Decatur County Journal
March 5, l903
J.S. WILLIAMS was born near Scotland, Green Co., Ind., May l6, l826 and
died at the home of his daughter, MRS. SHELBY EDDY near Leslie, Iowa, at
2 p.m. Thursday, February l9, l903, aged 76 years, 9 months and 3 days.
He was married to MISS LOVICA OVERTON in Indiana, August 30, l849. A
few weeks after his marriage he left his native state with his young
wife to make a home on the frontier as Iowa was then called. They
traveled overland with two teams of oxen. The journey was slow and
tedious but with hopeful hearts they looked forward to the time when
they might have a happy home in which to spend their lives together.
Ten children were born to them. Two died in infancy and two daughters
died after they were married and living in their own homes--MRS. JOHN
MILLER and MRS. I.N. GARDNER. Their sons living are: WILHAM B., whose
home is in Des Moines, MONROE of Clarence, Mo., and NORVILLE who lives
on the old homestead north of Weldon. The daughters are: MRS. R.D.
CHAPMAN of Weldon, MRS. ARMSTRONG of Belvidere, Ill., and MRS. SHELBY
EDDY of near Leslie, Ia. There are sixteen grandchildren and six great
grandchildren, all being present at the funeral.
MRS. WILLIAMS died just l6 years and 2 days before her husband. These
years would have been lonely for him only that they were very busy
years. There was no time for brooding over sorrow. About this time the
care of three or four motherless grandchildren was thrown on his
shoulder but he considered it a task of love and never faltered but
always looked on the bright side of life.
The funeral was held at the Christian Church in Weldon, Saturday
forenoon, the sermon being preached by the Pastor C.L. Organ, from the
text found in 2nd Samuel l:38, "know ye not that there is a prince and a
great man fallen this day in Israel?" The audience was large and
attentive. It was a request that the choir should be a quartette and
the music was soft and very appropriate. The songs chosen were old and
favorite ones of the deceased who loved to sing even in the last years
of his life. MR. WILLIAMS and his faithful wife became members of the
Christian Church in l86l. Both going down into the creek together on
their own farm and were baptized by Joseph Porter. No prayer meeting
was a drag when Uncle JONATHAN, as the deceased was familiarly called,
was present. He always had something edifying to say and it was always
good seed sown because he lived his religion every day. When work was
begun on the new addition to the Church last fall, he expressed a wish
that he might live to see it completed and strange to say the sermon on
the dedication day was the last he ever attended. He has gone to his
reward but his life to all who knew him, will be an incentive to better
living. The bereaved have the sympathy of the community.
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
July 29, 200l