Bailey, Charles Fletcher ("Fletch") 1842-1925

BAILEY, MORRIS

Posted By: Janet Brown - volunteer (email)
Date: 8/12/2013 at 13:25:56

From the April 24, 1925 Alton Democrat:

BAILEY WAS SOLDIER AND LEGISLATOR

Former Prominent Sioux Co. Man Dies in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Fletcher C. Bailey, former Sioux County member of the state legislature, and at one time state commander of the G. A. R. passed away at the home of his son Earnest at 5:00 o'clock on April 18th in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Mr. Bailey had been sick only a short time, the end being caused by a paralytic stroke.

He was born and raised at Laporte City, Iowa and at the time of his death was 83 years old. When the Civil War broke out, he was a volunteer of Company E, 5th Iowa infantry, and served during the whole war. He moved to Sioux County in 1884. The family settled on a farm near Ireton where they made their home for a number of years. While here be served two terms as state representative about 1894 and also one term as state commander of the G. A. R. as well as filling other offices in the Grand Army. Mr. Bailey was a progressive farmer.

Some twenty years ago they moved to North Dakota and his helpmate died there, being buried at Wyndmere. He leaves six children to mourn: Mrs. Carrie Edwards of Wyndmere; Mrs. Nellie Edwards of Struble; Herbert M. of Barney, N.D.; Ernest C. of Colorado Springs; Elsie Glenn of Lindsay, Calif.; and Hazel Meskstren of Ryegate, Mont. He also leaves 25 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren, besides other relatives and hostB of friends.

The funeral was held this Thursday at Wyndmere with the Fergus Falls G. A. R. Post, to which be transferred his membership some years ago, in charge. There are a great many people in Ireton and Sioux County who knew Mr. Bailey and all of them extend their sympathy to the bereaved ones.

Poster's note: In researching C.F. Bailey (his name was Charles Fletcher Bailey not Fletcher C. Bailey as stated above) for the Ireton Veterans project, we located a newspaper clipping that said that Fletcher Bailey was born on April 3, 1842 (he had a son and a grandson who were also born on April 3 in 1875 and 1908 respectively). He was actually born near Chillicoathe, Ohio not in Iowa. He was married to Elizabeth Morris in the late 1860's. He and his family were part of a group of Black Hawk County, Iowa residents who moved to the Ireton area in the 1880's including family names Bailey, Morris and Bartlett. Many of them went on to move to the Wyndmere and Barney, North Dakota area in the early 1900's.