Lyman S. Williams 1839-1905

WILLIAMS, GORTON, DOOLITTLE

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 1/10/2011 at 23:02:03

Another Pioneer Gone
L.S. Williams Died Thursday [June 29, 1905] Morning at His Home in This City
On Thursday morning at 5 o’clock at the family home on north Seventh street occurred the death of Captain L. S. Williams after an illness of many months. He was sixty-five years of age at the time of his death and had resided in Estherville for forty years. His death was the result of an operation for a cancer on his face. He had been troubled with it for some time and early in the winter went to Rochester, Minn., and underwent an operation at the hospital there. From that time on he gradually grew worse until the end came on Thursday morning. For weeks before his death he could take nothing but liquid nourishment, not a particle of wholesome food passing into his stomach. He was up and around a greater portion of the time and just before he died got up and asked Mrs. Williams to get him a drink of water and it was while she was up after the water that he died.

Deceased was born at Burlington, Vt., December 8th, 1839, enlisted in Company I 6th Vermont Volunteer Infantry and served three months, from September 25th, 1861, to January 26th, 1865. He took part in the battles of Williamsburg, seven days fight on the peninsula, Fredericksburg, South Mountain, Antietam, Charleston in Virginia, Wilderness Campaign, Gettysburg, Winchester, Fisher’s Hill, Cedar Creek and the Campaign in the vicinity of Pittsburgh. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in the spring of 1862 and in May became 2nd lieutenant, in November 1st lieutenant and in December of the same year was promoted to captain of the company as acknowledgement of his bravery in the battle of Cedar Creek. He was wounded four times but suffered more from hardship and exposure than from the wounds. He returned to Vermont after the war and two years later removed to Emmet county, Iowa, where he took a homestead in Ellsworth township. On January 26, 1864, he was married to Mary M. Gorton at Essex, Vt., and to this union three children were born, Mrs. H. H. Doolittle, now residing in this city, E. B. Williams of Washington, D.C., and Hale Williams, who is now in Alaska. He was county supervisor from Ellsworth township for three terms and clerk of the courts four years, deputy county recorder for several years, postmaster here under the Harrison administration and later was again elected county clerk. He was educated at Green Mountain Academy, Crittenden County Institute and LaMoille Grammar School, Vermont. He was a member of the Masonic order for forty-five years and was also a Royal Arch Mason and member of the Order of Eastern Stars Grand Army Post, Modern Woodmen of America and Loyal Legion.

Captain Williams was a man who will be greatly missed by his relatives and friends. He was a broadminded and generous citizen and a man of extraordinary business ability. Funeral services were held at the family home on Saturday afternoon and the remains interred in the Oak Hill Cemetery. Rev. W. M. Evans of Cedar Rapids, conducted the services at the house and the Masonic body had services at the grave. The pall bearers were James Espeset, L. L. Bingham, John Amundson, H. C. Coon, Amos Ketchum and I. Skinner and the honorary bearers were Howard Graves, M. K. Whelan, R. E. Ridley, J. B. Binford, A. O. Peterson and J. P. Kirby.

The many friends in this city extend their heartfelt sympathy to the Williams family in their hours of profound sorrow. (Estherville Democrat, Estherville, IA, July 5, 1905)