Jonathan Child 1821-1905

CHILD, RAY, COWDEN, MACK, HEIDEL, HARRIMAN, MORRISON, FLOOK, LYMAN, SANDERS, CHILDS, VITTUM, PARKER, WALKER, WARING, HAMMOND, CASS, BARTLETT, SUTHERLAND

Posted By: Kimberly Breeden (email)
Date: 2/12/2008 at 12:03:24

The Grinnell Herald

--------------? G.W.? Cowden
RAY & COWDEN, Editors & Propr’s

OFFICIAL PAPER

Grinnell, Iowa, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 1905

Jonathan Child

As announced in these columns the funeral of Jonathan Child occurred on Saturday last at 2 o’clock p.m. The quartet consisted of Mrs. Mack, Mrs. Heidel, Mr. Augustus Harriman and Fred Morrison. The bearers were Messrs J.A. Flook, J.P. Lyman, Lucius Sanders, Howard Sanders, C.F. Childs and D.S. Morrison. The services were in charge of Dr. Vittum assisted by Prof. Parker.

Mr. Child belonged to the core of the earliest of the New England families, its founder having come to America in 1630. It has been honorably represented in business, in governmental and military service, in education and in religious enterprises. Some of it’s members were enrolled in the armies of the Revolution, of 1812 and of the Civil war.

His father, Deacon Dudly Child, when a young man, went from Massachusetts to reside in Bath, N.H. There the son, Jonathan, was born in 1821. There too, in 1846 he was united in marriage with Martha H. Walker with whom he lived more than fifty years.

He removed to Grinnell in 1868 and abandoned farming for a more general business.

He belonged to the New England Yeomanry and bore their characteristics in his own person. Like them he was accustomed to fill his hours with useful labor leaving little or no time for mere amusement. Like them too, he was economical, laying up a competence from a small annual surplus. He neither sought nor acquired any large speculative gains. He loved to live in the center of a small group of cherished friends and had (-------?) the more nominal friendship of a large circle. The loss of a wife in the year 1900 bound him more closely to his children.

He was so unambitious for any office that when he was induced to allow his name to be used at an election he defeated himself by a single vote either by staying away from the polls or by voting for his competitor.

The heavy financial loss which came to him and to many others in 1904 by a bank failure gave him no anxiety for himself for, even if he had lost everything, he said his children would furnish him with every comfort.

In his days of active business he oppressed no man, and as a bank director never desired to have a debtor needlessly embarrassed. He was glad to help an honest man in need to get on his feet and to walk more firmly.

His death takes a friend from our streets whom it was a pleasure for all acquaintances to meet, but his increasing feebleness during the last few months prepared them for the impending loss.

He leaves in Grinnell his four living children, Mrs. Chloe Walker Waring, Aldace Walker Child, Arthur Leon Child and Mrs. Hattie Martha Hammond. His only living brother-in-law Dea. John C. Walker, and his nephew, Emory S. Bartlett. These with their families constitute a large group of relatives in the midst of a large circle of sincerely sympathizing friends who came from Bath or were won by his friendly life while living here during thirty-seven years. Many will remember that no place ever made a worthier contribution to our population than did that little town of Bath from which came the Childs, Bartletts, Morrisons, Walkers, Casses, and Sutherlands. L.F.P.

Obituary found on Online Obituary Database:
http://www.grinnell.lib.ia.us/files/obitsearch.htm
Stewart Library
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