John W. Stebbings, 1847 - 1897

STEBBINGS, KETCHAM, CALKINS

Posted By: Clay County IAGenWeb Coordinator (email)
Date: 11/5/2011 at 17:26:33

Dies in North Dakota--A Short Sketch of His Life

J.W. Stebbings, a mention of whose serious illness was made in this paper last week, died at Lidgewood, N.D., at about six o'clock last Wednesday evening, death resulting from prostatitis. Mr. Stebbings' sickness was of but a few days duration and the announcement of his death following so soon after the first announcement of his illness was considerable of a surprise to his friends and acquaintances here.

J.W. Stebbings was born in St. Lawrence county, N.Y., Nov. 4, 1846, where he lived until he reached the age of six, when his parents removed to Chicago, the great commercial city of the west. Soon after coming to Chicago, and when but a boy, he entered the great wholesale grocery establishment of Sprague, Warner, & Co., the leading house of the city, and continued in their employ, with the exception of about three years, which he spent in the army, until 1881, when he came to Clay county. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. M--Phillip's Chicago Battery--2nd Illinois Light Artillery, but was afterwards transferred to Company C of the same regiment. This regiment was attached to the army of the Potomac for a time but was finally detached and sent west, and for the remainder of its term of service served with the army of the Cumberland. Soon after the arrival of the regiment in the West, Mr. Stebbings was detailed as a scout in the army of the Tennessee and went with Sherman on his famous march "from Atlanta to the Sea." Upon being mustered out of the service, August 8th, 1865, he returned to Chicago, again in the employ of Sprague, Warner & Co. When he came to Clay county in 1881 he engaged in farming and stock buying until 1887, when he sold out and removed to Spencer and in company with A.A. Flint purchased Bender Bros.' elevator and engaged in the grain, live stock and coal trade. He afterwards sold his interest and in 1889 opened a hardware store under the firm name of J.W. Stebbings & Co.--Mr. Ernest G. Meikle being the company. Mr. Stebbings afterwards purchased the interest of his partner and conducted the business until 1894 when he sold out to the Marsh-Clure Hardware Co. Since that time he has been engaged in the land business and in buying and shipping horses. He left Spencer several weeks ago with a shipment of horses for Dakota and was engaged in disposing of them when taken sick.

Mr. Stebbings was a man of great energy and activity and filled a prominent place in the republican politics in this county. For the past year and up to the time of his death he was chairman of the republican county central committee.

He was married in 1866 to Miss Marian Ketcham and to them were born three children, Lizzie, now Mrs. Bert Calkins, Eugene and Lee all whom were present at the funeral. The remains arrived here Friday evening and the funeral services which were held at the Congregational church Saturday morning were largely attended. Rev. Kennedy, of the M.E. church conducted the services. The remains were escorted to the cemetery by a large delegation of the G.A.R. under whose auspices the services were conducted and followed by a large concourse of people.

Source: Spencer Herald, Spencer, Clay County, Iowa; August 4, 1897.

Interment in Riverside cemetery
 

Clay Obituaries maintained by Kris Meyer.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen