REUBEN D. CHAPMAN

CHAPMAN, EDDY, HORNEY, FULLER, WILLIAMS

Posted By: Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert (email)
Date: 2/14/2002 at 13:04:32

Decatur County Journal
March l4, l9l5

Decatur County Journal
March l4, l9l5

A wave of sadness swept over our community
last week upon receipt of a
message stating that our old friend and
neighbor, R.D. CHAPMAN, had
passed away at the home of his son, HARRY,
near Clinton, Oklahoma, where
he had been visiting but a few weeks. He
expected to start on the
following morning for Texas to visit his
brothers with their families
there, but Tuesday he was taken ill.
A physician was summoned at once and all that
medical skill and loving
hands could do was done to alleviate his
suffering but he grew worse
rapidly and passed away on Wednesday morning,
going to join the beloved
wife who had preceded him to the better world
less than a year ago.

The body was brought home and the funeral
services held in his home
church in Weldon, conducted by Rev. A.B.
Cornell, of Van Wert, who for
many years had been a bosom friend of the
family. Although his death
was very sudden it did not find him
unprepared for all his life he had
been a loyal Christian, and a perfect example
for his children to
follow. He leaves to mourn his loss his son,
HARRY E., of Clinton,
Oklahoma; and daughters MRS. ROY HORNEY, of
Weldon, with whom he made
his home, and MRS. CLARENCE EDDY, of
Cleveland, Ohio, also a sister,
MRS. MARY A. FULLER, of Van Wert, and two
brothers, DAN and MASON
CHAPMAN, of Texas. He will be greatly
missed, not only in the home but
in the church, the town and community, as he
was respected and loved by
all who knew him.

I cannot say, and I will not
say,

That he is dead; he is just
away.

With a cheery smile and wave of
the hand,

He has wandered into the spirit
land,

And left us dreaming how very
fair,

It needs must be since he
lingers there.

And you, oh you who the wildest
yearn,

For the old time step and the
glad return,

Think of him faring on as dear,

In the love of there as the
love of here,

Think of him still as the same,
I say,

He is not dead; he is just
away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OBITUARY

Again the death messenger has taken from the
scenes of earth our beloved
brother and friend, REUBEN D. CHAPMAN. He
was born in Madina County,
Ohio, May 24, l842, and died at the home of
his son, HARRY, near
Clinton, Oklahoma, February 24, l9l5, aged
seventy-two years and nine
months. The father of the deceased died when
this son was six years
old. The circumstances of the family made it
necessary for the son to
make his home with relatives. He had to
change from place to place,
having no permanent home.

When about fifteen years of age he began to
work for himself, hiring to
different farmers, working as a farm hand.
At the age of nineteen he
enlisted in the U.S. Army in October, l86l,
in the 64th Illinois
Infantry. He served the full three years,
then re-enlisted and was
discharged because of re-enlistment. At the
close of the war he
returned to the home of his uncle in Knox
County, Illinois. The war was
over, but in March, l869, he enlisted in the
army of the Lord. In this,
as in the other army, he was always a
faithful soldier, even till the
time of his final discharge.

While we do not claim perfection for men, yet
there is not a voice
raised to speak aught against this man of
God. The church at Van Wert,
of which he was a charter member, and the
church at Weldon are greatly
indebted to him for his personal service, his
magnificent gifts and his
worthy life. He came to Iowa with his
brother, early in l869, and made
his home with his brother, DAN, then with his
brother, MACE, then with
WILLIAM MILLER. About this time he purchased
a section of land
southwest of Weldon. While breaking the
prairie and building a house,
he lived with MR. and MRS. BENJAMIN EASTER.
With this family a
friendship was formed that continued to this
day.

November l7, l872, he was married to MISS
MARY E. WILLIAMS. They
commenced keeping house in the new home built
on the farm. There they
lived till advanced age and sickness made it
necessary for them to leave
and turn the work over to younger hands.
Theirs was a happy home, where
a glad welcome was extended to all. They
loved their home, their
friends and all loved them. Four children
were born to them. Little
ARCHIE died when he was but a child, the
other three are left to mourn
his unexpected death.

MRS. CHAPMAN died on March 2, l9l4. To him
her death was indeed a
great loss. While he submitted to the Divine
will, there was a vacancy
in his heart and home that could not be
filled. His children vied with
each other to do him honor and to cheer him
in his lonely life. MRS.
HORNEY immediately moved into the father's
home that she might the
better care for him. In June he visited his
daughter, LILLIE, (MRS.
EDDY), in Cleveland, Ohio, where he also
visited many friends of his
youth. In January of this year he went to
Oklahoma to visit his son,
HARRY. While there he was taken sick and
after an illness of twenty
hours he was taken away.

The deceased had two brothers living in
Texas. He purposed making them
a visit, intending to start the very day he
died. His only sister is
MRS. M. FULLER, of Van Wert. These three,
with his children, their
companions and their children together with a
host of friends and
relatives mourn his death but do not forget
his life of faithfulness to
them and to their Lord. Death has claimed
him, but the Lord doth not
forget his own. He sleeps but only to await
the resurrection of the
dead. The funeral services were held from
the Christian Church in
Weldon on Saturday, February 27th, A.B.
Cornell, an old time friend and
former Minister at Weldon, having charge.
The services were very
largely attended, the friends thus showing
their great respect for the
deceased. His body was then taken to the
Green Bay Cemetery where it
was placed in a grave beside that of his
wife. Side by side they rest
and will be raised together when the Lord
shall come. Till then the
children will wait, themselves looking for
the coming, endeavoring to
live so as to meet them in that land of bliss
where there shall be no
death.

--A.B. CORNELL.

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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
February l4, 2002