Aunt Katy Tanner Obituary Published October 23, 1884 Pioneer, Page 3

Aunt Katy Tanner, a well-known colored woman of this town, died on Monday evening last, at her residence in rear of A. H. Keeler's office on North Avenue. She was said to have possessed considerable property, and she made a will on Saturday last, bequeathing all of it to her legal advisor, E. F. Goff, Esp., of Waverly. Mr. Goff had only known Mrs. Tanner about a month.

Aunt Katy Taner was a worthy colored woman who was one of the early celebrities of BIg Rapids, and will be kindly remembered by many of the old inhabitants. She came here with Fred Rainsford from the State of New York in 1867. Mr. Rainsford was a bachelor who, it will be remembered, owned and cleared (with Aunt Katy's help) the land known as Fuller's addition to this city, and also that whereon now stands the residence of Judge Fuler. The woman was never a slave, but was a servant in the Rainsford family at an early day, and we are told that Mr. R says he is the first woman he remembers seeing. He brought the old lady with him to this new region as cook and general housekeeper, and right royally and well did she perform that duty. Dr. Woolley and others speak highly of her and say that, although an unlettered colored woman, she was entitled to great respect for her many virtues. Dr. W. recollects seeing her workig in the fields, seemingly happy with her lot. When Mr. Rainsford sold his farm to C. C. Fuller, he took Aunt Katy back to Owego from where she came, purchased her a home, and rewarding her well for her faithful labors, returned to make Grand Rapids his home. The Boyer family (colored) of this city have always supposed Aunt Katy was a relative of theirs. She was probably sixty five or seventy years old at her death.