Eastman, Lauren Chase 1844-1924

EASTMAN, ROGERS, GARDINER

Posted By: Michael Kearney (email)
Date: 5/8/2009 at 20:57:31

The Clinton Herald Monday March 3, 1924 p. 6 From the Pasadena, Calif., Daily Star of last Thursday is taken the following item relative to the demise of L.C. Eastman, whose body was received in Clinton today accompanied by Mrs. Eastman, Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Rogers of Lauren, Miss., and Mrs. Lauren Rogers and Theodore Tooney. Lauren C. Eastman of Clinton, Iowa, one of the leaders of the great lumber industry in the Mississippi Valley since the early seventies and a regular winter visitor to Pasadena for nearly a score of years, died here early this morning. Mr. Eastman who was nearly 80 years old, had been ill for three weeks. His condition became worse gradually and toward the last he sank into unconsciousness. But as long as consciousness remained the veteran timber operator remained the same cheery, friendly, considerate man who had endeared himself to many friends here and in the Mississippi Valley through the years. With the passing of Mr. Eastman goes one of the earlier generation of timbermen and sawmill operators whose loggers hewed the forests of the Wisconsin of yesterday: of the days when the Mississippi's chief traffic was logs on the way to the sawmill cities such as Clinton, Iowa, or Minneapolis. In those cities and other mill centers was sawed the lumber demanded in the great building development from the seventies to the late nineties. At about the latter period the timber of the North Mississippi states was beginning to thin out, and the larger interests began investing in other fields. Some Midwest operators came to the Pacific coast, to the forests of Oregon and Washington. Others, among rhem Mr. Eastman and his associates went South - to the Southern pine belt. The Eastman-Gardiner Lumber Company, of which Mr. Eastman was the president, acquired great pine tracts in Mississippi and in later years the chief operations of the company were transferred there. Southern headquarters of the Eastman-Gardiner interests were at Laurel, Miss., and Mr. and Mrs. Eastman had just come from a visit there a week before the lumberman was stricken with his fatal illness. Mr. and Mrs. Eastman's son-in-law and daughter, came from Mississippi upon being apprised of the serious nature of Mr. Eastman;s illness, and, with Mrs. Eastman, were with him when he died. Members of the family are at the Maryland, which had been the winter home of the Eastmans for a long period of years. Mant friends of Mr. Eastman in the winter colony at the hotel and also hotel servants who had waited upon him many successive seasons were deeply affected when they learned of his death. Mr. Eastman had friends in all walks of life. In his long and active life. In his long and active career as a lumber operator Mr. Eastman made a large fortune, but as wascharecteristic of his kindly and generous nature, he made many gifts and benefactions from his wealth. One of the most recent gifts was $100,000 for a new Presbyterian church in Laurel, Miss. Mr. Eastman also gave to the city of Laurel a handsome public library and art museum, in memory of his only grandson, Lauren Rogers, son of Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, who died some years ago. Another form which Mr. Eastman's generosity took was to help young people of slender means obtain their educations. His daughterMrs. Rogers, was unable to say how many persons he had befriended in this way but stated that a number now attending eastern colleges werebeing aided by her father at the time of his death. Lauren Chase Eastman was born in Pen Tan, N.Y., June 19, 1844. In 1866 he married Miss Elizabeth Gardiner, daughter og Mr. and Mrs. Stinson Gardiner. In 1869 the Eastmans removed to Iowa, where Mr. Gardiner was engaged in the sawmilling industry. For a time Mr. Eastman was connected with Chauncy Lamb & Son, another pioneer lumber family of the region, but subsequently formed a partnership with his father-in-law, Mr. Gardiner. This association continued until Mr. Gardiner's death years ago. In 1916 Mr. and Mrs. Eastland celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in Clinton, in the same house where Mr. Eastman's parents had celebrated their golden jubilee years previously. Mr. Eastman was a thirty-third degree Mason, this being an honorary degree and the highest conferred in that well-known fraternity. He was a member also of the Sons of the Revolution and the sons of Colonial Wars. He was a trustee and an elder of the First Presbyterian church of Clinton, Iowa. Besides the widow and daughter, who was an only child, Mr. Eastman is survived by one brother, George Y. Eastman, of Pen Yan, N.Y. Tomorrow Mrs. Eastman and Mr. and Mrs. Rogers will leave with Mr. Eastman's body on the Union Pacific for Clinton, where the funeral and burial will be held. Mr. and Mrs. John H. Jones of Chicago, Charles Green, F.W. Sullivan, P.A. Rogers, P.S. Gardiner, Frank G. Wisner, and Mrs. George S. Gardiner of Laurel, Miss., and Arthur Cox of Iowa City are here or will arrive this evening to be with Mrs. Eastland. Yesterday the Presbyterian church bulletin carried the following announcement of tentative plans that had been considered by Mr. Eastman for the benefit of the Clinton church. Wallace Rogers, his son-in-law, said today that since nothing definite had been decided by Mr. Eastman, the plans would be left for the estate to arrange. The sympathy of this congregation goes out to the family of our honored elder and trustee, Lauren C. Eastman, as they journey homeward fromCalifornia with his remains. Long and faithfully he served this church by regular attendance, consistent life and gererous support. In fact his last illness and untimely death interrupted the correspondence he was carrying on, in regard to a most generous offer he was making this congregation, toward the erection of a modern church. It is a matter of deep regret that he could not have lived to see the realization of his plans.