Rev. Eliza Tupper Wilkes
Back to full list
“WILKES, REV. ELIZA TUPPER, was born at Houlton, Maine; was fitted for college in New England, and graduated from the State University of Iowa; was educated for foreign mission work; entered the Unitarian ministry in 1868, and took charge of the Universalist church at Neenan, Wis., the same year; in 1869, was married to William A. Wilkes at the last mentioned place; moved from there to Rochester, Minn., where she had charge of a Universalist church; in 1872, removed to Colorado Springs, Col., where they resided six years, and during part of that time she preached in the Unitarian church in that place; came to Sioux Falls in 1878; was one of the foremost workers in the establishment of the Sioux Falls Public Library and the Ladies History Club; started the project of building All Souls church, and labored zealously until the work was accomplished; has been pastor of the Unity church at Luverne, Minn., for the last twelve years, except three years, when she was assistant pastor of the Unitarian church at Oakland, Cal. With such a record of good works, comments would be superfluous.”
Dana R. Bailey, History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota, (Sioux Falls: Brown & Saenger, 1899) p. 740.
Eliza Tupper Wilkes died at the age of 72 years. Her ashes were buried on her husband’s (Judge William A. Wilkes) grave on February 18, 1917 in the family lot in Block 13, Lot 5 of the cemetery.
