Pages 1 & 2, The Custer County Chief, issue of Thursday, Jan. 28, 1926 published at Broken Bow, Custer Co., NE.
The Rev. EDWIN DOZIER EUBANK of Broken Bow, passed away at his home on Monday, January 25, 1926. The passing of Rev. EUBANK removes one of the really early day pioneers of Custer County. He was the first Superintendent of Public Instruction in this county, having been appointed by Governor GARBER in the 1870s. He was afterward elected to the office and served 2 successive terms. It was his wife who taught the first school in Custer Co. and together, they held what was probably the first Sunday School in the county.
When we speak of pioneers, the term applied to Mr. EUBANK in it's most realistic form. During all these years as a resident of Custer Co., he has spent a great portion of time in active ministerial work.
EDWIN DOZIER EUBANK, was the second son of James Taylor and Mary E. McCOY_EUBANK. He was born near Covington, Kenton Co. KY., on March 29, 1844 and passed away at the age of 81 years, 9 months and 25 days. He grew up in his home city and received his education in the common school of Kentucky and at the Light Academy at Covington. He was converted at the age of 14 and was baptized in the Ohio River, uniting with the Christian Church, of which body he has been a consistent member for 67 years and the major portion of that time, a regular Preacher of the Gospel. Before reaching his majority, he began to preach, the first sermon being preached at Ludlow, near Covington. He received ordination at the hands of Elder Henry HATHAWAY. His first protracted meeting was at the Ludlow Church when he was 21 years old and he served that church at different times as pastor. He was called to the Fulton Church in Cincinnati, where he served a year or two.
He was married to ANGIE VIOLA HERBERT on March 29, 1864 at Covington, KY., by the Rev. Charles SCOTT, a Baptist preacher. She has lived and worked with him for more than 60 years and now sits in the home he has forsaken.
The first of their married life was on a fruit farm on the hills and suburb of Covington overlooking the Ohio River opposite Cincinnati. His ministry was carried on in conjunction with the little farm and was confined to the immediate neighborhood. In 1867, they disposed of the farm and moved to IL., settling near the town of Paris. He found opportunity to preach the word in the town and organized congregations in the vicinity, serving at Kansas and Dudley. But the prevalence of chills and fever in that part of IL. made it necessary for him to seek another climate and hearing of the wonderful climate of NE. where ague was unknown, they joined the tide of emigrants trekking westward and arrived in the little town of Lincoln, NE. in 1874. They found friends and hearing of lands father west, they drove to Hamilton Co., to Aurora, then, a village of about a dozen houses. Later, he joined with Thomas DARNELL and Edgar DENIOL in a party to organize a town on the middle Loup River in Custer Co., south of the present site od Comstock. They took land and then came the grasshoppers which blighted most of their hopes for the future and the town was never staked out. Mr. EUBANK and his wife were both so improved in health that they elected to stay in the county and he sought opportunity to follow his calling, preaching in the sod homes of the community and ultimately evangelistic work into farther fields. The meetings in Dry Valley became the church at Coburg, where he and Mrs. EUBANK collected the money to build the present church house. The group at Woods Park largely went to build up the church at Sargent and that at White Pigeon , melted into the Lillian organization.
He spent some time in Hamilton Co., preaching in several places including Marquett. Following a short meeting held by another evangelist, he came to Broken Bow and held a meeting in the old Baptist Church and an organization was affected which became permanent. It was the beginning of the present Christian Church here. He extended his work into Kansas and later into Colorado, leaving here and there, groups that grew into active curches. He loved to recall his work at Rocky Ford, Paola and Manzanola, CO. While serving in Broken Bow, he lived here and bought the parcel of land which is now the homestead and built the house. This has been their home even when they have been temporarily in service elsewhere.
Four children have come to their home: Clarence H. EUBANK who passed away not quite a year ago and Arthur E. EUBANK of Long Beach, CA., Mrs. G. G. Gene LUCE of Arnold, NE. and Mrs. Joseeph HEMPSTEAD of Broken Bow...also 11 grandchildren and 5 gr-grandchildren. Two sisters also survive him, Mrs. Thomas (Ann Marie) DARNELL of University Place, NE. and Mrs. Missouri Belle MORTIMER, living in OK.
Of a naturally retiring temperment, he went about his way and did his work effectively without advertising it. He was an able preacher and had deep and firm convictions concerning the truth of God, caring litle for outside appearances that make for show. He has converted hundreds to the way if life and the memory of those years of service lived with him in the last years when he has been most incapacitated for his chosen work. His stable, Christian character and kindly disposition endeared him to the people where he has ministered. Children who loved him in his active days have come to him in his old age to be married. He leaves behind him a trail of good works that will never be quite forgotten. He has been growing feebler for several years and the last few months have seen qute a change. His last illness covered a little more than two weeks, during which time he had suffered none of the pains of the body generally attendent upon the separtion of body & spirit. He has always been cheerful in contemplating his going, and with a smile would invariably say "It is alright whenever the time comes." He was fully ready to meet the Lord he has served so long and had no regret beyond that of leaving his aged companion.
Truly, a good servant of God has gone to his reward and none would call him back to the weariness of the flesh. He has suddenly grown young and walks the other shore in peace. "Absent from the body, but present with the Lord."
Funeral services were held at the Christian Church in Broken Bow on Wed. afternoon, Jan. 27th, 1926, conducted by Rev. W.A. BALDWIN, pastor, assisted by Nelson GARDNER, Evangelist. Internment was made in the Broken Bow Cemetery. The hymns were sung by