SWAN, Elias A. died 1888

SWAN, NELSON, STRONG

Posted By: S. Ferrall - IAGenWeb volunteer
Date: 11/26/2023 at 12:13:51

An old soldier named Swan, a member of the G.A.R. Post at Waukon, died on Sunday and was buried the day following in the old cemetery.

Deceased was father-in-law of John and Uriah Nelson and resided over around the point somewhere.

A number of our veterans accompanied the remains to the grave. Swan at one time is said to have been a well-to-do marble manufacturer East and patented a device for lettering by power for which he was offered a vast sum. It afterwards failing on him, his mind became impaired and for years he has been a county charge.

~The Allamakee Journal, Wednesday, July 18, 1888; pg 4

Notes:
-The Lansing Mirror printed a brief obituary on July 20, 1888. That obit also said the deceased was the father-in-law of Jessie Strong in addition to the Nelsons.

-News articles from the early 1890's into the 1940's frequently listed the names of soldiers whose graves were decorated on Memorial Day. Each time Elias Swan is in the Old Oak Hill cemetery list, but he has a gravestone in Oak Hill. That gravestone is probably a cenotaph.