LOVEJOY, William Ingraham 1819-1899

LOVEJOY, BRYANT, JEFFRIES, WHITCOMB

Posted By: Marilyn O'Connor (email)
Date: 2/24/2012 at 16:49:40

William Ingraham Lovejoy

The deceased was born at Sharon, Vermont, February 20, 1819. He was one of seven children, six sons and one daughter. All his early life was spent in Vermont, where he married Miss Martha Whitcomb, of Stockbridge. They had four sons, Albert J. Lovejoy, our fellow townsman, and Daniel, Charles, and William Lovejoy. His wife died in the winter of 1855. He married Miss Imogene Bryant, December 26, 1858. They had eight children some of these are living in Massachusetts, some in Illinois. the oldest dauighter, Mrs. Fred Jeffries lives here in Rock Creek.

Mr. Lovejoy was for years one of Vermont's thrifty farmers. His little farm was kept in the best of order. Like so many of Vermont's sturdy sons, he knew what it ment to labor hard all the year around. Indeed it is thought that over work brought on epileptic fits that finally had much to do with his death. In 1878 Mr. Lovejoy moved to Custer, Illinois, where he lived nine years. In 1887 he came to Iowa settling near his son, Albert J. Lovejoy and his brothers, George and Henry Lovejoy.

In meetings held by the writer at Rock Creek the deceased became much interested. He had, a few years before confessed his faith in Christ while in Illinois. He now with his wife united with the Baptist church at West Mitchell. The Bible was a source of great comfort to him in his last years. He was blessed in children who spared no pains to make him comfortable. His son, Albert Lovejoy, and daughter Orie, were with him constantly for weeks before he died, ministering tenderly to his every want. Other children and loved ones helped. At last the weary eyes closed in the long sleep and the spirit returned to the God who gave it, January 9, 1899.

The funeral services were held at the home of Albert Lovejoy in Osage.

The writer spoke from the words "That those things which cannot be shaken may remain." (Heb. 19.2 27).

Many friends and neighbors were present to sympathize with the mourning ones; for whether death comes to the aged or the little ones it is death and hard to bear. But for our aged brother to depart and be with Christ was great gain.

While writing these words about our departed brother, I was much interested in a volume of over three hundred pages prepared by Dr. Phineos Spalding, an uncle of William I. Lovejoy. The Dr. before his death (he lived to the age of ninty) " by request of my children" wrote a history of his family begining with Edward Spaulding who came to America in 1630 or 1633.

The volume includes a history of the Lovejoy family as we know themn. More than one hundred pages are given to poems of much literary merit written by Miss Caroline S. Spaulding. One of them "The soldier and the violets" was a prize poem. It would be most beautiful and appropriated for Decoration Day. J. A. L.

Mitchell County Press
Jan. 1899