John W. Shelton's end was harsh. A teamster, age 33, John and his blacksmith friend, Ed Smoot, 38, were stalking quail near the Isaac Fain place just west of Chariton during the late afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 29, 1900.
Their dog flushed two at about 4 p.m. John raised his gun and fired at one. Ed raised his gun to fire at the other but inadvertently shot John in the head. And that was the end of that.
John was taken home and all that could be done was, but he died at 11:30 p.m. with wife, Emma, at his side and five-year-old son, Harry, nearby.
Funeral services were held on Sunday afternoon at First Baptist Church under the auspices of John's fraternal benefit society and principal social outlet, the Chariton Woodmen of the World lodge. Burial followed in the Chariton Cemetery.
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One benefit of membership in the Omaha-based Woodmen of the World at the time, in addition to life insurance, was a tombstone. John's was duly ordered and put into place prior to Memorial Day 1901.
There's a common misunderstanding about these tombstones. It's generally reported that they were all similar --- cast into the shape of tree trunks. But that's not the case.
The great majority of Woodmen of the World tombstones in Lucas County --- and there are many of them --- are mighty chunks of granite with inscriptions featuring the Woodmen seal. John's was one of those.
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Woodmen tombstones generally were unveiled at some point after installation with considerable ceremony by fellow lodge members. John was the first Woodmen buried in the Chariton Cemetery and the unveiling of his stone, among the first in the region. So the program drew a crowd estimated at 500 among whom were some 300 lodge members from across southern Iowa.
According to a report in The Des Moines Register of June 4, special rail passenger rates from all points within 60 miles of Chariton were arranged for Woodmen members and trains were ordered to stop at stations not ordinarily on their schedules in order to receive lodge members en route to Chariton.
The Register described it as "a gala day."
Here's The Chariton Herald-Patriot report, published on Thursday, June 6, under the headline, "Unveiling of Monument."
On last Sunday afternoon the Woodmen of the World unveiled a monument at the Chariton cemetery which they had erected to the memory of their deceased brother, John W. Shelton. Visiting delegations were present from Creston, Osceola, Woodburn, Lucas and other points. About 146 members came from Osceola alone, and it was estimated that there were about five hundred strangers in the city.
The procession formed at 2:30, headed by the Chariton and Osceola bands, and marched to the Chariton cemetery. There were about three hundred Woodmen in line. Arriving at the cemetery they assembled at the grave of their deceased brother where the ceremonies were held.
A quartette coposed of Messrs. L.H. and Will Culbertson, R.A. Hasselquist and S.C. Hickman rendered two choice selections. Leroy Larimer, consul commander of Manchester Camp No. 140 of this city, made a brief address. The ceremonies attending the unveiling of the monument were according to the ritual of the order, and were under the supervision of C.A. Abrahamson, master of ceremonies.
On account of the rain the program was not all carried out, and after a few selections by the bands, the procession marched back to the city. The crowd was large in spite of the threatening aspect of the weather. The ceremonies were exceedingly interesting and it is greatly regretted that the program could not be carried out in full. In the evening, supper was served to all the vistors by the Chariton order.
The monument which was erected to the memory of John W. Shelton is a handsome and substantial one of Scotch granite. On it is engraved the emblem of the order and Mr. Shelton's name, date of birth and death. The grave was also covered with beautiful flowers. The Woodmen of the World is the only order in existence which erects monuments at the graves of their deceased brothers. While it is a great expense to the order it is a great help to the bereaved families, and is a mark of esteem erected to the memory of the departed ones.
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A year after his tombstone was unveiled, John's widow, Emmaline, married Bernhard G. Johnson and they had two daughters, Ragnhild and Pauline. Young Harry Shelton took the surname "Johnson." Emma died on July 7, 1915, age 40, of cancer.
Young Harry, just 22, died two years later at home in Derby on June 16, 1917, of "heart trouble, rheumatism and a complication of diseases." He had married at age 18 and was survived by his wife, Gladys, and three young children.
Both Harry and his mother are buried on the Johnson family lot elsewhere in the Chariton Cemetery.
The Woodmen of the World discontinued the tombstone benefit during the 1920s. It had gotten too expensive.
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