James McCracken ~ 1837-1910

MCCRACKEN, DEAN, RANKIN, SMUTZ, BOLEY, EWING, WARD, SHEPHERD

Posted By: Volunteer - Rhonda Rankin Rowe
Date: 2/19/2002 at 10:19:17

James McCracken was born in Mercer County, Ohio, August 30, 1837 and died March 10, 1910 at his home in Harrisburg Township, Van Buren County Iowa, after an illness of several weeks of pneumonia, being 72 years 6 months and 10 days of age. When a small boy his parents removed to this state and with the exception of a few years spent in the west and in Missouri, the remainder of his life has been passed in Iowa.

He was married to Sarah J. Dean in 1861 and eight children were born to them, one dying in infancy and the others W. E. McCracken, Mrs. Iowa Rankin, Mrs. Cora Smutz, Mrs. Jane Boley, George McCracken, Mrs. Margaret Ewing, and Mrs. Amy Ward with his widow and 23 grandchildren, one sister, Mrs. Jane Shepherd, and two brothers Isaac of Bentonsport, Ia., and Joseph of Reo Cloud, Neb. survive him.

The funeral was held at the house Saturday at 10 o'clock, services being conducted by Rev. Mayo, pastor of the Baptist Church of Hillsboro. Many friends attended the services and the remains were then conveyed to the Bentonsport cemetery and there intered.

He at one time was a member of the Baptist church but withdrew from it and had not since united with any church organization. He was a good citizen, honest, frugal, and industrious; a good neighbor at all times willing to help when it was needed and his familiar face will be missed by relatives and friends alike.

[this obit also found in: Entler Scrapbook, vol. 5, Iowa Historical Library, Iowa City, IA]