Franklin Dewey Thompson (1835-1917)

THOMPSON, FRISBIE, PRICE, KLOVE, BOYDSTON, DUNAHUGH

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:14

From Nevada Evening Journal December 12, 1917 (page 1)

F. D. THOMPSON DEAD NEVADA PIONEER

LAWYER AND PUBLIC SPIRITED CITIZEN DIED AT HIS LOS ANGELES HOME

Frank D. Thompson, age 82 years, Nevada pioneer, died at his home in Los Angeles, California Monday night according to a telegram received by his daughters in this city Tuesday forenoon.

Mr. Thompson had been a resident of Story County since September, 57 years ago, when he left his Erie county, Ohio home for Story county. With the exception of the years that he spent in the Civil War he had always lived here until about a year ago when he left with his wife and daughter Kate Thompson for Los Angeles where they located and about two months ago moved into a new home which that had purchased there.

Mr. Thompson had not been in the best of health but was not considered as ill until the early part of October when he was taken down with peretonitis. He was better and on Thanksgiving was able to be at the home of his son Frank L. Thompson and family for dinner.

The body will be laid to rest in a vault at Hollywood temporarily at least and may later be brought back to Nevada for interment.

Mr. Thompson was one of real pioneers of Nevada and as a practicing attorney and landowner had always been active in the public and political interests of Nevada and the county.

He had been one of the first active members of Library Board for years, has served upon the city council, was twice county attorney, served twice at the head of the Story County Agricultural society and held other positions of honor and trust.

Mr. Thompson was a member of Company D, 12th Vol. Inf. and was the organizer of the local camp of Sons of Veterans which honored him by naming the camp after him. He was also a charter member of Central Iowa Lodge No 104, I. O. O. F. and at the time of his death was the only surviving charter member, being preceeded in death by his old lodge brother Sam Statler who for half a century nearly had lived just across the street from him and was also one of the organizers of the lodge.

Besides Mrs. Thompson the wife, he leaves two sons and four daughters. The sons are Frank L. Thompson engaged in the banking business in Los Angeles, and C. A. Thompson of Des Moines. The daughters are Miss Kate who makes her home with the parents, Mrs. Sylva Klove of Nevada, Mrs. Cora Boydston of Lake Worth, Fla., and Mrs. Olive Dunahugh of this city.

Mr. Thompson was born on a farm in Berlin township, Erie county, Ohio December 13, 1835, and would have been 82 years of age had he lived until tomorrow. He was son of Jason K. and Eliza Ann Frisby Thompson. He was the last of five children.

He lived in Ohio until twenty-five years of age when he came to Story county. He had attended schools of that place and subsequently taught school for some time. He attended Oberlin college later and read law in the office of Judge Taylor at Mulan, Ohio, thus obtaining a legal education that secured his admission to the bar in 1860 the same year that he came to Story county.

During his early practice in Story county in the office of Judge Kellof his fees were not sufficient to keep matters going for the young attorney and he taught school here for a time.

He was married in 1863 to Miss Abby N. Price who with the six children survives him. He enlisted in the service in Feburary 1864, and within a short time was detailed for service at the headquarters of General A. J. Smith and there he served until he was honorably discharged on September 5, 1865.

The following spring he entered in to a partnership for the practice of law with Hon. Thomas C. McCall and that partnership continued for 17 years, pleasantly and profitably.

He was postmaster of Nevada for five years being appointed by President Harrison 1889. He was at one time elected to the office of Superintendent of Schools but resigned because of lack of time. He had always been active in civic affairs and besides being a member of city council at different times he had had charge of the division as city solicitor and for many years was an active member of the library board.

In many ways Mr. Thompson had so identified himself to the affairs of Story county and Nevada that he became one of the prominent factors of the upbuilding of the community and in his death there is removed one of the strong threads which served to hold the little community together and worked for its upbuilding during its early days and who continued to the highest honor and esteem in later years when his age forbid his continuing in his activities.