G. F. Thomas

THOMAS, MINTAN, WHITE, JEFFERIES

Posted By: Beverly Gerdts (email)
Date: 10/6/2020 at 09:35:24

Columbus Gazette, Columbus Junction, Iowa, Wednesday, July 24, 1889 page 4

OBITUARY.

DIED- At his residence in Columbus City, July 17, 1889, aged almost 73 years, father G. F. Thomas. Mr. Thomas with his family moved from Mediapolis to our town only a few months ago. Four weeks ago on last Thursday afternoon he was taken with a severe pain in the stomach. On Sunday afternoon he had alight chill and Dr. Overholt was sent for. He got better and on the Sunday following was going around again. But on Monday, the pain in the stomach which had not entirely left him, became more violent and he had another and more sever chill and Dr. Morgan was called in and in a few days he appeared to get better again: so much so that there were strong hopes of his recovery. But her finally grew terrible suffering, and they were terrible at times, his minds was as calm and bright as it ever was; not one flighty word ever came to his lips, and he retained full consciousness up to the Tuesday before he died. About 4 o'clock p. m. his sight and hearing failed, but I think his sense of feeling remained as acute as ever, and his inffering intense til Wednesday, at 5 o'clock, when the end came. His breath grew shorter as the moments past until at last there was no breath and G. F. Thomas was no more. Through all his suffering and pain not one word of complaint of any kind did he ever make, but was the most patient and resigned man I ever saw. A short time before his death Rev. Bancroft called and had a short talk with him in which he said he had been trying to serve the Lord for over 50 years and all was well. Through all these four long and tedious weeks he was most kindly waited on and ministered to by his faithful wife and more than faithful daughter who left her duties at home and came and staid by the side of her aged father ever ready day and night, at his call and never left him til he was laid in the cold ground, out of her sight but no our of her memory. The writer of this sketch had the privilege of being with the departed one almost all the time, day and night during his sickness and has been thus particular in what has been written.

Columbus City, July 28, 1889.
The editor of this paper has know G. F. Thomas since 1834. He came to Wapello from Pennsylvania in or about 1838. The year preceeding he was married to Elizabeth R. Mintan, a daughter of Jacob Mintun, a pioneer settler and prominent man, in an early day, in Louisa county affairs. Five children, the result of this union, survive both parents These are Mrs. Mary White, Newcastle Penna.; Miss Alice, Wapello; Chas. H, Buffalo, N. Y.; Albert C., Denver, Colorado, and G. W., many years clerk of the courts in this county, now of Vallisea, Iowa. Mrs. Thomas, the mother of these children, died in 1865. In 1875, he was married to present widow, then Mrs. M. Merrill Jefferies, a sister to Bishop Merrill, of the M. E. church. A daughter, Grace, was born to them and lives with the bereaved mother. The remains were interred at the Wapello cemetery, Rev. Ashpole conducting the services. Mr. Thomas was at one time treasurer of the county, was many years a justice of the peace, but was best known as postmaster at Wapello, a place he occupied for nearly twenty-four years. He had been a member of the Methodist church more than half a century.