WORKMAN, Richard: Died 1903

WORKMAN, BOWERS, FLEMING

Posted By: Volunteer: Sherri
Date: 10/10/2016 at 16:23:25

**Handwritten: St. Line Dem. Thurs. 19 March 1903

DEATH OF RICHARD WORKMAN
An Old Settler, Full of Years and Honors, Has Gone to His Reward.

Richard Workman of Union township died Friday morning, aged 85 years, two months and six days. Twenty years ago Mr. Workman was one of the most prominent as well as most favorably known man in the northern part of the county.

Mr. Workman was born in county Londonberry, Ireland, Jan. 7, 1818. He came with his parents to America in 1834. Arriving at Quebec, his father was attacked with the cholera and died and his mother the day following of the same disease, leaving Richard, a brother and a sister as orphans. The following year he went to Buffalo. In the spring of 1838 he went to Hamilton, Ohio. He was married there to Miss Mary A. Bowers, Dec. 12, 1842 he came to Van Buren county and settled in Union township, where he became a well-to-do farmer and passed the remainder of his life.

Mr. and Mrs. Workman were the parents of ten children, but only one is living, Girarel W. Workman of Winchester.

No one who ever lived in the county had the confidence of those who knew him to a fuller exten than did Mr. Workman, and no one better deserved it, for he has one of the most thoroughly conscientiousness and perfectly upright men we ever knew. And he had the other good qualities that are usually if not invariably possessed by him who follows implicitly the leadings of his conscience, namely, industry, exemplary habits, a well stored mind, and as a result of these health and long life.

As stated above, Mr. Workman came to the county in 18 42, four years before Iowa was admitted as a state. He saw this section develop from a comparative wilderness to the high state of cultivation and excellent improvements that we see today.

Mr. Workman did his full past in producing the changed and improved conditions.

Naturally such a man would be called upon to serve in a public capacity, and he filled various township offices. In 1877 Mr. Workman was the demacratic(sp) candidate for county supervisor, his apponent(sp) being Joshua S. Sloan. Mr. workman was not elected, but he was defeated by only 44 votes, while the republican majority in the county that years on the state ticket was about 200. The other candidates on the democratic(sp) ticket that year were Col. O.H.P. Scott for representative, Thomas Rankin for treasurer, H.D. Wallis for auditor, Francis Johnston for sheriff, Robert Porter for school superintendent, W.F. Plumer for surveyor and Dr. J.M. Yost for coroner. Col. Scott, Judge Rankin and Robert Porter preceded Mr. Workman to their long home.

An excellent biographical sketch of Mr. Workman will be found below.

Richard Workman.

The following sketch of Mr. Richard Workman is by our Stockport correspondent.

January 8, 1818, in County Derry, Iceland, was born Richard Workman. The first sixteen years of his life were spent in his native country, but in 1834 he accompanied his parents, brothers and one sister to America, landing at Quebec.

That dreaded disease cholera broke out on board and one parent was taken away the day before the landing while the other died the day following, leaving him a mere boy to battle against adversity in a new world. He soon secured work on the Erie Canal where he worked for two years, then spent two years on the Great Lakes. He often spoke of Chicago as Fort Dearborn or as a mud hole where he often went during the summer of '37 and '38.

At the approach of winter in 1838 he accompanied by a few companions of his past two years set out for the lower lower Mississippi where they expected to find employment on the boats. Stopping in Ohio he obtained employment on a farm where he obtained employment on a farm where he remained until the winter of 1842, having married Mary Ann Bowers De. 12, 1841.

He and his wife of a few days came direct to Mr. Timothy Day's for whom he worked three years, only losing five days in all that time. At that time little carpenter work was done here and Mr. Workman brought with him from Cincinnati some widow and door frames which Mr. day placed in his new home and they may be seen to this day in the house recently sold by J.F. Teal to D. Waggoner.

During the winter of 1844 the home which was to shelter him to his death was established excepting 10 years in which he lived in Winchester when he was postmaster most of the time. At this home his family was born and raised there being ten children, six boys and four girls to the union, all of whom died in infancy excepting Oliver and Girard, the former dying in 1877, leaving a widow with three small children. The daughter-in-law, Mrs. Rachel Workman, and her three children, Eugene G., Richard A. and Mary (Mrs. Jesse Fleming) were his constant stay and comfort during his declining years, Mrs. Workman having died Nov. 25, 1885.

Grandpa and Uncle Richard as he was familiarly known departed this life March 13, 1903, being 85 yrs., 2 mo. and 6 days old.

Rev. Smith of Birmingham preached the funeral sermon from 2d Tim. 10th verse, prefacing his remarks by these words, "It was never my privilege to my knowledge to have met the deceased, but it is a pleasure to say no eulogy will suffice for this noble character." His life was spotless, as pure as we will ever see and no words from all or any who knew him could be found that would say aught of his life. A noble example has been taken from us and it will be keenly felt by all who have had to do with Mr. Richard Workman.

**Handwritten: see birthday book page 2

Source: Van Buren Co. Genealogical Society Obituary Book G, Page 235, Keosauqua Public Library, Keosauqua, IA