Benjamin Maynard

Benjamin Maynard, a veteran newspaper man, died suddenly of heart failure last Thursday evening. Mr. Maynard has been a sufferer from heart disease for several years but up to the day of his death had been working steadily in the composing room of the Pilot. During the services at the Congregational church, of which he has long since been a member, on Christmas eve, Mr. Maynard was suddenly stricken with weakness and was hurriedly removed to his home, where death ensued a few moments after his arrival.

Benjamin Maynard was one of the old style newspaper attaches who was capable of writing editorials, news items, and setting job and copy, one of the fast disappearing type, now so pitifully few. During the late years of his life he followed the fortunes of Editor Van Deusen from the composing room of the old Courier to the present plant of the Pilot. Ben Maynard was one of the tragedies of newspaper life. He was ambitious to be a successful newspaper editor but, like many more who have tried the newspaper game, failed to make the goal. He died as an old newspaper man always hopes to die-in harness, with the echo, the click of the type and the clang of the press in his ears to the last moment.

Benjamin C. Maynard was born in Terre Haute, Ind., on Oct. 22, 1856, and when he was thirteen years old, moved with his mother to Magnolia, Iowa, where he learned the printer’s trade under the late W. D. Butts, a veteran Iowa newspaper man. He was married at Magnolia on May 4, 1874, to Miss Carrie Haskins. To this union two children were born, one girl, Eva, now Mrs. Chas. Moore, of Modale, Iowa, and one son, Orin, who resides in Blair. After leaving Magnolia Mr. Maynard went to Stockton, Kas., where he owned and edited a paper known as the Western Empire. He sold this paper and worked for a time with Stonecypher in Omaha, where he became acquainted with S. L. Hamilton, and they came to Blair and established the old Courier, running it as a weekly and for a time run the Evening Record, the only daily ever run in Blair. Later they sold the Courier to J. L. Greenlee, and Mr. Maynard run a paper at Herman and Arlington in this county. In April 1895, while running the paper at Arlington, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Wells. To this union two boys were born, Benjamin and George. From Arlington Mr. Maynard went to Colorado where he remained for ten years working at Ouray on the Plaindealer, and for two years he owned and edited the Salida, Colo., Mail. He came back to Blair in 1905 and accepted a position on the Pilot, which position he held at the time of his death. Mr. Maynard was a member of the Western Bees lodge in which he carried a $1,000 insurance. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. J. M. Kokjer from the Congregational church at 2 o’clock Sunday afternoon and interment was made in the Blair cemetery.

#2 Pilot 30 Dec 1914

B. C. Maynard Dead

(picture)

“In the midst of life we are in death.” The foreman of this office last week is this week occupying a narrow room out in the white city of the dead. We got the paper out early last week and by Thursday he had things pretty well cleaned up for the week.

It was Christmas eve, there was no rushing about, everything ready for the holiday to follow. He had thrown in his last ad, set his last job, a statement for Dr. Murdoch, tabbed up some checks for the bank and was ready to quit for the day. He had always liked to get things cleaned up and his stone was clean.

It was Christmas eve, and as had always been the habit in the office Christmas gifts were exchanged and each wished the other a “Merry Christmas.” Mrs. Maynard said he needed a pair of overshoes and we got him a pair at Beekmann’s for his Christmas present. He started home with his box under his arm and was in good spirits for the work was all cleaned up and he had planned to go to the Christmas tree exercises at the Congregational church that evening to hear his boys sing in a male quartette.

He talked about this in the afternoon and said he had never heard them sing. Mrs. Maynard didn’t think he ought to walk up to the church after his day’s work, for his heart had been giving him a good deal of trouble. But he wanted to go and he knew she wanted to go, so they went. He had to stop frequently on the way to get his breath, but finally arrived and took a seat up near the front.

He seemed to enjoy the program, we noted him smiling at one of the children who had just spoken. It was warm and rather close inside and he began to be short of breath. He got up and walked out to the vestibule. Dr. Murdoch was called out and gave him some medicine that braced him up for the time.

He waited until after the boys sang and then was taken home, Mrs. Maynard accompanying him. He told Dr. Murdoch he didn’t need to go along as he would be all right. He had been in the house but a few minutes when he said he believed he was going to faint. He sank down in the chair and slipped onto the floor. The tired heart had made its last beat and he was dead.

George arrived home a few minutes later and Dr. Murdoch was called but there was nothing to do. Death had arrived on Christmas eve. It was a beautiful night upon which to die, the night before Christmas when the spirit of love is over all the world. And he was happy, the work was all cleaned up at the office and he had heard the boys sing.

The funeral was held at the church at 2 o’clock Sunday afternoon, and was conducted by his pastor, Rev. J. M. Kokjer. The church was well filled with relatives and friends to pay their last tribute of respect to a good friend and citizen.

The casket was covered with floral tributes of friends and relatives. A beautiful anchor was sent by the printers in the city and flowers were sent by the Fraternal Union and by the Congregational church.

The pallbearers were W. H. Hill, Emmet Bolt and Chas. Ross representing the church, Claus Paasch the Fraternal Union and Harry Sappenfield and the writer the printers. It was a cold but bright and beautiful afternoon we laid his poor body in the cemetery, but his brave, clean spirit had gone to be with Him whom he loved and served the best he knew how.

Benjamin Curtis Maynard was born in Terre Haute, Ind., Oct. 22nd, 1856, and was therefore past 58 years of age. When but 13 years of age he went with his mother to Magnolia, Harrison county, Ia., where he grew to manhood. Here he attended school with Newell Dwight Hillis, the now celebrated Brooklyn divine.

He learned the printer’s trade in the little country office in that city. On May 4th, 1874, he was married to Miss Caroline Peer and of this union two children are now living: Mrs. F. N. Moore, of Modale, Ia., and Asa Orrin Maynard, of this city.

From Harrison county he went to Stockton, Kans., and ran the Western Empire for several years. He sold out and went to work for Stonecypher in Omaha. While there he met S. L. Hamilton and with him came to Blair and founded the Courier. It was first located in the building now used by the Blair Telephone Co. They employed W. H. Eller a brother of Judge Eller, as editor for a time.

Later the plant was moved to the rooms under the National bank. For a time they ran the only daily ever published in Blair, The Evening Record. That was when the old Keeley Institute was flourishing here and Blair was on the map for a few brief years. The Courier was sold to J. L. Greeenlee and Mr. Maynard ran the Herman News for a time, later moving it to Arlington.

On April 1st, 1895 he was married to Mrs. Elizabeth Wells, and shortly thereafter they moved to Ouray, Col., where their two sons, Benjamin C. and George R., were born. He worked on the Plaindealer and later edited the Ouray Herald. During the great miner’s strike he was correspondent for the Denver Post and saw some pretty stirring times in the different mining towns.

Mrs. Maynard’s health was poor and she was advised to get out of the high altitude, which she did in the fall of 1903, returning to this city where they still owned the residence property just west of the Grimm place. Mr. Maynard went to Salida and ran the Salida Mail for about a year and a half, when he, too, was advised to return to a lower climate on account of his heart. He came in the spring of 1905 and went to work for the writer as foreman of the old Courier he had helped to found, and had been with us ever since.

About a year ago his heart began to bother him a good deal and he consulted Dr. Crummer, of Omaha. He was better for a time but recently he had had several bad attacks, one very severe one two weeks ago last Sunday. The following Saturday he went to Omaha and saw Dr. Bridges, who prescribed for him and thought he would get along all right. He took courage and didn’t expect the end to come so soon.

Both he and Mrs. Maynard joined the Congregational church after the Lyons meetings in 1906, and seemed very well satisfied with their church home. In 1907 he joined the Western Bees and took out a policy for $1,000, which he kept up, though the order was merged first into the American Nobles and later with the fraternal Union of America.

He was a faithful workman and took a pride in his work. We shall miss him greatly, having been with us for over nine years, he will be missed in the home and in the community The sympathy of the entire community is extended the family so suddenly bereaved.

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

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