[John F. Simmons]

Times-Republican

Thursday    March 19, 1914    [p. 1[

John F. Simmons.

John F. Simmons died Saturday morning at the home of his nephew, C. F. Underwood, southwest of Bedford.  The funeral services were held at the home Monday afternoon at 2 o'clock, conducted by Rev. J. W. Goodsell.  Interment was made in the Bedford cemetery.

Mr. Simmons was born in Du Bois County, Indiana, January 4, 1836, being the oldest of eleven children.  At the age of fourteen he united with the Methodist Episcopal church and has through all the intervening years kept up his church interest, attending whenever it was possible for him to.  He came to Iowa in 1856 and moved to his present home, south west of Bedford in Ross Township in 1858, where he lived until his death.  Mr. Simmons was never married but is survived by two sisters, Mrs. E. J. Underwood of Villisca and Mrs. John Herrington of Nodaway.  For several years his nephew and wife, Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Underwood, have lived with him and cared for him in his declining years.

[SIMMONS, JOHN F.]
Bedford Free Press (Bedford, Iowa), Tuesday, March 24, 1914
Unintentional errors crept into the local mentioning the relatives of John F. Simmons who attended the funeral last week. Mrs. E. J. Underwood and Mrs. L. D. Coy reside at Villisca and Mrs. John Herrington at Nodaway. J. T. Simmons died at his own home, his nephew, C. F. Underwood and family having lived with him on account of his failing health.
Pearl Underwood of Creston, who was here to attend the funeral of his uncle, J. F. Simmons, returned home Tuesday.

[SIMMONS, JOHN F.]
Bedford Free Press (Bedford, Iowa), Tuesday, March 31, 1914
Mrs. R. B. Baker of Lincoln, Neb., who was here to attend the funeral of her uncle, J. F. Simmons, went to Nodaway last Monday and will visit relatives there and Villisca before returning home.

[Sarah Mahan McCoun]                             [Mary Ada Evans Thompson]

Times-Republican

Thursday    December 25, 1913    [p. 1]

Death Calls Pioneer Women Of The County

Mrs. L. T. McCoun and Mrs. E. C. Thompson Pass Away Within The Week.

Both Are Old Residents

Taylor County Bar Association Attends Funeral of Mrs. McCoun In A Body.

_______________________________________________________________

Two women belonging to pioneer families of Taylor County passed away within the last few days, Mrs. L. [eonard] T. McCoun, wife of the nestor of the Taylor County bar, and a resident of the county since 1857, and Mrs. E. [dwin] C. [lark] Thompson, a native of this county and a daughter of John Evans.

Mrs. L. T. McCoun.

Mrs. L. [eonard] T. McCoun died at her home Sunday morning, after a prolonged illness, at the age of 84 years.  Funeral services were held at the Church of Christ Tuesday morning, conducted by the pastor, Mart Gary Smith.  Interment was in Fairview cemetery.  The members of the Taylor County Bar Association attended in a body and contributed a beautiful floral offering.

Sarah D. Mahan was born in Mercer County, Kentucky, October 11, 1829.  Her parents moved to Hendrix County, Ohio, when she was 5 years of age.  December 12, 1849, she was united in marriage with L. [eonard] T. McCoun.  They came to Bedford in 1857, where Mr. McCoun has been until the present a leading member of the bar.

Mrs. McCoun was the mother of six children.  Of these, Nancy E. McCoun, John R. McCoun, Emma V. McCoun, and Martha McCoun, preceded their mother in death.  Surviving with the father are Mary J. Connett of Creston and J. W. McCoun, residing near Bedford.  She leaves one sister, Mrs. G. W. Turner.

Mrs. McCoun united with the Church of Christ when she was 15 years of age.

[MCCOUN, SARAH MAHAN]
Bedford Free Press (Bedford, Iowa), Tuesday, December 30, 1913
Mrs. L. T. McCoun – Mrs. L. T. McCoun died at her home Sunday morning, December 23, after a protracted illness. Deceased was 84 years old at the time of her death and had been a resident of Bedford and vicinity since 1857. Funeral services were held at the Christian church at 10 o'clock Tuesday morning conducted by the pastor, Mart Gary Smith. Mrs. McCoun's kindly disposition and long residence in the community had made her many warm friends who attended the service. The members of the Taylor County Bar association attended in a body and the many beautiful floral offerings testified the esteem in which she was held by the community
Sarah D.[illahan] Mahan was born in Mercer county, Ky., her father, John Mahon being a native of that state and her mother, Nancy Woodson Mahan, a native of Virginia. The family numbered nine children, one of whom, Mrs. G. W. Turner of Bedford still survives. Deceased removed with her parents to Hendrix county, Indiana, when she was five years old.
On December 12, 1849, she was married to L. T. McCoun and they removed to Bedford in 1857 where they have since resided.
Mr. and Mrs. McCoun were the parents of seven children, two dying in infancy. Emma and Nancy died in early childhood and John R. died in 1898. The children surviving are Mary J. Connett of Creston and J. W. McCoun of Bedford.
When a girl of fifteen Mrs. McCoun united with the Christian church and through all the years of a long and useful life has kept closely in touch with the church and its activities.

Mrs. E. C. Thompson

Mrs. E. [dwin] C. [lark] Thompson [Mary Ada Evans] died at her home northwest of Bedford Tuesday morning.  Funeral services were held at the home at 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon.  Interment was made in the Graceland cemetery.  She leaves to mourn her death her husband and one son, Clark Thompson, and two brothers and three sisters; W. [ill] F. Evans and J. [ames] A. [lexander] Evans, Mrs. M. [argaret] J. [ane] Turner of Bedford, Mrs. Sarah C. Smith of Carl Junction, Mo., and Mrs. Ellen Campbell of Cambria, Ia., and a step-mother, Mrs. Hannah Evans of Bedford.

[John Lewis Payton]

Times-Republican

Thursday    May 13, 1926    [p. 6]

John Lewis Payton

John Lewis Payton, son of William and Mary A. [nn] Hamilton Payton, was born in Delaware County, Indiana, June 2^nd, 1848, and died at his home in Bedford, Ia., May 8, 1926, aged 77 years, 11 months and 6 days.  When but a small boy he moved with his parents to Champaign County Illinois, later moving to Henry County, Ill., where he grew to manhood, enlisted at the age of 17 years in the service of his country in Company K, 7^th Regiment, Illinois Calvary volunteers, serving until discharged on November 4, 1865.  Returning to his home, he continued to follow his occupation as farmer and on January 12, 1868, was united in marriage with Hattie Townsend Burgess.  To this union four children were born, two, Charles and Franklin, dying in infancy.  In 1871 he, with his wife, and baby daughter of six months, moved to Page County, Iowa, near Clarinda, where they resided for some five or six years, moving from Page County to Taylor County in 1877, where he has since resided.  His wife departed this life October 28, 1919.  He is survived by his daughter, Mrs. Paul Hunter [Perthena Ann], of this city, and one son, C. [ony] T. [aylor] Payton, of Los Angeles, Calif., four grandchildren, five great grandchildren, one sister, Orpha Payton, of Page County, Iowa, and a large number of nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives.  Mr. Payton was a public-spirited citizen, having held numerous positions of trust.  He chose farming as his life occupation, retiring a few years ago and moving to Bedford.  He was held in the highest esteem by his community, his word being regarded as good as a bond.  He was a member of the Bedford Post of the G. A. R., and was a very close attendant of its meetings and duties.

Funeral services were held at the home in Bedford, May 9^th, at 2 p.m., with Rev. G. T. Roberts in charge.  The music for the occasion was rendered by Mesdames Kysar and Calhoun and Messrs. Harley and Bridges.  The body was laid to rest in the Fairview Cemetery.