John McLennan

BEEMAN, MCKIBBEN, MCLENNAN

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler
Date: 7/13/2006 at 15:24:01

The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Thursday, November 19, 1936

JOHN McLENNAN DIES AT EARLHAM

Veteran Hardware Merchant Succumbed on Tuesday of Last Week

John McLennan, veteran hardware merchant died at his home on Tuesday of last week at the age of 74 years.

Mr. McLennan was a native of Inverness, Scotland, where he was born July 9, 1862. He came to this country with his parents as an infant in 1863, and returned to Scotland with them the following year. After a short stay in the old country, the family again came to America and settled at Lacona in Warren county, Iowa. That community was his home for 43 years.

On September 5, 1889, he was married to Sarah Virginia Beeman. They were the parents of two children, Leah and Mervyn McLennan.

Mr. McLennan united with the United Presbyterian church at Lacona, and took an active part in church work there. He was class leader under nine pastors in Warren county. In 1907 he moved with his family to Earlham, where he transferred his membership to the Methodist church. He was one of the principal factors in the building of the present Methodist church here, it being he who delivered the key-note speech that persuaded the congregation to take up the task of building the new edifice. He organized the men's Bible class at this church and was its teacher for a number of years. Later he taught the women's class for nine years.

He is survived by his widow; his daughter, Mrs. Leah McKibben of Greenfield; his son, Mervyn McLennan of Earlham; and two granddaughters, Marjorie McKibben of Greenfield and Ruth Irene McLennan of Earlham.
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Earlham Echo
Earlham, Iowa
Thursday, November 12, 1936

JOHN McLENNAN DIED TUESDAY EVENING

Veteran Earlham Merchant Passed Away Shortly After 7:00 p.m. Tuesday From Heart Ailment.

John McLennan, 74, well known Earlham merchant, died at his home here at about 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, November 10. The immediate cause of his death is thought to have been a cerebral hemorrhage. He had had a serious heart ailment for some time and had been bedfast during the past several weeks.

Funeral services were to be held this afternoon at two o’clock at the Methodist church with Reverend Mitchell, pastor of the church, and Reverend McEldowney of Fontanelle in charge. Interment will be in the Earlham cemetery.

It was in October 1907, twenty-nine years ago, that he came here with his family from Lacona in Warren county to open a hardware store. Since that time he has been actively engaged in that business until his recent illness confined him to his home.

He leaves his wife, a son, Mervyn, of Earlham, a daughter, Mrs. Scott McKibben of Greenfield and two granddaughters, Marjorie McKibben and Ruth McLennan.

The community extends its deepest sympathy to the family. John McLennan will be missed in Earlham.

A complete obituary will be printed next week.
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Earlham Echo
Earlham, Iowa
Thursday, November 19, 1936

John McLennan was born in Inverness, Scotland, July 9th, 1862. He came with his parents across the ocean to America in 1863. The parents became dissatisfied with the prairies of Iowa and returned to their native home in Scotland the following year.

However, they remained away but a short time, then came again to America, and settled in Warren county, Iowa, at Lacona, where Mr. McLennan grew to manhood and where he remained for about 43 years.

On September 5th, 1889 he was united in marriage to Sarah Virginia Beeman. Two children were born to this union, Leah and Mervyn.

Mr. McLennan was converted at Lacona, and joined the United Presbyterian Church of that place, in 1895. Soon after he united with the Methodist Church of Lacona. He seemed greatly interested in church activities from the very beginning of his Christian life. He was class leader under nine pastors in Warren county.

In 1907 he moved with his family to Earlham. He seemed to clearly see the value of the church to the community. He cast in his lot with the Methodist people, of his new home. He at once, began to take active part in the various affairs of the church. He found that the charge was greatly in need of a new church, and it was he who made the key-note speech which persuaded the church people to enter upon the daring and hazardous task of building the beautiful edifice which has served the Methodist people for so many years as a place of worship.

He was an earnest and loyal Christian man. A faithful supporter of the church and a member of its official board through the years. He was a good man a high minded and patriotic citizen, a most excellent father and husband to his family. He had a kindly spirit for everybody. He was talented and had a scholarly mind. He was possessed of considerable musical talent and would often write poetry. He seemed to believe in the church and the Sunday school as a most helpful influence in the world. He organized the Men’s Bible Class in the Earlham Sunday school, and was its teacher for a number of years. Then he was chosen as teacher of the women’s class. This class he taught for nine years. He gave the best of his time, his energy, and his careful thought for the spiritual welfare of those whom he could help.

He ever seemed anxious to cast all the strength of his consecrated personality on the side of God, of Christ and the church. He had a clear grasp of Bible Truth, and seemed to desire above all other things to lead his friends and associates to the experience of the most perfect life.

He built up the membership of the women’s class, through the years until there were 57 of them in the group. They were loyal to him and he was a faithful and earnest teacher. It was one of the largest classes in the county, and secretly he seemed proud of it.

On prominent characteristic of Mr. McLennan was his firm faith in God, and the ultimate triumph of righteousness in the world. If he ever grew discouraged he did not reveal the fact to those about him but kept steadily at his work as long as he was able to go. He was splendidly dependable as a man, and as a friend. By his own confession he became through the years of earnest effort the kind of a man, which he had decided many years before he wanted to be, not perfect, but ever going on toward perfection. After all this is the highest mark of a true Christian.

The church, the community, his family, have sustained a great loss by his going away. Those who most keenly mourn his loss are his devoted and heart broken wife, his daughter Leah McKibben of Greenfield, Iowa, her husband and daughter Marjory, the son Mervyn McLennan, his wife and their daughter Ruth Irene besides many other devoted friends, relatives and neighbors.

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