Eber Alford - Civil War Veteran

ALFORD, HAWKINS, CUSHMAN

Posted By: Dorothy Gosse (email)
Date: 12/29/2007 at 20:41:14

"Eber Alford is dead". These are the words that passed from mouth to mouth upon the streets last Saturday morning. Our people were startled by the announcement that he was found dead under his horses feet, in the barn, while he was at work doing the morning chores, he having died of heart failure of which he had suffered the past few years. It can be said of Eber Alford that he was an honest man, a man who never stooped to utter a "white" lie. even for gain. In all his business transactions he never deviated from the honorable, straight-forward path. He was an enterprising quiet citizen, clean in all his transactions and this community suffered a great loss when he departed this life. To us it seems to be a personal loss, and now that the light of his life is gone out we want to bear witness to the goodness of his heart and for the many acts of kindness in helping us on in the world. Besides his aged mother he leaves one sister, Mrs. E. Hawkins, and two half brothers, viz: Scott Cushman of South Dakota and Charlie Alford of Nebraska to mourn his loss. The Tuesday following, his funeral took place at the house. His remains were interred in the Otsego cemetery by the side of his aged father, who met with a tragic death ten years ago.

Oelwein Register - December 6, 1894

Eber Alford, the subject of this sketch, was born in Berkshire county, Mass. on the third day of October, 1838 and resided there til about the year 1857 when he removed with his father's family in the state of Connecticut where he remained for a short time and in the same year came with the family to this state and settled about 2 miles south and east of the present city of Oelwein, where he lived until January 1864. On the 12th day of that month he was mustered into the US Military service at Dubuque as a member of Co. H of the first regiment of Iowa Cavalry Veteran Volunteers to serve three years or during the war. He was honorably mustered out on the 15th day of February 1866 and returned to his former home. In the year 1868 he purchased and commenced breaking the farm he occupied at the time of his death. After having improved his farm to such an extent that he could make it comfortable for his father and step-mother he brought them to share his lot with him. His father died in September 1886 since which time it has seemed to be his greatest desire to comfort and provide for his step-mother . On Saturday morning December 1st he arose before any of the family and as usual went to the barn to do his accustomed chores and taking a measure of oats he went into a stall to feed one of the horses but never accomplished the object having apparently fallen under the first horse he attempted to feed from heart failure, as he had been subject to attacks of that disease becoming more frequent of late. About an hour after he left the house his niece went to the bark to know why he did not come in and found him lying where he had fallen unharmed by the horse. He was very kind to all the animal creation and especially to his horses and that would account for the careful guard that the animal kept over his prostrate form until discovered. He was one who had no difficulty with his neighbor, was kind and accommodating to all and the worse punishment he visited upon an enemy (if he had any) was to let him entirely alone.

Oelwein Register - December 13, 1894