WHORRALL, Thomas 1821-1897

WHORRALL, CANSEY

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 3/4/2011 at 11:31:10

Thomas Whorrall was born in Warwickshire, England, Dec. 27, 1821. He emigrated to America in 1856, arriving in Peoria, Ill., July 15th, having traveled from New York to Buffalo by rail, from there to Milwaukee, this by boat, to Chicago on foot, and from Chicago to Peoria by the old canal. He was married to Elizabeth E. Cansey, July 15, 1851. To them eleven children were born, seven boys and four girls, seven of whom, with the wife and mother survive him. He was confirmed and brought up in the English Established church, but at the age of sixteen he was converted and united with the Wesleyan Methodist church of England, in which he held a local preacher's license, and exercised his gifts as a lay preacher of that body for eight years. When he came to America he united with the Methodist Episco-church, and for many years held a local ministers license.

Thomas Whorrall was a man of deep and earnest convictions. He was a christian of the sturdy, homely type. He belonged to the old school of practice; a man of two books--the Holy Bible and Wesley's Hymns. He knew both and loved them as intensely as he hated "shams" of all kinds. The people of this community never knew him as his family remember him in the days of his "prime" when, as was the case with John Knox, his prayers caused sinners to tremble. He believed in every day religion, a family altar, religious conversations and liberality that knew no bounds.

He "fell on sleep" at three o'clock, Monday afternoon, Feb. 8, 1897, "as a shock of corn well ripe," aged 75 years, 1 month and 12 days.

His funeral was preached by his pastor, Wednesday, at the church from Revelations 14:13. The text being chosen by the family.

--The Grundy County Republican (Grundy Center, Iowa), 25 February 1897