Jordan, Wesley – 1813-1897

BROWN, CHEATHAM, JORDAN, WESTON

Posted By: Diana Wagner
Date: 5/3/2022 at 16:13:01

A Sudden Death – Our little city was startled early last Tuesday morning by the announcement of the sudden death of one of our oldest and most honored citizens, Mr. Wesley Jordan, who expired at 5:45 o’clock that morning, while in the act of taking a dose of medicine. Mr. Jordan had been somewhat indisposed the preceding day and evening, but thought it nothing serious, and had arisen and gone to the kitchen in the basement of his residence to build a fire for getting breakfast, and when Mrs. Jordan descended to the room she found him lying dead, as was afterward ascertained, from an attack of heart disease. The horror and grief of Mrs. Jordan and her son, Thomas, the only members of the family at home, can only be appreciated by those who have passed through similar experiences, and may not be described in words.
Mrs. N. T. Weston, his daughter, at Hotel Colfax, and the other children and near friends in distant localities, were at once notified, and by the time fixed for the local funeral services – 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, his son R. D. and wife, also his sons William, Albert E., and George; his brother John D.; a brother-in-law, J. W. Brown, wife, son and daughter, and a sister-in-law, Mrs. Sarah Brown, were at hand. A daughter, Mrs. Mary Cheatham, of Olympia, Wash., having telegraphed that she would be present at the final obsequies at Pleasantville, whither the remains were taken for interment – the hour for the last sad rites was fixed for 1:00 p.m. tomorrow and the interment will be in the cemetery near his old home.
The funeral at the residence Wednesday morning was brief but impressive, being conducted by Rev. Mr. King, of the Christian church, and, following the services, the Masonic fraternity, of which deceased was a member, escorted the remains to the noon passenger train on which they were taken to Des Moines, and thence to Pleasantville escorted by the sorrowing relatives.
Mr. Jordan was aged 73 years, 7 months and 9 days, and had been a resident of Colfax since January, 1888, in all of which time he has been prominently identified with every material interest of the town – first in connection with The Commercial (now Citizens) Bank, and subsequently as proprietor of the Hotel Colfax, in every association and business relation with our citizens renewing his well-earned reputation for the strict honesty and unswerving integrity which stood him in such good stead in accumulating the generous fortune he earned.
Mr. Jordan was a native of Illinois, but had been a resident of Iowa for fifty years. He was the founder of the village of Pleasantville, where he resided and did business during his Iowa sojourn up to the time of his removal to Colfax, and was regarded as a personal friend by all the residents of that village.
He was for over thirty-eight years an active and faithful member of the Christian church, and the Colfax society of that denomination is indebted for much of its prosperity to his substantial and personal assistance and effort.
Source: The Weekly Clipper (Colfax, IA); Friday, May 21, 1897