Iowa Old Press

Le Mars Sentinel, November 2, 1928

DEATH FINALLY ENDS SUFFERING
Morgan I. Thomas, Resident of Northwest Iowa Many Years Passes Away

Following a long and painful illness, Morgan T. (sic I.) Thomas, a
resident of this city for the past two years, died at his home, 326 First
Avenue SW., Tuesday morning, October 30.

Morgan Irwin Thomas was a native of Wales, England and was born at
Treharris, October 15, 1888. His father, Rev. Morgan Thomas was a
Congregational minister and Morgan I. Thomas was the oldest of seven
children. He attended public school at his native place and later took a
college course with view of becoming a mining engineer.

When he was twenty-four years of age he decided to come to America, and
shortly after arrival located at Sutherland, Iowa. There he engaged in the
general merchandise business and later embarked in the same line at
Primghar. He was united in marriage April 23, 1916 with Amada Flick, of
Mitchell, South Dakota. Three children were born to them, Morgan Irwin,
Vivian Eleanor, and Ellyn Lynne. The family moved to Le Mars in September,
1926, when Mr. Thomas bought an interest in the Central Grocery store.

About a year ago Mr. Thomas began to notice the first symptoms of the
disease which finally developed into cancer of the throat. Last March he
gave up his position in the store and went to the Iowa University hospital
for treatment but the course of the ailment could not be stayed. He
returned home practically an invalid and bore his hard lot with patience and
fortitude under the tender ministrations of his faithful wife.

Mr. Thomas had received a good education and religious training. While
residing at Sutherland, he was a member of the Christian church,
superintendent of the Sunday school, member of the church board and choir
leader. Mr. Thomas, like many of his countrymen, was possessed of a fine
voice and was at one time associated with a company of Welsh singers.

His personality gained him a number of friends during his brief residence in
Le Mars who extend sympathy to the widow and orphans. Besides his wife and
children, he leaves three brothers, Irwin Wynn Thomas, of Ida Grove, Morgan
E. Thomas, of Cherokee, Delwynn M. Thomas, of Treharris, Wales, and a
sister, Mrs. Walwyn Jones, of Cardiff, Wales. He also leaves two aunts,
Mrs. Gwen Weal, of Sutherland, with whom he made his home when a youth, and
Mrs. Thos. Richards, of Sutherland.

Mr. Thomas was a member of the Masonic lodge at Primghar, and of the Knight
Templar Commandery, of Cherokee, and of the Shriners in Sioux City. Members
of Giblem Lodge, of this city, attended the funeral services which were held
Thursday afternoon at St. John's Evangelical church, the pastor, Rev. P. V.
Dyke, officiating and the interment made in the city cemetery.

LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel
November 6, 1928

EARLY SETTLER ANSWERS CALL
MRS. MARTHA DONLIN HAD LIVED HERE PRACTICALLY ALL HER LIFE

Mrs. Martha E. Donlin, a resident of Plymouth County nearly all her life,
passed away at the Methodist hospital in Sioux City, November 2, after an
illness of some duration from heart trouble.

Mrs. Donlin was the widow of Joseph Donlin, a well known farmer and stockman
of Plymouth County during his life time. Mrs. Donlin was born at
Darlington, Wis., April 17, 1871. Her maiden name was Martha Evaline
Woodall. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Woodall, were pioneer settlers in
Plymouth County and located near where the town of Struble was later built.

Mr. Donlin died several years ago. Mrs. Donlin is survived by several
children. Of late years she had made her home a part of the time with her
daughter, Mrs. H. E. Kehrberg, of Stanton township.

The funeral services were held yesterday afternoon at the Methodist church
in Merrill and interment made in the cemetery at Merrill.

LAID TO REST AT RIVERSIDE
Edward McElhaney Was Born and Reared In Plymouth County

The remains of Edward W. McElhaney, a native of Plymouth County, was taken
to Akron last week where the funeral and interment was made.

Ed McElhaney was a son of one of the early settlers in Plymouth County and
was born on the farm now owned by A. E. Tucker, near the Mallette railroad
crossing, three miles southwest of LeMars. The Akron Register Tribune has
the following obituary:

Edward Webster McElhaney, eldest son of Thomas S. and Minerva E. McElhaney,
was born in Plymouth County, Iowa, near LeMars, February 24, 1874. In the
spring of 1883, he moved with his parents to a farm in Portland township,
northeast of Akron, Iowa, where he grew to young manhood and attended the
country schools. Later he attended school in LeMars and in 1899 was
graduated from Highland Park Business College at Des Moines, Iowa. He
studied telegraphy at Janesville, Wis., and was station agent for the
Milwaukee railroad at Burbank, S.D., for several years. In 1912, he went to
Chicago where he received an appointment as state meat inspector. He
remained in Chicago for a number of years, when he was transferred to East
St. Louis, Ill., where he became state pure food inspector, and it was in
East St. Louise he continued to reside until last September, when he entered
the Missouri Baptist Sanitarium in St. Louis, Mo., and underwent an
operation for cancer of the liver. He survived the operation until October
21, 1928, when he passed away, aged 54 years, 7 months and 27 days.

The deceased is survived by two brothers, Jesse M., of Sandusky, Ohio, and
Frank M. of Akron, Iowa, and one sister, Mrs. R. D. Vanderbeek, formerly of
Arnold’s Park, Iowa, and now in California. They have the sympathy of the
community in the loss of a kind and affectionate brother. He was a man of
irreproachable character, genial natured and a true and steadfast friend,
whose passing is sincerely regretted by all who knew him.

The body was brought to Akron from St. Louis and funeral services conducted
in the Methodist church here by Rev. Wilson Gow last Thursday afternoon.
Interment was made beside his parents in Riverside Cemetery. The pallbearers
were from among old friends of this vicinity: B. A. Adams, H. E. Bradley,
Adolph Schuster, Emery Neal, Chris Schiefen and John Robertson.

Out of town relatives at the funeral were Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Collar, of
Vermillion, S.D., Mrs. Collar being a cousin.

Remsen Bell Enterprise
November 15, 1928

School authorities in Remsen and Meadow townships and in a few districts in
the western part of Cherokee county are reported to be hot on the trail of
the gay party of Hallowe'en celebrators who destroyed and damaged property
on rural school premises three weeks ago, and arrests are expected soon. The
depredations committed during the Hallowe'en season were kept rather quiet
for a time in order to give the officials a better chance in trailing the
violators, and it is now reported that the matter has already been taken up
with county officials and that the guilty ones may soon be brought to
justice. One farmer east of Remsen saw a big truck in the school yard late
at night, but paid no attention to it. The next morning when big damages
were reported from no less than nine districts, it was suspected that the
truck belonged to the marauders; for all indications were that the truck was
brought into play in doing most of the damage. Coal and cob sheds and other
small buildings on the various school grounds were pulled over by the truck
and in most instances dragged out upon the highway. In this operation most
of the buildings were damaged, and some of the contents, such as storm
windows and other breakable property were destroyed, In one instance at
least, at the Letsche school southeast of Remsen, the celebrators gained
entrance to the school and broke desks and windows to the extent of about
$35. Other schools in that neighborhood were the Lauters and Lindemann
schools where considerable damage was done. At the Gus Hanno school in
Meadow township, a big shed, 10x12 feet was upset and dragged out into the
ditch, and most of the storm windows inside were broken. In all, it is
reported that the marauders covered more than 18 miles, doing damage at
every school house, and those who have been investigating are of the opinion
that the total amount of damage will reach over the $1,000 mark.

Akron Register Tribune
Thursday, November 29, 1928
Akron, Iowa

OBITUARY OF JULIA E. SMITH

Mention was briefly made in these columns last week of the death of Mrs. Julia E. Smith, one of the earliest pioneer residents of Akron. The following memorial of her life and personal tribute was read by her pastor, Rev. Wilson Gow, of the M. E. Church, at the funeral service:

Julia Etta Bailey, daughter of Samuel and Dorcas Bailey, was born at Cape Town, on the coast of Maine, February 16, 1852, and passed away at Akron, Iowa, November 22, 1928, completing an earthly pilgrimage of 76 years, 9 months, and 6 days. She was one of a family of six--five daughters and one son--all of whom have passed on. When she was only nine years of age her parents moved from their home on the Maine coast to Leeds, Wisconsin, near Madison. The family had lived at Leeds but a few years when the father died and Mrs. Bailey brought her family to Iowa, locating at Waterloo. This remained the home of the family until Julia reached young womanhood.

On April 24, 1870, she was united in marriage with Allen H. Smith, and shortly thereafter, in the spring of 1872, she came with her young husband to Plymouth County, Iowa, and filed on a homestead two miles north of Ruble, where they remained one year. In 1873 Mr. and Mrs. Smith came to Portlandville, which later was named Akron. When Mr. and Mrs. Smith came to Portlandville there were but few residents and they endured all the hardships and inconveniences of those pioneer days. The had but two children, Olive (now Mrs. E. M. Hammer) being the eldest, and the other child, a son died while yet in infancy. There was no public burying ground here when Mr. and Mrs. Smith lost their little one, so they laid it in a temporary resting place on their residence lot, and when the present, Riverside Cemetery was laid out they moved the body to the new cemetery. Only the two children mentioned came to bless the Smith home, so they adopted a son eight years of age, named Leonard, now a resident of Sioux City, Iowa.

Mr. Smith was engaged in the real estate business during his long residence in Akron and on March 8, 1911, was unexpectedly called, in a very similar way to his companion.

When Mr. and Mrs. Smith came to Portlandville there was no church organization in the village and it was only occasionally that services were held in the community. Mrs. Smith immediately took an active part in religious work and was one of the leaders in organizing a community Sunday school. Her home was open for religious services and the circuit riders of that day always found a welcome and sometimes held the services in her house. When the Methodist Church was organized here a little over fifty years ago, she was one of the charter members and at the time of her death was one of the only two surviving members of the church. During all the history of the church she was identified with all its activities and the interest of the church was very near her heart. The last service she attended was the Fiftieth Anniversary, September 2, 1928, and it was a great inspiration to her to be present and to hear one of her former pastors preach.

Mrs. Smith was the last of her family to go. Her companion, four sisters and only brother having passed on some years ago, but she found comfort in having her daughter, Mrs. Olive Hammer; her adopted son, Leonard Smith, besides nine grandchildren and five great-grandchild. It is rather remarkable that of this large company of descendants only one has passed across --a grandchild. Not only was Mrs. Smith identified with the early history of the Akron Methodist Church, but she was also a charter member of the local Eastern Star Lodge and took an abiding interest in the activities of the order.

"For tho from out our bourne of time and place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar."

Mrs. Smith was a woman of strong faith, her piety was free from cant and catchwords, her consolation was in Christ, her book was the Bible, her experience was like a deep and noiseless river whose sources were in living mountain springs. Her ever prayer was, "Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow." This was on her lips like a proverb and was keynote of the harmonies of her soul. No vain regrets embittered the retrospect, no soul dispositions neutralized the sweets of the living present, no forbidding views shadowed the brightening future. As nature embroiders its shroud on the borders of the tomb so her life took on its liveliest hues when the autumn years brought her nearest the winter of the grave.

Those who knew her best sought her most. The entire community and church recognized her as a mother and sympathizing friend. She was the consoler in the house of mourning and the ready nurse in times of sickness. The summons was sudden but the wing was ready. her mental faculties were unimpaired to the last, but her body had grown weak, yet her faith was buoyant.

"There's a dear and precious book,
Tho 'tis worn and faded now,
Which recalls those happy days of long ago,
Then I stood at mother's knee,
With her hand upon my brow,
And I heard her voice in gentle tones and vow.
She loved song and the old hymns were her favorites.
My latest sun is sinking fast,
My race is nearly run,
My strongest trials now are past,
My triumph is begun.
O come angel band,
O bear me away on your snowy wings,
Come and around me stand,
To my immortal home."

Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon, at 2:15 at the home and at 2:30 in the M. E. Church, the pastor, Wilson Gow, conducting the services. The church auditorium was well filled with friends who assembled to pay a final tribute of respect to an esteemed and beloved pioneer resident. A quartet composed of Mr. J. C. Kennedy, Miss Clara M. Stoutenburg, William Thorne and G. H. Wooton, sang favorite hymns; "No Night There," "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and "Under His Wings." Members of Vesper Chapter Eastern Star, attended the funeral in a body and conducted the beautiful and impressive ritualistic burial service of the order.

The pallbearers were E. O. Thorson, J. H. Pollock, Milo S. Mills, W. W. Ross, N. J. Williams and Chas. Wise. There were many beautiful floral tiributes. Interment was in Riverside Cemetery.

Out of town relatives who attended the funeral were: Mrs. Hattie McDougal, of Waterloo, Iowa; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Brown, of Hudson, Iowa; Mr. and Mrs. Gus Anderburg, of Colton, S. D.; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Eldridge and son, Warren, of Ft. Pierre, S. D., all the above being nephews and nieces of Mrs. Smith; Leonard G. Smith and wife and Glenn Hammer, of Sioux City, Iowa.