Flemming, John c1842 – 1897

FLEMMING

Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 9/18/2017 at 16:13:32

Iowa Plain Dealer May 21, 1897, FP, C7

Obituary
Died at Madison, Lake county, S. D., May 13, 1897, John Flemming, aged about 55 years. Deceased was born in Rutland, Vermont, moving with his parents to Illinois and from there coming to Iowa and locating in Winnesheik{sic} county about 1857. Some 16 years ago he removed with his family to Lake county. South Dakota, where two years since he was elected County Treasurer and re-elected at the election last November for the second term, commencing with the present year.
A widow and ten children survive him, the eldest daughter being married, the others at home. He also leaves a mother, two sisters and three brothers residing in this vicinity, and one brother in Dakota. His funeral was from the Badus Catholic church, the Rev. T. A. Flynn officiating. The procession which followed the remains to their last resting place comprised one hundred and eighty teams, more than one thousand people being in attendance, all in the deepest sorrow over his untimely death. The deceased was an honorably discharged soldier of the rebellion, his death resulting from infirmities contracted during that eventful period. John Flemming was well and favorably known in this county as well as in Winneshiek. He was a man of strict integrity, a deep and thorough student upon the political questions of the country, and was earnestly in favor of financial reform. During the early period of agitation upon this and kindred questions the writer, chairman of the county central committee, had him on the list of speakers, doing valiant service for the cause in public meetings at Protivin, Lourdes, Saratoga, Round Grove, Chester and other places in this county. An honest man and a sincere friend of humanity has gone to his rest and the people mourn.
From the Madison Daily Leader we gather these additional facts. It appears that the Monday preceding his death he went to his home for a few days with his family, going with his wife and a son to a neighbors to express sympathy over the death of the neighbors wife, returning home about one o’clock. He was in his usual health the Leader says conversing pleasantly with the family and friends. At 1:30 they went home and about five minutes after retiring he raised himself in bed, and fell heavily upon the pillow and without a movement or struggle passed away.