Israel J. Dewey, Undertaker
June 15, 1829 - January 13, 1914
Israel J. Dewey was born June 15, 1829 on what is known as Dogwood Ridge, Porter Township, Scioto County, Ohio, and died January 13, 1914 at Stockdale, Pike County, Ohio, aged 84 years, 6 months, and 29 days.
At the age of four years, he with his parents, Dr. Joseph and Rosana Tener Dewey, removed to a location in Harrison Township, Scioto County, now known as Harrisonville where he grew to manhood and worked at the trade of cabinet-maker with Thomas Howell.
About the year 1850 he was married to Elizabeth M. Kirkpatrick, who with an infant daughter died about the year 1853. On the first day of January 1855, he was again united in marriage with Elizabeth A. Samson, daughter of Rev. William and Eliza Beauchamp Samson, all of Madison Township, Scioto County, Ohio. To this union were born four children: Israel J. Jr., Willie S., Caroline M, and John H. The former two died while in infancy. Thus at his death he leaves to mourn his loss an aged companion, two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren to wit: Mrs. Theodore V. Gordon of Urbana, Ill, and John H. Dewey of Stockdale, Ohio; Mrs. Alva Daniels, Jeffersonville, Ohio, Mrs. Fred Groves, Bloomingsburg, Ohio, David Arthur Gordon, Savoy, Illinois, Miss Beatrice Gordon, Urbana, Illinois, grandchildren and little Misses Helen Daniels and Mary Groves, great grandchildren.
Of his father's family, one brother, Joseph Dewey of Jasper, Ohio survives at the age of 82 years; five sisters: Mrs. Samuel Taylor, Mrs. J. M. Violet, Sr, Mrs. J. H. Stockham, Mrs. Wesley Bradford and Miss Emma have preceeded him to the better land.
Early in life he united with the Methodist church and continued a consistent and faithful member throughout his long and eventful life, always willing and ready to respond to duty for the betterment of humanity and the interests of church work. Being mortal like all mankind, he possibly made mistakes, but none were more ready and willing than he to make wrongs right and to establish himself in confidence with God and man.
In his last declining years, although prohibited by illness and the infirmities of age from attending regularly public service at the church, he together with his aged wife, enjoyed many happy seasons of worship around the old family fireside altar, and in his very latest hours he was happy, realizing that very soon he would be released from pain and suffering and he forever at rest with the Savior and loved ones gone before.
On the first day of January 1914, he and his wife celebrated the 59th anniversary of the their wedding, together with some of their near friends, an occasion very rare in this day and age.
The subject of his sketch was a man widely known as a building contractor all over Scioto, Pike and Jackson counties, and for more than 40 years of his active life. No other man of his day and vicinity left more monuments of his skill and energy in the form of churches, school houses, dwellings, mills, bridges and public buildings than he, and all over these counties one can see still standing many of these monuments to his skill, although three and four decades have elapsed since their erection. His motto was, whatever wss worth doing must be done well. In connection with his building work, he was engaged in the undertaking business, and of the hundreds of caskets used in this line he never used a factory made one. All were of own his handiwork and built upon his own substantial lines of workmanship.
In the dark days of the rebellion he enlisted in his country, defense being a member of Company G, 173rd Regiment OVI and was engaged in some of the great battles of the war around Nashville, Tennessee when "Old Pap" Thomas put the finishing stroke to the rebellion in the west by putting to rout and almost inihiliating the rebel army under Gnneral Hood. Returning home at the close of the war he again took up the contracting work where he laid it down to enter the army and continued it until by reason of disability and age he was compelled to retire from active labor since which time he has lived a quiet, unassuming life on his pleasant little homestead near Stockdale. He was a charter member of Post No. 476, G. A. R. and remained an active member until his death.
The funeral services were conducted by Rev. John Stewart assisted by Rev. Hall of the Methodist Church near Stockdale. The burial service was conducted under the auspices of the Sam Slavens Post. G. A. R, loyally assisted by the local camp S. of V., who tenderly rendered the beautiful and impressive ritualistic burial ceremony of the G. A. R. after which the body was laid to rest in the beautiful church cemetery one mile east of Stockdale.