Alice Sudduth Byerly
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Alice Sudduth Byerly (June 18, 1855 – February 19, 1904) was an American temperance philanthropist. For several years, she was National Superintendent of the Flower Mission Department of the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far ...
(WCTU).


Early years and education

Sudduth was born near
Athens, Illinois Athens is a city in Menard County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,977 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Athens is in southeastern Menard County, southeast ...
, June 18, 1855. Her parents were Dr. James McCreary Sudduth (d. 1895) and Amanda Elizabeth (Ashmore) Sudduth (d. 1898). She had two siblings, a brother, Dr. William Xavier Sudduth, and a sister,
Margaret Ashmore Sudduth Margaret Ashmore Sudduth (June 29, 1859 – September 21, 1957) was an American educator, editor, and temperance advocate. She was the senior editor upon the staff of the Woman's Temperance Publishing Association, overseeing ''The Union Signal''. ...
. Her father had built up an extensive practice in Central Illinois before giving up the practice of medicine to become a banker and stock raiser. She was converted in childhood, and brought up in the
Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...
, of which her parents were members. When about eleven years of age, her parents moved to
Normal, Illinois Normal is a town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town's population was 52,736. Normal is the smaller of two principal cities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area, and is I ...
, for the purpose of educating their children. Here, and at
Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the List of municipalities in Illinois, 13th-most populous ci ...
, the family lived for twenty years. She received her education in the public schools and Normal university, afterwards taking a course at
Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, California is part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was relocated to Oakland in ...
,
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. Returning to her native state, she took up and completed a course in music in the
Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Bloomington, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1850, the central portion of the present campus was acquired in 1854 with the first building erected in 1856. History The in ...
, and was an accomplished musician. She espoused with enthusiasm the work of the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific circle and completed a four years‘ course in that university, graduating in the class of 1886.


Career

She was from her childhood an earnest Christian, and like thousands of other Christian young women, was captivated by
Frances Willard Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard (September 28, 1839 – February 17, 1898) was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 187 ...
. For several years she was National Superintendent of the Flower Mission Department of the WCTU, which was founded by Jennie Casseday. Under Byerly's influence, it became a great evangelistic agency. Unnumbered gifts of flowers with appropriate scripture texts attached, were distributed in prisons, hospitals and sick-chambers. While engaged in this work, she became interested in visiting the sick in hospitals and strangers far from home, always leaving a bunch of flowers, with a Scripture text attached, and learned to love the work so much that she continued it with enthusiasm as long as she lived. In 1887, she moved with her parents to
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, and spent eleven years there where her work was enlarged. The great number of consumptives who sought that climate often only to die far from home and among strangers greatly aroused her sympathies; and she went about with her fruits and flowers and cheering words among the victims of tuberculosis till her friends remonstrated lest she contract the disease herself. But it had become a passion with her and as long as she remained in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
she continued these ministrations. Her father and mother both died in California and the family home among the orange trees was broken up. Returning to Illinois shortly thereafter, she resigned from her position as National Superintendent of the Flower Mission Department in 1898. She married Rev. Alexander Clay Byerly in
Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...
May 15, 1900. It was his second marriage and he brought three small children with him into this union. She at once transferred her membership to the
Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...
, where, with such intelligence and consecration as she possessed, she could not fail to be a helpmate in the ministry. In the church at
Lincoln, Illinois Lincoln is a city in Logan County, Illinois, United States. First settled in the 1830s, it is the only town in the U.S. that was named for Abraham Lincoln before he became President of the United States, president; he practiced law there from 18 ...
where her husband was pastor at the time of her marriage, she was greatly beloved. She was an inspiration to the young people of the Epworth League. Under her direction, the methods of the Flower Mission were applied in the Department of Mercy and Help with the most blessed spiritual results. She threw her whole soul into the work of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society. She corresponded with many of the missionaries and always had something fresh from the field to talk about in the home and to present in the meetings.


Death

In 1903, she developed a severe sickness from which she never fully recovered. A long siege of the grippe in the early part of the 1903-04 winter left her much debilitated. and it seemed impossible for her to recuperate in the rigorous climate of Illinois. So it was decided that she should go to
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for a few weeks. For about ten days after arrival there, she seemed rapidly recuperating. She wrote cheerful letters home telling of her progress. but the suddenly became prostrated with a severe bilious attack (severe
indigestion Indigestion, also known as dyspepsia or upset stomach, is a condition of impaired digestion. Symptoms may include upper abdominal fullness, heartburn, nausea, belching, or upper abdominal pain. People may also experience feeling full earlier ...
). Various complications developed and she grew alarmingly worse until she died on February 19, 1904. The body was brought to the home in Springfield, and the funeral conducted in First Church. The remains were cremated in accordance with the wish of the deceased, and taken to
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, and interred in the family lot in Olivewood Memorial Park.


References


Attribution

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Byerly, Alice Sudduth 1855 births 1904 deaths People from Menard County, Illinois Mills College alumni Illinois Wesleyan University alumni Woman's Christian Temperance Union people 19th-century American philanthropists 19th-century American women philanthropists Burials at Olivewood Memorial Park