Republican Northwestern Newspaper, Boone county, IL 15 February 1918

HAD LIVED CLOSE TO HUNDRED YEARS

Edmund DOUGLASS, Known to Many in Belvidere, Had Voted for Eighteen Presidents – Saw many Stirring Times in the Pioneer Days of the Mississippi Valley

The death of Edmund DOUGLASS, father of Mrs. Ellen CHAMPION of this city, who passed away at the age of 98 years at Postville, Iowa, ends a life remarkable in several respects. He was known to many in Belvidere, having visited his daughter at her home with Mr. and Mrs. Chas. SEVERNS of Warren avenue at different periods. His home was at McGregor, Iowa, but for the last years he had lived with a son in Postville.

An Iowa paper in commenting upon his life several years ago said:

“He came to this part of Iowa in 1846, settling where the town of Garnavillo now stands. This was two years before the Winnebago Indians were removed to Minnesota, while the soldiers were yet at Fort Atkinson and in the days of the Mexican war. Those were stirring times even though the country was sparsely settled. In 1853 he went overland with a party to California, riding a pony and driving stock across the plains and through the mountain passes. The plains in those days were the abode of hostile Indians and the Mormons made trouble for the government, culminating in the infamous Mountain Meadow massacre in 1857. So the route was dangerous, tedious and long. He spent three years in the west and then returned to this section, residing near here for many years.

Mr. DOUGLASS has voted for eighteen presidents covering a period of 72 years, and there are but few men in Iowa who can equal this record, let alone exceeding it. During the visit here he met many oldtime friends, who expressed their pleasures at meeting him once more. On Friday evening there was a little gathering in his honor at the home of his son, George DOUGLASS, who by the way is seventy-five years of age himself. At this time a photo was taken of four generations.”

Submitted by: Julie Hornung

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