Eli Chase

Obituary

Another of Tama county pioneers was called to his reward on Sunday last. Eli Chase, one of the oldest citizens and one of the very earliest of our settlers died on that day at the home of his daughter, Mrs. C. H. Tomlinson, death resulting from a stroke of paralysis. Mr. Chase was born in New York on April 5, 1820 and came to Iowa as early as 1836. for a number of years he was engaged in the fur trade in connection with a brother-in-law who had a trading post down in what is now Iowa county. They were associated at that time with the American fur company and the trading was principally with the trappers and Indians.

In those early pioneer days he used to make trips up into this country, which was then an unsettled domain and he hunted along the Iowa river and Deer creek before the white man had made a settlement here. He was so well pleased with the country that he afterwards came here to make a home. He entered from the government what is now the old homestead of Mr. John Waltz. Later he moved farther west to what has since been known as the Eli Chase farm. We believe that the old log cabin he built is still standing. He brought his wife there and there reared his family. This was way back in the fifties. The wife of those pioneer days is still living and but a short time ago they celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary. Few couples indeed live to celebrate their sixty-seventh anniversary. We don’t know of another in this part of the state.

Mr. Chase used to hunt as far west as the Boone river and during the Pikes Peak excitement he went as far west as Cheyenne, Wyoming. He was present at the laying of the corner-stone of the first capital of the state at Iowa City and he was a perfect store-house of historical information.

For the past four years both he and Mrs. Chase have made their home with their daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Tomlinson, in this city. For the past few years he has been rather feeble in health although generally able to be about the place. Las week he became afflicted with a mental aberration which was but the precursor of the final dissolutions that came on Sunday.

He leaves, besides his aged widow, five daughters; Mrs. C. H. Tomlinson and Mrs. A. C. Kilmer of this place, Mrs. S. C. Carter, of Larmar, Mo., Mrs. E. B. Spencer of Wallace, Neb., and Mrs. T. a. Toland of Canastoga, South Dakota.

Funeral services were held at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Tomlinson, at two o’clock, Wednesday, conducted by Rev. H. E. Richardson, the interment being at the Toledo cemetery.

Submitted by: Jeanne Toland Lane (Retiredgrama@aol.com)