Decatur County Journal
March 6, l902

JOSHUA CARMEAN was born in Ross County, Ohio, March 23, l836, and died
at his residence in this city, February 27, l902, aged 65 years, ll
months and 4 days. With his parents, MR. and MRS. FOSTER CARMEAN, he
came to Des Moines County, Iowa, in l843, where he lived and grew up to
manhood. He was married to MISS ELIZABETH TENNANT, May 30, l86l. Four
children were born to them, FLORENCE EMMA, who died in her seventeenth
year, SAMUEL, GEORGE and MRS. ELLA BOWSHER, who reside in our midst.

In early life MR. CARMEAN united with the Methodist Church, but
afterwards joined the Presbyterian Church of which he was a member for
forty years. He, with his wife, united with the Presbyterian Church of
this city by letter, March l0, l877. During these subsequent years he
has been one of its most active and efficient members, having been for a
long time a member of its board of trustees. With leisure and a more
than ordinary willingness to serve, he was represented in nearly all of
the chief activities of the church. Few, if any, of its members would
be more greatly missed.

When the civil war broke out MR. CARMEAN enlisted in Co. K, l4th Iowa
Infantry, where he spent nearly two years in the service of his country.
He came with his family to Leon in the fall of l875, where he since made
his home. For a number of years he was an active member of the G.A.R.
and the I.O.O.F., both of which orders were represented and took part in
the funeral services. Those services were conducted by his pastor, Rev.
W.H. Ilsley, at the family home on Sunday, March 2nd, at 2 o'clock p.m.
He spoke from the text "I have cut off, like a weaver, my life." Isaiah
38:l2. In his remarks he dwelt upon the suddenness of the departure of
our friend, not unlike the cutting of the weaver's thread when his work
was done. He paid tribute to the character of excellent worth, and in
(can't read)consolation derived from the knowledge of thorough
preparation for the change.

A large company accompanied the family to the cemetery where the burial
service was conducted by the I.O.O.F. Comrades of the G.A.R. acted as
pall bearers and escorted the remains to the last resting place.

Thank God for Grace.

Ye who weep only; if, as some have done,
Ye grope, tear-blinded, in a desert place
And touch but tombs.--look up! Those tears will run
Soon in long rivers down the lifted face,
And leave the vision clear for stars and sun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Decatur County Journal
March 6, l902

'DEATH OF JOSHUA CARMEAN'
A Sad Accident Causes the Death of one of Our Prominent Citizens.

The accidental death of the late JOSHUA CARMEAN occurred at his home in
the north part of this city, on last Thursday evening, at about 5
o'clock and was so sudden and unexpected as to shock not only his
relatives but his many friends and acquaintances in Leon and surrounding
country. A number of our citizens had seen and conversed with MR.
CARMEAN only a short time before his death. He was then in his usual
health and with a fair promise of many more years of life. And yet in a
few brief minutes, almost like a flash of lightning, he was stricken
down, and surrounded by his devoted wife and loving children, passed
away to meet and act with us here no more forever.
In contemplating the suddenness of his death, we are reminded of the
scriptural injunction "man cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down;
he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not."

The CARMEAN residence is on the corner of Main and First Streets in the
north part of town and about 4 o'clock MR. CARMEAN went to the barn to
do some chores. Shortly afterwards, MRS. CARMEAN heard him call and she
ran to the hay stack where she found him lying on his face with the hay
ladder over him and a hay knife sticking through the thigh of his left
leg. The knife blade had entered the thigh in front two inches below
the hip joint and emerged behind about four inches above the knee joint,
completely severing the femoral artery. He asked MRS. CARMEAN to remove
the ladder and also the hay knife from his thigh which she did. While
he lay rapidly bleeding to death and gasping for breath, Mr.
Vannostrand, C.E. Gable, Uriah Acton and others arrived, attracted by
MRS. CARMEAN's cries. SAM and GEORGE CARMEAN came and assisted in
removing their father to the house. Drs. Layton and Bowman and shortly
afterwards, Dr. Brown, arrived but the unfortunate man was beyond the
reach of medical assistance. He was dead within half an hour after the
accident occurred.

No one witnessed the accident and it is only a matter of conjecture as
to how it occurred. It is possible that while MR. CARMEAN was on the
sixteen foot ladder cutting hay, he dropped the knife as the ladder
slipped and fell; that in some way in falling he was impaled on the
blade of the hay knife. About ten years ago while MR. CARMEAN was
farming five miles south of Pleasanton, he was thrown from a mower and
sustained severe injuries about his head and shoulders. He has had
dizzy and fainting spells occasionally ever since this accident. About
three years ago late one evening, in the north part of town, he was
seized with a fainting spell and fell from the horse he was riding and
was found unconscious in the street. He was unable to leave his room
for several weeks.

Among the relatives from abroad who attended the funeral, Sunday, were:
REV. JASPER TENNANT, of Cambria and G.A. TENNANT, of Delphos, brothers
of MRS. CARMEAN; ELWIN GLEASON, of Mt. Ayr, a brother-in-law; MRS. SUSAN
MCCLEARY, of Diagonal, a sister; and SAMUEL H. CARMEAN, of Lawrence,
Kansas. A younger brother, PEARSON CARMEAN, of Paoli, Kansas, was
unable to be present.
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
July l9, 200l
 

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