Mott Watson (1828-1895)

WATSON

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 9/3/2009 at 06:32:23

Maquoketa Excelsior, Maquoketa, Iowa, August 30, 1895.

Mott Watson Dead

Mott Watson was born in 1828 on a farm in Madison County, New York. He was one of a family of twelve children-four girls and eight boys. He remained on the farm until he was eighteen years old and then he left home and commenced doing for himself. Being an energetic young man of exemplary habits he had no trouble in finding remunerative employment. He had the loaning instinct from the beginning. The first $100 he saved he sent home to be loaned for him. It was loaned, but the loan was a bad one and Mr. Watson never saw that $100 again. But this did not discourage him. He kept on earning and loaning until he had accumulated quite a sum for those early days and in 1858 he came to Iowa. For four years he lived with his brother, John Watson, eight miles west of this city. Ain April 1862, he came to this city which remained his home until his death, which occurred August 26, 1895, at 6:30 p.m., and resulted from a stroke of paralysis. When he died he was not worth less than $150,000, and perhaps a few thousand more. He made this immense fortune, with the exception of a portion of the first few thousands by loaning money. He was very careful in making loans and consequently met with few losses. He always tried to avoid making a loan where there seemed to be any possibility that he might have to foreclose, and he was held in much higher esteem among the borrowing class than the average money lender. He was by nature of a kind and benevolent disposition. He assisted many worthy movements liberally with his purse, and, to his credit it be said, he was unlike many liberal givers-such givers as want $10 worth of advertising for every dollar they give. He would seldom sign his name to a subscription paper, but when it was necessary to put down something in order to keep a correct account of the donations he would write or cause to be written, “A Friend.”

He left no will and his estate will be disposed of according to law. Only one heir, his nephew Eugene of Baldwin, resides in Jackson County. Another nephew, Leslie, lives at Wyoming. These two were the only relatives who were with him during his last illness.

Some of our people seem to be greatly disappointed because Mr. Watson didn’t leave the Boardman Library Institute eight to ten thousand dollars with which to build a permanent home for that institution, but we are not surprised he did not do so. He doubtless knew well what every person must have noticed, viz.: That corporations are soulless in more ways than one and soon forget even their greatest benefactors.

He knew that the late W. C, Boardman gave to the Congregational Church a nice parsonage, several handsome donations in money, from time to time, and a memorial window, which by the way, has been hidden from view by a shade, although, perhaps, not so much because the members of that church wanted to drive from their minds all remembrance of generous Mr. Boardman and his wife, as because they desired to keep any stray ray of sunlight from penetrating to the interior of their sanctuary. Mr. Watson doubtless knew nearly all these things and he doubtless also knew that section 9 of Mr. Boardman’s “Last Will and Testament,” a true copy of which may be seen at the county clerk’s office, reads as follows:
“It is my will and desire that said trustees of the Congregational Church, of Maquoketa, shall appropriate each year the sum of ten(10) dollars, or whatever amount may be necessary in excess of said sum to keep in good condition and repair the cemetery lot where the remains of my wife and step-daughter and myself are and shall be deposited, and the headstone and monument, erected at the several graves, in good condition and repair, also the fence around said cemetery lot is to be kept in repair and painted white annually.”

If he knew this, he undoubtedly also knew that the trustees of that church have never appropriated a penny toward keeping that cemetery lot, those gravestones and that monument in good condition and repair to say nothing about painting the fence white annually. If fact this very morning we asked a trustee of that church, and one who has held that office for years, if he knew where the grave of Mr. Boardman is located. His answer, promptly given, was “no.” Such an answer, in all probability, would at least eighty per cent of the members of that church give to that question.

Mr. Watson also knew that the member of the Boardman Library Institute who wanted him to give the Library a building had never lifted a hand nor expended a penny toward keeping Mr. Boardman’s grave green, although he had generously given that organization the sum of $5,000. To be sure Mr. Boardman “willed” that the Congregational Church should perform that duty, as shown above by article nine, but when the Congregationalists failed to respect the will of their former friend and generous benefactor, the Boardman Library Institute was morally bound to keep that cemetery lot in good condition and repair.

No; we cannot blame Mr. Watson for not doing something handsome for the Boardman Library Institute, and especially if he was familiar with all these facts and we believe that he was.

Funeral services were held at the Buckhorn Church Wednesday afternoon and the remains were laid to rest in the cemetery adjoining. The world would be a much better place to live in than it is if there were no worse men in it than Mott Watson. He was honest, modest, unassuming, generous and kind-hearted.

Mott Watson Grave
 

Jackson Obituaries maintained by Nettie Mae Lucas.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen