Howard Thomas Bereman 1867-1879

BEREMAN, SHARP, VAN TRESS

Posted By: Pat Ryan White (email)
Date: 5/15/2006 at 09:52:47

The Free Press, Mount Pleasant, Iowa
Thursday, September 11, 1879, Page 3

DIED.

Howard Thomas Bereman was born at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, July 16, 1867, and died Sept. 6, 1879; aged 12 years, 1 month and 21 days.

Last week was made memorable in our community by a succession of startling shocks, sudden and unexpected as those of an earthquake. Not the least of these was the funeral notice distributed Saturday afternoon, telling the sad story that Death for the first time had entered the happy home of Mr. and Mrs. T. A. Bereman, and snatched from them their promising son, HOWARD. He had commenced the new term of school on Monday, with high hopes, and full of ambition to win the respect of his new teacher, Miss Van Tress. The next morning he seemed not quite well, and it was thought not best for him to go to school, but there was no thought of danger. Friday the strange and stealthy disease that had evidently long been lurking in his system, had made such rapid strides that a dispatch was sent to his father in Keokuk. There was little time for suspense, and on Saturday at two o’clock the little fellow passed peacefully away, leaving another home darkened by Death. Howard was an especially bright and manly boy, a general favorite at school and in the neighborhood, and will be sadly missed.

That the bereaved parents have the sympathy of the whole community was evidenced by the very unusual concourse of friends that assembled at the house Sunday afternoon.

The Rev. Mr. Sharp conducted the services in the most tender and sympathetic manner. The Harmonic Quartette called out the gratitude of the immediate friends and of all present by their very touching rendering of two very appropriate hymns.

An interesting feature of the occasion was the presence of the teacher and remaining seventeen members of the class that last Monday morning numbered nineteen. A beautiful wreath of rare flowers reposed on the coffin as their gift, and at the grave each in turn deposited a bouquet, as if with a hope to soften thereby that saddest of all sounds---the hollow thud of the clods on the lowered coffin. The large number of friends that followed the harse [sic] to Forest Home Cemetery returned to their homes with a new and impressive lesson of the uncertainty of earthly joys.