MUSCATINE COUNTY IOWA REGISTER OF OLD SETTLERS BOOK ONE

Source: REGISTER OF OLD SETTLERS , BOOK One, page 234
submitted by Jo Ann Carlson, Sept. 8, 2007

OLD SETTLERS’ MEETING.
(Lewis Coe, Mrs. Caroline Funk Hine, Harry Douglass McKibben and Mrs. Cordelia E. Mathis)

The Old Settlers’ society met at the City Hall this morning pursuant to notice. President Walton was in the chair and G.W. Van Horne was appointed secretary.

The President announced that the meeting was called in memory of the late Lewis Coe, and he offered the following tribute:

For many years this city has known Lewis Coe, as one of its prominent men, he having been engaged in many of its important interest. Through all of his business career in this city which has extended for near a third of a century, he could always be relied upon for the honest and earnest fulfillment of his obligations in the public and private walks of life. It was our good fortune to have extensive dealings with him during those hard times of our city from 1857 to 1862, and while many of our best business men “went by the board” Lewis Coe always found means and was ready and willing to meet his engagements. When he made a promise he intended to meet it and this honest purpose characterized all his dealings with his fellow-men. Of Mr. Coe’s religious life, some one of the Methodist church, of which has was a member, should speak. But for near a score of years Mr. Coe and myself met nearly every Sunday either in the Methodist or Episcopal Sunday schools. As a Sunday school teacher, Bible class leader or as an attentive student I never saw his superior. There was a uncompromising spirit of the Puritan evinced in his dealings with all questions affecting the moral well-being of the community, but this did not detract from the geniality of his social life, and there have been no homes to surpass his in the beauty of its hospitality.

After informal remarks by members, the above tribute was adopted as the sense of the society, and it was ordered spread upon the records.

The President offered the following:

Resolved, that the secretary be instructed to make record on our minute book of the death of Mrs. Caroline Funk Hine on March 26th, 1887; Mr. Harry Douglass McKibben on March 27th, 1887; Mrs. Cordelia E. Mathis on March 28th, 1887.

Adopted.
On motion, adjourned.

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Last of Earth.

At twelve o’clock yesterday occurred the death of Lewis Coe, after weeks spent on a bed of suffering. Mr. Coe had spent an active life, continuing his regular manual labor even until he had passed his three score years and ten. Last year, when seventy-three years of age, the winter’s day would be pretty severe that would keep him from attending to the work he had assigned himself of hauling cord wood from over the river. But the exposures incident to such work finally made an inroad on his constitution, and laid him on the bed of sickness. For several weeks past reports from his bedside have been discouraging and had only begun to improve in the last few days. But the improvement was not lasting, for Friday he began drooping, and continued to decline until the end came, as noted above.

Mr. Coe was born on Nov. 29th, 1813, and was married to his surviving wife at Middlefield, Ct., on Dec. 22nd, 1836, coming to Muscatine twenty years later. Last winter Mr. and Mrs. Coe celebrated their golden wedding, and a happy time it was. Deceased was for many years a prominent and consistent member of the Methodist church, and died expressing his belief in the reward awaiting him beyond the grave. He leaves three children-Mrs. A.F. Demorest, J.E. Coe, and adopted daughter, Mrs. Chas. W. Bridgman.

The time of the funeral has not been announced, but will probably be tomorrow, Monday.

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FUNERAL OF LOUIS COE
April 16, 1887
The funeral of the late Lewis Coe took place from the family residence this forenoon at 10 o’clock. It was attended by a large assembly. Rev. W. G. Wilson of the First M.E. Church officiated assisted by Presiding Elder Stafford and Rev. H.E. Wing. The testimony of the pastor, to the practical nature of the piety of deceased, was the key note of the address. He said that when he came to their lamented brother during his illness, there was such a matter-of-fact faith exhibited by the brother, and such a real and full discernment of spiritual things, and so complete a resignation to the will of the Master, that there was little need in that sick chamber for the offices of a pastor. It was a place rather where the pastor could refresh his own soul in the visible graces of God.

The pall-bearers were C.U. Hatch, M.Y. Howe, J.P. Lewis, Peter Jackson, J.S. Patten, A. Davidson.

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