Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 146, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 June 1910 — Obituary. [ARTICLE]

Obituary.

William Stewart Hammond was born Jasper County, Indiana, April 7th, 1885 and died at Ganado, Texas, June 10th, 1910; age 55 years, 2 months, 3 days. He was married to Laura Bell Dean, at Rensselaer, Indiana, December 27th, 1877. To this union six sons were born, all of whom survive him as follows: Raymond Hoy Hammond, of Ness City, Kansas; Eli Roy, Josiah Edmond, John D. Lee, Ross and Miles Guy, all of Coats, Kansas. Besides these, he leaves a loving wife, one brother and three sisters and a host of relatives and friends to mourn his departure. In 1884 he moved with his family to Pratt county and has lived here ever since and may well be called one of the pioneer settlerß of this immediate vicinity. He joined the M. E. Church in the year of 1889 at the old “Grant” school house south of Coats, and was a consistent member at the time of his death. It was the writer’s good fortune ta have known him long and well, and we only knew him to esteem him more highly as the years went by. Today we miss his kindly smile and friendly greeting; we long in vain to hear the ring of his jovial laughter and to feel again his genial presence. Only yesterday we sat before his bier in the church and saw for the last time the cold form in death. We stood by his open grave as the last sad rites were performed, and the clay of earth closed above his silent resting place, we said with the poet: ; “Cold in the dust the perished heart may die, But that which warmed it once can never die." He was a devoted husband and a kind and indulgent father; to his sisters a tender brother, to his friends the soul of fellowship. His cheerful, helpful life; his devotion to his wife and family and kindness to everbody will loflg linger as a fragrant memory in the home which his presence brightened and which death has now darkened. Though he is gone his record has been made and will remain with us as a lasting treasure. In his heart of hearts, he carried those he loved, and his hand was never weary in caring for and ministering to those who were in any way dependent upon him. The funeral services were held at the M. E. Church at 2:30-Tuesday afternoon, Rev. H. A. Doughty officiating and paying a beautiful tribute to the memory of the deceased. The casket was covered with the most beautiful flowers and the music rendered was such as to soften all hearts and moisten all eyes. At the close of the services an unusual long procession followed the funeral car to our silent city. At the open grave we say “farewell.” May God’s purest angels guar! his slumbers.—Coats, Kans., Courant.