SMITH, James W. 1891-1944

SMITH

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 10/1/2016 at 07:00:54

Farm Hand Dies First Night At Morrison Farm

James W. Smith, a farm hand, was found dead in his bed at the Robert Morrison farm in Washington township early Sunday morning. He was about 50 years old. He was given a job at the Morrison farm and started working there on Saturday. He went to Reinbeck Saturday evening to get his grip and some medicine from a doctor. He seemed to be feeling all right when he went to bed. Heart failure was given as the cause of his death.

The Morrison family had learned little of the man. He told them that he came from Dubuque and that his only relative was a niece. The name of the niece was learned from a ration book which the man had in his pocket.

County Coroner L. D. Coffman took the body in charge when notified of the man's death. He decided death was due to heart failure. The niece in Dubuque was asked what to do with the body and she replied that she had no means to take care of the funeral expenses. That made it a county case, and the county will take care of burial expenses in excess of $100.

The deceased served in the first World War though he did not appear to have been a member of the American Legion. He was employed on a farm in Grundy county when he enlisted in World War I on May 28, 1918.

The Grundy Post of the American Legion made arrangements for funeral services and burial. Services were held at the Coffman funeral home Monday afternoon. Rev. H. H. Palmer officiated at the service. Burial was in the county plot in the Grundy Center cemetery.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 23 March 1944, pg 1