William Luce Obituary The Weekly Arcolan Vol. 13 No. 48Arcola, Douglas County, Illinois, November 9, 1911 WILLIAM LUCE DIED IN KANSAS FROM LA GRIPPE Was For Many Years a Prominent Resident of Arcola and Vicinity William Luce, for many years a resident of Arcola and the vicinity, died at his late home near the little town of Duron [Turon], Kan., at five o’clock on evening of October 30th. He had been ill but a short time suffering with la grippe, which in a weakened condition by advanced years, he was unable to withstand. The funeral services were hold at his late home on Wednesday, November 1st, and the interment was made in the cemetery at Duron [Turon]. Mr. Luce was for many years one of the highly esteemed farmers and citizens of Douglas and Coles counties. For many years he resided on his land on Locust street in the northern part of the city but left there less than two years ago to move to Kansas where he and his son, John have since been making their home and where his death occurred. William Luce was born in Darke county, Ohio, June 1, 1821. He was the tenth child of Moses and Catherine (Perry) Luce and the only survivor of their family of twelve children. His father came to Oakland in the spring of 1837 and subsequently acquired 320 acres of land from the government. He returned to Ohio in the fall and brought his family overland in a prairie schooner to his Coles county claim where he had erected log house. In the fall of the next year the father returned to Ohio on business and his death occurred there. Mrs. Catherine Luce died while attending the wedding of her son, William, in Morgan county, Indiana. William Luce had the usual experiences of the pioneers who were active in this section of the country. After their father’s death the sons continued the work of improving the land he had left them. In 1841 William Luce went to Morgan county, Ind., and later to Marion county where he bought an improved farm which he cultivated for twenty years. In 1861 he returned to the vicinity of Oakland where he purchased 120 acres of partly improved land where he lived for three or four years. He sold out and bought 80 acres land one and one-half miles north of Arcola where he lived for the next eight or ten years. Later he purchased 160 acres just inside the city limits. This he sold for $275 per acre just before removing to Kansas less tan two years ago. On September 5, 1844, he was married to Sarah Burns, of Marion county, Indiana. Her death occurred in 1869 and in. 1872 he was married to Mrs. Rebecca A. (Hawkins) Hopkins, a widow of Jeremiah Hopkins, a soldier in the 79th Illinois Volunteer Infantry who died in the Emergency hospital at Nashville, Tenn., from an attack of measles. By his first marriage, Mr. Luce had eight children, only two of which survive. To the second marriage tow children were born, only one is living, Oliver Perry Luce. William Luce was ordained a minister of the Predestinarian Baptist church and he built and practically, maintained a church in Arcola for several years. He served many years in the offices of school director, highway commissioner and supervisor and always had the reputation of being a man of integrity and ability. He had many friends in Arcola and the vicinity who are grieved to hear of his death.
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