This post was contributed to the Crawford County Chapter of OGS by Kristina Stearley as part of the Florence Siefert Scrapbook in 2010.
The scrapbook is compiled from undated, unidentified newspaper clippings involving events in the lives of Crawford County citizens living in or having connections to New Washington, Tiro, Shelby, Sulphur Springs, Chatfield, Bucyrus, Ashland, Mansfield, and other areas. Only minimal spelling or punctuation corrections were made. Unreadable areas are shown by underlines, dots &/or question marks. This collection has been scanned, “optical character recognized” (OCR’d), proofed, then coded for HTML by volunteers of the Crawford County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. Since the copies are not of the best quality errors may have been made. Please contact us if you find corrections needing to be made or can verify any missing dates which could be added.
JOHN WHITCUM – OBITUARY
WHITCUM.–Died, on Friday October 8, 1886, at 7 pm, John Whitcum, aged 84 years, 7 months, 22 days.
John Whitcum was born in Cumberland county, Penn., February 10, 1802. He was married in 1833 to Mary Drorbaugh, and their union was blessed with ten children; six boys and four girls. Five of this number preceded their father to the spirit land. In 1837 Mr Whitcum moved with his wife and two children from Cumberland county, Penn, to Millbrook, Wayne county, Ohio. The following year, they moved from Wayne county to near Perrysville, Ashland county. In 1844 they moved to Hayesville, Ashland county, and then to the vicinity of Ashland in 1849. They came to New Washington in 1863, at which place they have resided ever since, excepting from April 17, 1882, to August 31, 1883, during which time they resided with their son Edmund, in Montana Territory.
Father Whitcum was a man of hard labor, supporting himself and family under difficulties, of which this generation is ignorant. Like many a son of toil of the past, his only support was his ax, with which he made an honest, well-earned living. He was a man of very great patience; during his pioneer life, as well as at other periods preceding his death, he suffered much, but all without murmuring or complaining.
About 26 years ago, while chopping wood alone in the woods, and communing with his God, he was happily converted, but never united with any church, on account of attendance upon divine worship being denied him by ill-health. When questioned about the future shortly before his death, he said he was ready to die. He leaves an aged wife, five children, and eighteen grandchildren to mourn his death, which was the result of old age and infirmities relative thereto.
Father Whitcum has gone to his long home. His relatives, with a large concourse of friends, showed their last respects to his remains, by holding his funeral services on Sunday, October 10, at 2:30 pm. The Rev. Mr. Williams of the M. E. Church, conducted the services in the M. E. Chapel, at New Washington, preaching an excellent funeral sermon from I Thess., 4th Chap. 13 and 14 verses. Following these impressive services, all that was earthly of Father Whitcum was conveyed to the Good-Will cemetery where they will remain until the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and the dead shall rise.
“Why should our tears in sorrow flow
when God recalls his own,
And bids them leave a world of woe
For an immortal crown?
Is not e’en death a gain to those
Whose life to God was given?
Gladly to earth their eyes they close
To open them in heaven.
Their toils are past, their work is done,
And they are fully blest!
They fought the fight, the victory won,
And entered into rest.
Then let our sorrows cease to flow–
God has recalled his own;
But let our hearts, in every woe,
still say “Thy will be done.”
