Seventh-day Baptist church of Alfred, with which he became a member after his change of views upon the Sabbath. He was associated with Elders Daniel Babcock and Richard Hull as the pioneer ministers of that region of New York state, some of his work antedating theirs in that locality. He was called to his rest at Alfred Station, Sept. 26, 1850, in the sixty-seventh year of his age.
The subject of this sketch was brought up a farmer, in which occupation he early began, with a vigorous body, to be inured to the hard toil in clearing off the heavy woods and subduing the clayey soil of a large hill farm. He experienced religion when about sixteen years old at a revival held in a schoolhouse near his home, being led greatly by the influence of a highly esteemed associate, Rowland Thomas, and by the impassionate exhortations of Eld. Babcock. Since then his Christian life has been steadfast, the main factor in directing his plans and labors and the principal source of his long-time enjoyment. He joined, at first, the Seventh-day Baptist church in Alfred, and afterwards removed his membership to the church of the same faith at Milton and Cartwright, Wis. In the communion of the first of the two he died, and of the latter he was largely instrumental of securing its organization in 1879. In his last years especially, he felt exceeding delight in attendance upon religious meetings when able to be present, and in the offering of his deep-felt and warm-hearted testimony for Christ.
He was first married at Alfred, Nov. 2, 1833, to Miss Eusebia Maxson, daughter of Luke Maxson. A few years later they went to live in Ceres, Pa., on unimproved land. In 1840 Mr. Sweet came to Milton in company with his brothers, Thomas and Joseph, their journey being down the Ohio river on a raft to Cincinnati; thence to central Illinois, where they remained a brief time; and then across the country on foot to Wisconsin. By the succeeding year he had returned east and brought his family to Milton Junction, where he resided until he moved to the village of Milton prior to 1856. Here his wife died Aug. 10, 1870. To them were born five children, none of whom are now living. One of them departed this life in infancy; the daughter, Florence, on the farm west of the Junction, Dec. 12, 1852; the son Jerome, a private in the 13th regiment of Wisconsin volunteers, at Fort Donaldson, Tenn., April 23, 1863; the daughter Mrs. Delia Sweet Babcock, at Dodge Center, Minn., March 15, 1891; and the daughter Mrs. Lydia Arminda Briggs, at New Richmond, Wis., June 22, 1895. Shortly after the death of his son, Mr. Sweet enlisted in a regiment from this state which rendered a hundred days service in western Tennessee.
He was again married Nov. 30, 1871, to Mrs. Caroline R. Berkalew, at first a Miss Ensign, living near Binghamton, N. Y. For over twenty-five years, she has been to him a most helpful and sympathizing wife and a true Christian companion, and now deeply mourns his death, and yet not without the fullest assurance that he has gone "where congregations ne'er break up and Sabbaths have no end." For sixteen years they resided at Cartwright, Chippewa county, Wis.; and in 1894 they returned to Milton, to live near a son of Mrs. Sweet, David Berkalew of the place, and where Mr. Sweet desired to spend his last days.
During his final illness he revived at times sufficiently to recognize his relatives, neighbors and others who assisted in ministering most tenderly to his needs and wants. He seemed greatly pleased to see his grandchild, the daughter of his son Jerome, Mrs. Minnie V. Smith, who came from New Richmond, St. Croix county, Wis., to be present at his decease. In his last two or three years, he occupied his mind often recalling the events of his earlier life, particularly his profession of religion, his association with former friends, and other more impressive scenes in his long career. He was a man of ardent friendships, strong preferences, staunch opinions, loyal to his faith, thoroughly sincere at heart and upright in character.
