S.J., who died at age 42 on April 26, 1872, at his farm west of Chariton, had arrived in Lucas County with his wife, Sarah, older children and other extended family members during the late 1850s. Sarah died during June of 1867, probably of complications related to childbirth, leaving John to raise their five surviving children alone. When he died, the eldest, John, was 22 and the youngest, Adella, was 8.
While John's death was a calamity for his family, its members could take some small comfort in the fact that his fellow members of Chariton I.O.O.F. Lodge No. 64 would be there to offer respect and support during his funeral, which took place on April 28.
We don't have an obituary for S.J. --- no back issues of Chariton newspapers survive from the spring of 1872. But I happened upon minutes of the I.O.O.F. Lodge meetings called to plan his funeral while processing the organization's records prior to Christmas.
The lodge no longer exists, but some 40 volumes of its records now are in the Lucas County Historical Society collection. The first --- kept by the Rebekahs, the I.O.O.F. auxiliary --- arrived during 2000; the last, during December. Processing will be a January project.
Anyhow, as I was checking the entry date range for Minute Book 2 (1858-1872), I found the minutes for the funeral planning meetings on the final page.
They tell us that lodge brothers met to begin planning for the funeral on the day S.J. died; planned initially to attend funeral services as a group at the Wright farm home; then decided not to do that but instead to send pall bearers to the home to escort the remains into Chariton. Remaining members of the lodge gathered at the home of J.O. Coles at Chariton's west city limits on April 28 where they met the funeral procession and escorted it to the cemetery. After committal, lodge members marched back to the lodge hall.
In the minutes, "N.G." means Noble Grand, title of the lodge president. There was a Committee on Evergreens to line the open grave with greenery before the funeral; and a Committee on Gloves and Ribbons to ensure that members were wearing their ceremonial gloves and mourning ribbons. The Committee on Resolutions was in charge of composing a formal tribute to the deceased that usually was published in the Chariton newspapers.
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Chariton, April 26th 1872
Lodge met in call meeting for the purpose of making arrangements for the burial of Bro. S.J. Wright, dec'd., and opened in regular form, N.G. in the chair. N.G. then notified the Lodge of the cause of calling this meeting. On motion it was decided by the Lodge to attend the funeral at the residence of the deceased. N.G. then appointed for the occasion as marshall A.U. McCormick, G.W. Fawcett, Assistant Marshall J. H. Leeman.
Committee on Evergreens, S. Stackhouse; (Committee on) Gloves & Ribbons, M. Kubitshek; (Committee on) Resolutions, F.W. Fawcett, N.B. Gardner, Geo. F. Walker; Pall bearers, J.F. Soper, J.D. Lewis, McDermed, D. Thompson, Proctor, John McCormick.
On motion, the lodge adjourned till tomorrow at 10 o'clock A.M.
Lodge met pursuant to adjournment. Bro. Walker moved that we reconsider so far as going to the house is concerned. On motion the pall bearers were instructed to proceed to the house of deceased and escort the corpse to town. On motion 5th Degree members were appointed pall bearers as follows: Bros. McDermed, J.O. Coles, John Howard, Kelshaw, Shaffer, N.H. Thorpe. Committee on Resolutions reported on motion; report was received and ordered placed in the minutes & Copies be inserted in the city papers. Moved that we meet the corpse at Bro. Coles house; carried. On motion lodge adjourned till 11 o'clock A.M. April 28, '72.
Lodge met pursuant to adjournment, formed in procession & proceeded to the Cemetery & returned to the hall when the Lodge closed in usual form. J.B. Smith, Secty.
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