Justin R. DORAN 1850 - 1924

DORAN, RAWSON, BURNQUIST, HOLDEN, BOWERS, HILDEBRAND, ALBRIGHT, MCKEON, CONKLIN, STARK, MCGREGOR, CLAUSE, OLSON, HAGGE, WHITAKER, BARBER, HALE, BLANSHAN

Posted By: Jenny (email)
Date: 4/25/2002 at 02:32:39

The Boone News-Republican, Boone, Iowa, 16 Oct 1924

LAST TRIBUTE PAID TO HON. J.R. DORAN

Several thousand at funeral service

Condolences recieved from many over state

Number From This City Among Those At The Service. Interment Made In The Cemetery At Beaver

Over two tousand persons - relatives, friends and neighbors of the late Hon. Justin R. Doran of Beaver - gathered at the Doran homestead south of that town Wednesday afternoon to pay their final tribute of respect to one of the best known and most generally respected citizens of this section of the state.

The legislative service of the deceased to his community were recalled in the presence of several associates of his days in the Iowa general assembly and in messages which were recieved from some of the political leaders of the state. Hon. Charles A. Rawson, former United States senator from Iowa, sent a personal message expressing his regret at the passing of Mr. Doran and State Chaiman B. B. Burnquist of the republican party set forth the lost to the party in the death of Mr. Doran in a message to the family. A number of other throughout the state who were unable to be present for the services also tendered their condolences to the family.

Home and Yard Filled

The Doran home, its porch and the spacious yard were filled with those who came to pay their respects. Beaver and Beaver township, many from Greene county and Jefferson, and a number from Boone including a delegation of members of the bar association was there. There was also a number of other from a distance these including the following: Hon. James Holden of Scranton; Ed Bowers of Des Moines; Mr. and Mrs. T. H. Doran of Burwell, Neb.; John and Bert Doran of York, Neb.; Mr. and Mrs. Mell Doran of Ord, Neb.; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hildebrand of York, Neb.; Mrs. S. J. Albright and son, Fred, of Ankeny; J. N. Albright, Mr and Mrs. Frank McKeon, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Doran, Cecil Doran, and Mrs. Etta Conklin, Des Moines, and a number of others.

The stores of Beaver were all closed during the hours of the service that people might attend and the North Western section force? quit work for the day that the men might be present at the service.

At 2:30 o'clock the service was held at the residence. The Rev. Harold Stark, pastor of the Methodist church of Beaver, was in charge and delivered the sermon which was based upon John 3-16. A quartet from the church composed of Mrs. M. D. McGregor, Mrs. Ebba Clause, O. G. Clause and Douglas Olson sang "Face to Face," "We'll Never Say Goodbye in Heaven" and the favorite hymn of the deceased "Holy Night." The accompaniment was played by Mrs. William Hagge.

Tribute From Friend

Judge J. R. Whitaker of this city, a friend of Mr. Doran's for fifty years paid a fine tribute to the character and life of the Beaver pioneer. He said in part;

It has been nearly four score years since I first became acquainted with Mr. Doran and such acquaintance I can realize has been of great benefit to me, and I have relied on his advise and judgement and his death is felt by me as the loss of an older brother. Mr. Doran was a self made man he had not the means or opportunity, being left an orphan at the age of fifteen years, to either acquire a college of academical education. His boyhood days were spent in the hardest of manual labor, and industrial habits to acquire a start in the struggle for life. Yet in his mature years he had acquired by the best of reading and concentration, a general education, and being informed on general subjects that surprised his aquaintances. Honesty was the guiding star of Mr. Dornan's life. I can picture his attendance to the country schools of Illinois, when copy books were used and where the copy at the head of one of the pages read "Honesty is the Best Policy," and as he wrote and rewrote that phrase he seemed to grasp its meaning that adhered to his conduct through life. What property he may have acquired by his industry, ecomony and foresight, no one can accuse him of obtaining an acre of our fertile soil or a dollar's worth of property that he did not acquire honestly.

Loyal To Friends

Another high quality of Mr. Doran, known by his friends, was his loyalty to his friends. Where he had confidence in a friend no rumors of ill repute or calumy would effect his friendship until he became satisfied such criticism was meritorius. His neighbors and those that started in with him as pioneers of this county relied largely on his judgment and aid in their early struggles, and they will in the future feel the loss of one whom they could always go to with perplexities and trials.

Mr. Doran was a man who believed in remedies and not in the idea of radical disorganization. If his own judgment and belief did not coincide with the policy of the political party to which he belonged, he did not strive to distrupt the party, but bent his energy and arguments to remedy what he believed were defects.

Justin R. Doran was gifted with high ideals of right and wrong and could clearly distinguish between right and wrong, and always had the courage by act and work to advocate what he believed in his jusgment was right, and that judgment was unerring.

Loved This State

Mr. Doran loved Iowa, and was proud of the state in which be lived. He had great faith in its future, and its resources. He had a strong prophetic vision of the coming value of its broad and fertile acres and with this prophetic vision he lost no opportunity to acquire as many as possible in the early days.

Mr. Doran was always on hundred percent American and was patriotic and loyal to the United States of America at all times. He disliked aristocracy and affectation and admired those who by their own struggle, industry, habits, and economy helped themselves, and were not benefited by inheritance. His wife and children in the future will be guided by his well known sound judgment and principles of honesty, and integrity, and as the trials and perplexities of life come to them they will be guided by on inspiration, which will be, "What would father have done."

Crossed The Bar

One of our great poets was walking along the shore of a bay which opened into the great Atlantic ocean, and was enchanted by the sunset and evening star, and beheld at the entrance of the bay the great bar, and saw the flickering lights of boats as the passed over the bar to the great ocean beyond, and this was in his eighty-fifth year of age and he knew in a short time he would cross the bar of life and pass to the great beyond and under the inspiration of the scene and thought that evening he wrote a hymn and as I review the remains of Justin R. Doran and realize that he has crossed the bar and is on the verge of the great eternal unknown, of the great beyond, I feel that he would like to have at this hour those beautiful words written by that poet.

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell
When I embark.

For though from out our bourne of time and place
The flood may bear me far
I hope to see my Pilot face to face,
When I have crost the bar.

Banks Of Flowers

The banks of flowers sent by the friends from over the county and the state were in charge of Mrs. Stella Barber, a friends of the the family, who was assisted by a number of other Beaver ladies.

The pallbearers were the six elder sons of the deceased, Messrs. Lester G., Alexander R., Eugene R., Benjamin B., Oliver E., and Lucien S. Doran. The remains were taken to the cemetery north of beaver, which Mr. Doran had helped organize a number of years ago and at the grave Junction Lodge No. 357, A. F. and A. M. of Grand Junction of which the deceased was a member, had charge. Here the Masonic ritual was carred out under the leadership of the Worshipful Master, George Hale, with Mason from the Ogden, Boone and other lodges assisting.

His Life Sketch

Justin R. Doran was born in Niagara county N. Y., August 8, 1850, and died at his farm home on the 13th day of October, 1924, aged 74 years, 2 months and 5 days.

He was one of eight children of Patrick and Catherine (Keeley) Doran, both natives of county Carlow, Ireland. His parents immigrated to the United States, landing at New York, February 1, 1849, and went via packet boat by way of Erie canal to Reynolds Basin, in Niagara county where the deceased was born. Later the family moved to Ottawa, Ill., where the father engaged in farming. While the family was residing in LaSalle county, Illinois, the mother passed away on August 25, 1855. Mr. Doran was then but five years of age. On November 25, 1865 the father passed away leaving Mr. Doran an orphan at 15. Thrown upon his own resources he earned his living while attending the country schools by doing chores.

In 1872 he and one of his borhers purchased a corn shelling outfit and operated the same in Benton county, Iowa. Later he worked in an elevator at Blairstown, Iowa, and because of lack of funds was required to sleep in the elevator at night. In 1874 he, with his brothers moved to the farm on which he died in Boone county, Iowa.

Since coming to Boone county, his interests have been agricultural. He served for many years as trustee of Beaver township. He represented Boone county in three sessions of the State Legislature and later was state senator of the Boone-Story district and served in that capacity in the 35th and 36th General Assemblies.

In 1877 he was united in marriage to Miss Olive F. Blanshan of Grand Junction, Iowa. To thos union were born thirteen children, two of whom, Alfred T. and John Keeley died in infancy. He leaves to mourn his passing his wife, Olive F.; his children, Lester G., Alexander R., Eugene B., Benjamin B., Oliver E., Lucien S., Maude H., Lant H.; Mamie, Charlotte, Milo T., and Daisy Ellen Doran, all of Boone county, Iowa. Two brothers, Thomas H. of Burwell, Neb., and John Doran of York, Neb.; eleven grandchildren and one great grand daughter and many friends, also mourn his passing.

His Work Realized

An oft spoken wish of his in younger year was that he might live to see his family grown up and this he attained for all of his children had attained manhood and womenhood. In his last moments he exhibited the same courage and cheerful philosophy which carried him to success in his career of service to his community. When he was asked during his long illness how he was he often replied, "Not very good. It's an old adage that the young may die and the old must." Several days ago he called his family together and told them they need not be surpised if he "might not get out of this," but nevertheless despite the pleas of those attending him he would be up and around. He even climbed fences on his place a few days before his going. His sage counsel will be sorely missed in his community and county.