Charles, the son of William Abney and Sarah Wild, was born 22 October 1845, and died 21 November 1867 in Quincy, Adams County, Illinois.[1] He was buried near his father in Woodland Cemetery, Quincy.
Charles died two days before the poem appeared in the Quincy newspaper.
From the Quincy Herald, (In memory of Charles Abney.)
original by Jas. E. Purnell, Jr.
Upon his silent grave;
Now sleepeth without dreaming,
The friend they could not save.
The cloud of grief is heaping
Its shadows on their brow.
Oh, blame them not for weeping,
They have no Charlie now.
Yet not alone he lieth;
His aged father is there,
No more for him he sigheth,
For death has joined them there.
Together so sweetly they are sleeping
Beneath the acorn bough.
Oh, blame them not for weeping,
For they have no Charlie now.
So Charlies now to bless them
With love sincere and true;
No Charlie to caress them,
As he used to do;
No brother's grief is keeping
Its shadow on their brow,
Oh, blame them not for weeping,
Whig please copy. (The Quincy Daily Herald, November 23, 1867, p. 4
(Note: The first verse was nearly identical to a poem "To the Motherless" By Sarah Annie Frost, included in her book, A Coat of Many Colors, 1862, but Jas. E. Purnell, Jr. may have composed the other verses. Probably a close friend of Charles Abney, he was nearly the same age and resided in Quincy at the same time.)
Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
Featured National Park champion connections: Charles is 16 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 22 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 16 degrees from George Catlin, 15 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 23 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 18 degrees from George Grinnell, 27 degrees from Anton Kröller, 19 degrees from Stephen Mather, 25 degrees from Kara McKean, 18 degrees from John Muir, 18 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 23 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.