J. M. VanDeusen Died February 19th

DeWitt W. VanDeusen received word last week from his son, Frank, that his brother, J. M., died at the National Soldier’s Home near Los Angeles, Calif., Feb. 9th of old age being almost 85 years old. The following excellent obituary notice was written by “Bill” Swihart, of Kennard, for the Enterprise last week.

James M. VanDeusen died at the Soldiers Home in the state of California on February 9th. I wrote him a letter on the 15th inst. With a return request on the envelope and the letter came back this a.m. with a “fist” stamped on the envelope pointing to his name and the one word “Dead” stamped on it. His brother, DeWitt, of this place received a letter from his son, Frank, stating that his uncle died on the 9th inst. Ye scribe first met “Uncle Jimmie,” as we always called him in Dubuque county, Ia., in 1856 and in 1857 he came to DeSoto, Neb., remaining there until 1861 when he went back to Jay county, Indiana and when the first call for volunteers was made for enlistment for the war of the rebellion he enlisted in Co. A. of the 69th Vol. Infantry regiment of that state and when his 90 day term of enlistment expired re-enlisted in Company B of the same regiment as a veteran for three years remaining in the service until the close of the war. At the close of the war he returned to Indiana and was subsequently married to Mrs. John Brewster returning to Nebraska in 1869. He and Tom Brewster were the first to meet us when we came to Nebraska; they ferried our household goods across the river in a skiff, taking the wagon apart and bringing across in the boat and swimming the oxen and cows across. This was on May 5th, 1858; I have known him intimately all these years. He was a great reader and kept well informed on current topics and was an interesting conversationalist, was always cheerful and had a good word for everybody. Deceased was born in New Jersey March 20, 1831. He has two brothers living in this county, G. S., of Blair and DeWitt, of Kennard, to whom the sympathy of the writer is proffered in their bereavement.

~~~Obituaries courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair, Nebraska Public Library~~~