Monroe, Franklin Selvester -- 1872 - 1943

MONROE, DOWD, BACHELDER

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 2/4/2005 at 18:47:23

Frank S. Monroe, 71, Passes On Sunday; Funeral Tomorrow

Frank S. Monroe, prominent Castalia resident, passed away suddenly at his home Sunday morning, aged 71 years. His son, A. C. Monroe, had called to greet his father and not being able to rouse anyone, he entered the house and discovered that Mr. Monroe had passed away in his sleep during the night.

Funeral services will be held Thursday afternoon at the Thomas Monroe home and at two o'clock at the Castalia U. B. church, with the Rev. Melvin Hall officiating. Interment will be in the Castalia cemetery.

Franklin Selvester Monroe was born at Wyoming, in Jones county, Iowa, August 24, 1872, the son of Hiram and Debby Monroe, who were pioneers of Jones county. His father passed away when Frank was 2½ years old, and at the age of six his mother sold the home farm and came with her family to Castalia. With the exception of three years he spent at Aberdeen, So. Dak., Mr. Monroe spent his entire lifetime in Iowa. Starting as a boy of eight to work as a farmhand, at the age of 21 he began farming for himself.

At Decorah on August 1, 1894, he married Tillie Dowd, a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Dowd. They started their married life on a farm 1½ miles north of Castalia where they lived until 1924 when they retired to the home they had bought in Castalia. Five years later they moved back to the farm to remain for seven more years, and it was there that Mrs. Monroe passed away September 11, 1935.

Three sons were born to them, Thomas F., A. Clark and Henry J., all of Castalia, the latter living on the home farm. He is also survived by 16 grandchildren and one great grandchild, and one sister, Mrs. W. M. Bachelder living in Canada. Three brothers, Willmar, H. E. and H. L. Monroe, preceded him in death.

Mr. Monroe subtended the Castalia schools and also Postville high school when a boy. He had no church affiliation; in his own words, he "was a friend of all churches."

Postville Herald newspaper clipping, hand dated 1943, from my mother's obituary collection.