George Peter Billhymer 1845 - 1922

BILLHYMER, HIGDON, SHEROD, DEARING, OHARA

Posted By: Volunteer: Stacey Swierk
Date: 8/28/2008 at 13:34:04

“Date & Newspaper Unknown”

GEORGE P. BILLHYMER

George Peter Billhymer was born in Augusta County, Virginia, January 5, 1845, and died at Lebanon, Iowa, December 15, 1922, being 77 years, 11 months, and 11 days old at the time of his death.

At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Union Army at Indianapolis, Ind., being the only member of his family in sympathy with the North, and served until the end of the war.

After the war, he entered the Academy in Indianapolis, taking a two year course; after which he taught school in Indiana.

In 1867 he was married; one child, Lewis, was born to this union.

In 1870, he went to Canada, taking his 18-months-old son with him where he lived for seven years.

While in Canada he was employed by the English government as surveyor, when he did the preliminary surveying for a part of both the Canadian-Pacific Railroad through the Peace River Country, and the Boundary line between Alaska and Canada.

It was while north that the following incident occurred of which he never made mention, but an account of which was clipped from a paper dated June 1, 1874, and which we here quote:

“We, the undersigned, who witnessed the heroic conduct of George Billhymer in leaping from the hurricane deck of the steamer Dakota, on the 31st of May, A.D. 1874, while said steamer was going through Goose Rapids on the Red River of the North, and thereby saving the life of a young child named Emma White, daughter of Mr. George White, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, who had accidentally fallen into the river, and who, but for the timely action of Mr. Billhymer, would have undoubtedly gone to a watery grave, offer and affix hereunto our signatures, as a slight testimonial of our regard and admiration of his noble conduct, so justly deserving of our praise. Signed on board the steamer Dakota, June 1, 1874. (Signed by over one hundred names.)”

In 1877, he was married to Mary Hale Higdon. To this union nine children were born, five dying in infancy.

More than forty years of his life was spent in Van Buren County, and for twenty years he was associated with Capt. W.A. Duckworth in the sawmill business.

He is survived by his widow and five children: Lewis Billhymer of Centerville, Iowa; Mrs. Harriett Sherod of Valley Junction, Iowa; Mrs. Grace Dearing, Mrs. Phyllis O’Hara and Roy Billhymer, all of Fairplay, Colo.; also by twelve grandchildren and three great-grand-children.

Funeral services were held at the church in Lebanon at one o’clock Tuesday afternoon, December 19th; burial in Pittsburg Cemetery.

We wish to extend thanks to the many friends and neighbors who helped us during the illness and death of our husband and father.
Mrs. Mary Billhymer, and Children.

[Photocopy of this obit is located on page 258 of Obit Book A found in the Van Buren County, IA Genealogical Society's collection at the Keosauqua Public Library, Keosauqua, IA]