RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 1, 2015
KINSEARCHING
by
Marleta Childs
P. O. Box 6825
LUBBOCK, TX 79493-6825
[email protected]
Here is some information found in the Opal and Lester Saffell family papers, which are currently held in a private collection in Lubbock, Texas. Very fragile, the newspaper clippings probably came from one or more Iowa newspapers published in the early twentieth century. (Some punctuation, capital letters in proper names, and other letters have been added for clarity and readability of the clippings. All-caps for surnames are used for emphasis.)
Old Soldier Is Called
Clarkson S. GODFREY (sic), a Resident of Waveland Township, Dead
Ailing for about a Year
Came to Iowa Soon after the Civil War—A Good Man
Clarkson S. GODFRY (sic) was born in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, July 17th 1835 and died at his home in Waveland Township, Pottawattamie County, April 11th 1916, being more than fourscore years old, 80 years, 8 months, 24 days. Mr. Godfry had been poorly a year or so and for the last few months life’s brittle thread was th[r]eatening to break.
Mr. Godfry started farming for himself back in Warren County, Illinois, and in 1872, he purchased the homestead in Waveland Township where he was living at the time of his death. He and his family moved to his Iowa home in 1873, where sunshine, rain, fertile soil, and a virile manhood brought temporal prosperity in abundance.
During the Civil War, Mr. Godfry responded to his country’s call of need and joined Company H, 47 Illinois Infantry, serving to the close of the war. He was one of 10 children, a brother in Kansas City, Missouri, and a sister in Monmouth, Illinois, surviving him, who with the aged wife, children and grandchildren, mourn his loss.
In 1868 Mr. Godfrey (sic) was united in marriage to Miss Ellen DeHART. Ten children were born to them, three of whom died while small. The seven living are: Maud, Mrs. John HEBERLEE, Frank, Alber (sic), Mrs. Frank HAMLIN, Ernest and Emma. The children were all present at the funeral. The brother and sister were unable to come. He was a kind father and a good neighbor and citizen, willing to help all good causes.
Mr. Godfrey came to realize that his faith and hope must be in God and that he needed the Bible and his Saviour to help him face death and eternity. For some time, he had been reading God’s Word and praying earnestly. “Him That Cometh unto me, I will in no wise Cast Out.” The words of Jesus were a comfort to him, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.”
Being nine miles from town, an auto hearse was used and autoes (sic) for transportation. The funeral was held in the M. E. Church at Elliott, Iowa, conducted by pastors PRATHER and MAYNE. The music was beautiful. The scripture reading and prayer by Brother Mayne. The text of the sermon (rest of article missing.)
A miscellaneous clipping in the Saffell collection has 4 November 1930 handwritten on it, but does not mention in which paper it appeared.
Farewell Party
The ladies of the R. F. O. M. Sunday School class of the Methodist Church, of which Mrs. Elizabeth REPLOGLE has been teacher for the past twenty years, gave a farewell party for Mrs. Replogle, Tuesday afternoon at the Home Service Kitchen of the Iowa-Nebraska Light and Power Company. Mrs. Replogle, with members of her family, will depart this week for California for a winter’s sojourn.
(End)