John Taylor At Rest
The remains of John Taylor were brought from Murray to Fontanelle last Friday, by special train, and laid to rest on the cemetery on the hill. The funeral was conducted by the Masonic fraternities and elaborate preparations had been made for ritualistic burial ceremony, but the plans were frustrated by a drenching rain which commenced falling about the time the procession reached the cemetery. A large company of friends of the family and fraternal brethren made up the funeral cortege, mingling their sympathy with the mourning relatives and paying the last tribute of respect to the departed brother.
John Taylor was born April 27, 1831, in Westmorelard county, Penna., aand was a few days more than sixty-seven years of age. He was married on his twenty seventh birthday to Lucinda J Snyder, daughter of "Grandma" snyder, and a sister of W F Snyder. He located in Galesburg, Ill., in 1855, and in 1861 moved to Warren county, Iowa. Two years later he came to Adair county, where the most active years of his energetic life were spent. In this county he had very large general interests, but his chief ccupation was in building and contracting and operating a lumber yard. He was in the broadest sense of the term a man of affairs and was interested in promoting all public enterprises of a beneficial nature.
Personally, he was among the most genial of men, generous and kind to all, and loyal for his friends. the many who had known him during his residence here attended the burial services and paid sincere tribute of respect to the dead, and sympathetic sorrow for the bereaved family. Mr Taylor moved with his family to Murray in 1800. For a number of years he has been annoyed by recurring spells of liver complaint, which became so serious in the last instances that an operation was determined upon, and was performed on tuesday morning of last week. the patient was too weak to endure the shock, and did not fully rally, but died near the close of the next day.
The Masonic blue lodges of Murray, Creston, Orient, Greenfield and Fontanelle participated in the funeral ceremony and bethany commandery, Knights Templar, of Creston, constituted the escort. The fraternal tribute was well observed, as Mr Taylor has been a Master Mason since the early sixties, a member of the commandery for a number of years and to each and all he was devoted.
from The Obsever, fontanelle, Iowa 1898 |
