S.A. "Al" Belcher (1874-1936

BELCHER, MILLER, SHEARER, WHITAKER

Posted By: Sandra Breitkreutz (email)
Date: 4/30/2003 at 13:32:26

AL BELCHER DIED IN HEART ATTACK
FARMER OF SOUTHEAST OF NEVADA DIED EARLY TODAY AT HIS HOME
(From unidentified newspaper clipping, March 1936)

S.A. "Al" Belcher, 62, well known resident of southeast of Nevada in the Iowa Center neighborhood, died very suddenly at 2:30 a.m. today from a heart attack, suffered but 40 minutes before.

A physician was summoned when Mr. Belcher suffered the attack, but before arrival, life was gone.

Mr. Belcher had had a similar attack in October, but had apparently recovered from the effects of that attack, but had not been strong.

Funeral arrangements await the arrival of the son from Minnesota and other relatives.

Mr. Belcher leaves his wife, sons Clark of near Nevada and Maurice of St. James, Minn., a daughter Mrs. Ada Pearson (1) of Des Moines and three grandchildren.

FUNERAL SERVICES SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOR ‘AL’ BELCHER
(From "Nevada (Iowa) Evening Journal," March 27, 1936)

Funeral services for S.A. Belcher, 62, who died very suddenly at his home southeast of Nevada, early Thursday from a heart attack, will be held Sunday afternoon at 2:00 at the church at Iowa Center, with Rev. Charles Pickford of Nevada in charge. Burial will be in the Iowa Center Cemetery.(2)

Mr. Belcher who was born at Indianapolis, Indiana, December 23, 1874, came to Iowa with his parents, Mr. And Mrs. Ed Belcher (3) when he was a lad of nine years. They made the trip with a team and covered wagon and arriving in Story county, settled on a homestead a mile north and a mile east of Iowa Center.

When twenty years of age he was united in marriage to a neighbor girl, Ida May Whitaker (4) and they had their home first on a farm in the Mullen settlement, but for the past 20 years have lived on a farm five miles southeast of Nevada.

He leaves besides his wife, his sons, Clark of Nevada and Maurice of St. James, Minn., and a daughter, Mrs. Ada Pearson of Des Moines, as well as the grandchildren Roland Belcher of Nevada and Gladys and Clemmons Belcher of St. James.

Al Belcher, who has been active as a farmer and an auctioneer, had a rather wide acquaintance over the county and had served in his township and school district in various positions of trust.

FOOTNOTES from Sandra Breitkreutz
1. Ada (Belcher) Pearson was widowed and later married Mr. Boggs.
2. Iowa Center cemetery is also known as Woodland cemetery.
3. S.A. "Al" Belcher’s parents were Edward and Mary F./Francis (Shearer) Belcher.
4. Ida May (Whitaker) Belcher was the daughter of Samuel and Harriet Priscilla (Miller) Whitaker. When Ida was an infant, her mother died, and she was raised by her paternal aunt, Sara (Whitaker) Hoskins.