I got to wondering the other day, for no particular reason, how many Lucas Countyans have been buried in Arlington, the flagship of the U.S. national cemetery system. As it turns out, there are several --- but no practical way to develop a comprehensive list.
But I was reminded while looking for information of two once-prominent native sons, both early editors of The Chariton Patriot, who rest there --- Gen. John Edwards and Corporal James Wilson Ragsdale. An earlier post about these two "patriots" is located here.
I've written quite a bit about Edwards over the years, not so much about Ragsdale, who arrived in Van Buren County with his parents, Daniel and Eliza Ragsdale, about 1850 --- when he was two years old --- and moved on to Lucas County with his father and stepmother, Cynthia, a few years later, following his mother's death.
James was in his early 20s while at the helm of The Patriot during the late 1860s and remembered (by me) primarily for the stream of abuse directed at him by John V. Faith, editor of the rival Chariton Democrat. Faith always referred to Ragsdale as "Sonny" and never had a kind word. In 1870, for example, in a single paragraph, he referred to James as both "that great overgrown baboon" and a "contemptible squirt." Sadly, no issues of The Patriot from that early date have survived --- so we don't know if "Sonny" gave as good as he got.
Faith died relatively young, frustrated by consistent failure and in considerable obscurity. But Ragsdale went on to live a long and generally successful life as newspaperman, politician and diplomat which ended on May 31, 1932, while he was vacationing in Miami, Florida, at the age of 84.
The following obituary, published in The Herald-Patriot of June 2, 1932, is a fairly complete accounting of a fairly remarkable life:
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The death of James W. Ragsdale, former publisher of the Chariton Patriot, which occurred at Miami, Fla., recalls to Chariton friends many interesting incidents in connection with the life of this former Chariton resident, who attained a high place in national affairs.
Mr. Ragsdale, son of Daniel and Eliza Ragsdale, was born February 12, 1848, in Monroe county, Indiana. He came, with his parents, to Iowa when about two years of age. Hi lived at home, shared the hardships of the pioneer days and attended the primitive schools of that early period.
He was proficient in the "Three R's," but his greatest accomplishment was in spelling, according to those who distinctly remember his school days, and he was never too tired, the weather was never too cold for him to walk several miles to the old fashioned spelling school.
The first money Mr. Ragsdale ever earned was for a hard day's work in the cornfield --- from 6 o'clock in the morning to six o'clock at night --- for which he received a Canadian 10-cent piece.
He entered in the service of his country in 1863, when he was under 16 years of age, and was assigned to the 14th regiment (actually, the 13th) of the Iowa Brigade, where he served until the close of the war. His brother, George, was also a member of the same regiment. He participated in several hard battles, among them the battle of Atlanta.
When, with Mrs. Ragsdale, he went to Miami last October, he was privileged to pass through the battleground occupied by his troops. He visited the site of the battle of Atlanta, where he was slightly wounded, and also viewed the wonderful painting of this battle in which he was able to locate the position of his brigade. He was mustered out of the service on July 21, 1865.
In the autumn of that year, Mr. Ragsdale and his brother, George, entered Cornell Seminary at Mount Vernon, Iowa. They had only a small amount of money to pay the expenses of their education and so did janitor work and any other odd jobs that were available.
After leaving college, he purchased a half interest in the Chariton Patriot. Later he sold his interest here and purchased a newspaper at Albia. He was also in newspaper work at Corning and Creston.
About 1873 he went west and was a resident of California for many years. He engaged in dairying for a number of years, then again resumed newspaper work in Santa Rosa, Calif. He later served as representative and senator.
In 1897, President McKinley appointed him as American consul to Tientsin (Tianjin), China, where he served until 1908. He went through the hardships of the Boxer uprising. In June, 1908, he was ordered to St. Petersburg, Russia, but remained there only one year and was then sent to Halifax, N.S., where he remained until 1913, after nearly 17 years of consular service.
Mr. and Mrs. Ragsdale have made their home in the east most of the time since his retirement from public service. He has spent much of his time tracing the family history, and has an almost complete record ready for publication.
On February 3, 1870, Mr. Ragsdale married Effie L. Hines in Chariton. The house in which they were married still stands in west Chariton. They were the parents of four sons and one daughter, three sons preceding Mr. Ragsdale in death. One son, Earl, holds a responsible position with the Budd Manufacturing Co. in Philadelphia, but lives in Norristown, Pa. The daughter, Effie, is married and lives in Tientsin, China, with her husband being in the mercantile and exporting business.
Besides his wife and children, Mr. Ragsdale is survived by one sister, Mrs. George F. Carpenter of Chariton, the last living member of her immediate family.
Funeral services for Mr. Ragsdale will be held Monday, according to information received here this morning, and burial will be in the Arlington National Cemetery.
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