Sawyer, Elizabeth McKnight
1/1/1928
Dec. 23, 1839-1928
Elizabeth Tennessee McKnight was born in the state of Tennessee on December 23, 1849, being the child of godly parents, who taught her early the paths of truth and righteousness. Her family, both on the paternal and maternal side, were God-fearing, and thus her early life was under a good and noble environment.
She early united with the Methodist Church, and, moving to New Orleans in childhood, she and her family identified themselves with Felicity Methodist Church, with which church her membership remained until her marriage.
On July 10, 1877, she was married to Rev. John T. Sawyer of the Louisiana Annual Conference, and she went with her husband to the varied fields of labor to which he as a Methodist minister was assigned. Thus her life carried her into different parts of the State, where both as wife of pastor and presiding elder she gave herself to the work of the church.
There were born to this good family three children—John T. Sawyer, Jr., Elizabeth, and Franklin Sawyer. Franklin died in 1915, but both of the other children are still living.
As age came on, Dr. and Mrs. Sawyer made their home with their daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Donaldson, in the city of New Orleans, where this good lady fell on death, dying from pneumonia on the first of March last.
Her daughter writes that “Her life was an example of true Christian character, for she lived for others and her daily life was an inspiration to all who knew her.”
Her aged husband, now eighty odd years of age, with the son and daughter above mentioned, are left to mourn their loss.
Source: Annual of the Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Pages 110, 1927
